Bordering Zimbambwe and Zambia

‘Scenes so lovely must have be gazed upon by angels in their flight.’
David Livingstone, Scottish explorer

Victoria Falls must be among the most impressive waterfalls in the world. It is about 428 feet tall and the gigantic waterfall is a mile wide cliff of roaring thunder. It is known locally by the Makololo people as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders.’ Possibly this name has something to do with the mist that the waterfall generates. It rises up to a mile into the air and can be seen up to 25 miles away. Besides being the widest waterfall on the planet it is also one of the only two waterfalls known to regularly produce Moonbows.

Moonbows are rainbows created by the light of the moon being prismed in mists surrounding the falls and creating the multicolored wonders. This effect requires perfect conditions for it to occur with regularity, unimpeded light from the moon and a lack of light pollution, although other waterfalls can produce the moonbows on occasion.

Victoria Falls became known to the European world on November 17th, 1855 when the Scotsman David Livingstone saw the falls on his journey to the mouth of the Zambezi river. He was so impressed by the falls that he named them after Queen Victoria and wrote the eloquent passage listed above about the falls.

The water flowing over Victoria Falls varies from season to season. In the wet season the volume of water can be as much as 320,000 cubic feet per second, this is when the water falls over the cliff in a continuous line. While the dry season in Africa can reduces the flow of water to a mere 12,500 cubic feet per second. The water falling over the edge of the cliff is reminiscent of that which trickles out of an over full bathtub during this season. The height of the river’s flow is in the month of April, while the lowest ebb is in October.

From above the river flowing into the falls resembles a broad flat plain of water spilling into a narrow rift in the earth. In the cliff wall opposite Victoria Falls is the entrance to a gorge through which the water escapes once it falls into the rift. This gorge river takes a zigzagged course as it continues on its way. Before the river meets the waterfall it is crisscrossed with a series of islands. In fact approximately four islands have formed on the edge of Victoria Fall essentially breaking it into a series of five falls. Of these one island is named Livingstone Island after the explorer, who its said actually rowed out to the island to get a better look at the falls.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the falls annually and Victoria Falls lies on the border of two National Parks. One Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is in Zambia and the other Victoria Falls National Park is in Zimbabwe