Victoria Falls is one of the most remarkable natural wonders of the world, known as the Smoke that Thunders. This breath-taking waterfall was discovered by the great explorer David Livingstone and is now the Adventure Capital of the World. A World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles and the stuff of legends, romance and myth. Long before the Scottish missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone ‘discovered’ the Falls in 1855, the local Batonga people had named them Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders’. Livingstone named them for his queen.
Today, the village rightly claims the title of Adrenaline Capital of Africa, home to a seemingly endless variety of adventure sports from bungee jumping to canoeing and white water rafting. Victoria Falls is the only waterfall in the world with a length of more than a kilometer and a height of more than hundred meters. It is also considered to be the largest fall in the world. The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 40 kilometers, while the spray and mist from the falling water is rising to a height of over 400 meters and can be seen from a distance of 50 kilometers. No wonder that the local tribes used to call the waterfall Mosi-o-Tunya “The smoke that thunders”.
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Victoria Falls
The Discovery
Scottish missionary and famous explorer of Africa David Livingstone (1813-1873) named it after Queen Victoria. Livingstone who was the first European to cross Africa from south to north discovered this awe-inspiring waterfall in 1855, while preaching Christianity in Africa. That is why Livingstone wasn’t very pleased with his discovery: it was just an obstacle on his way. Despite the inconveniences, he was fascinated by the beauty of the falls. In 1857 Livingstone wrote that no one in England can even imagine the beauty of this scene. Religious Livingstone also wrote that most probably angels are admiring the scenery while flying nearby. He was accompanied by soldiers but only two of them took the risk of approaching the waterfalls with Livingstone. For centuries local African tribes had a sacral fear from the waterfall.
The waterfall was hardly visited by people up until 1905, when a railway to Bulawayo was constructed. Since then Victoria Falls quickly gained popularity until the end of the British colonial rule. At the end of the 1960s the number of tourists started to decrease due to the guerrilla struggle in Zimbabwe. After Zimbabwe gained independence the region has been in relative peace and Victoria Falls started to attract a new wave of tourism. By the end of 1990 nearly 300,000 people were visiting the falls each year. Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the citizens of both Zambia and Zimbabwe no longer have fear of the “the smoke that thunders”, and are successfully developing the tourism on both sides of the river.
Locate the Victoria Falls
Best time to visit the Victoria Falls
Like almost everything else in Africa, the spectacle at the Falls is entirely dependent on rainfall. When you choose to travel will have a massive impact on your experience of the waterfall. It is a wonderful destination to visit year-round, but if there are specific sights and activities that you’d like to include in your Victoria Falls itinerary, keep these travel seasons in mind. Between February and July, the mighty Zambezi River is in full flood and the waterfall is at its most thunderous – usually peaking between March and April. Dazzling clouds of mist can float 400 metres (1 312 feet) above the Falls! Expect to get drenched by spray at most of the vantage points on the Victoria Falls Zimbabwe and Zambia sides. The Zambezi’s water levels are low from August to January, and at its lowest from October until the rains start again. The Zambezi River is usually low during December, rising steadily as the rain water starts to arrive from the Angolan highlands. The rainy Green Season revitalises Southern Africa between December and April.
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