Mosi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders. Victoria Falls is definitely a popular tourist destination. It is also one of the most magnificent natural wonders of the world.
The magic of this giant body of water is in the spectacular towering columns that fall freely downwards. The constant boom of the water, the enchantment of the mass of spray constantly being forced into the air, the tranquil lagoons upstream and the hippos and crocodiles are all encompassed into one powerful experience.
At 1 708 metres wide Victoria Falls is the largest curtain of water in the world. An average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plunges over the edge every 60 seconds into the Zambezi Gorge.
The surrounding area has been declared a National Park and a World Heritage site and so the natural state of the falls is preserved from excessive commercialisation. This phenomenon should be on every traveller’s list of places to visit.
The annual flood season for the area is February to May, with a peak in April. The spray from the falls is sometimes visible from up to 50km away as it rises 400 metres (sometimes twice as high) into the sky. During the flood season, however, viewers won’t get a glimpse of the foot of the falls and the walks along the opposite cliff are underneath a constant shower, shrouded in mist.
When the dry season begins to take effect, the crest islets widen, and there are more of them. Between September and January up to half of the rock-face of the falls may be dry, and the bottom of the First Gorge can be seen along most of its length. The lowest flow is during the November month and is about a tenth of April’s figure.
Victoria Falls town (in Zimbabwe) is located on the southern bank of the Zambezi River. The Zambian town of Livingstone is a historic colonial city ad tourism centre, and lies just 10km south on the river. You’ll be able to find various accommodation options in both these towns.
The Victoria Falls National Park is open to travellers all year round and covers 23.4 square kilometres of lush land. One of the most notable features of the park is its rainforest. The plants grow in the spray of the falls and include ferns, liana vines, palms and a number of trees not seen elsewhere in the region. There is abundant wildlife to be spotted such as zebra, giraffe, antelope, elephant and buffalo.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
