Africa's largest waterfall name. Victoria Falls. A modern tourist who wants to see Victoria Falls with his own eyes will see almost the same picture as the English explorer saw a century and a half ago.
Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the widest continuous flow waterfall. Its height is 120 meters (which is twice as high Niagara Falls), and the width is approximately 1800 m.
Where is Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is located on the border of the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River in South Africa. The indigenous people of Zambia call it Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means “thundering smoke”. Also from local population you can hear the name Chongue (“place of the rainbow”).
Who discovered Victoria Falls in Africa
The waterfall first received widespread publicity in 1855. While traveling along the mouth of the Zambezi River, Scottish explorer David Livingstone saw "a beauty that cannot be compared with anything seen in England." The Scot named the waterfall in honor of Queen Victoria and dubbed it the most wonderful sight in Africa.
For exactly 50 years, Victoria Falls was heard only from travelers who described it in notes. In 1905, a bridge was built across the Zambezi River Railway towards Bulawayo city. Since then, the flow of tourists has only increased, and Zimbabwe has tourist town Livingston.
By the mid-19th century the days of British colonial empire were resolved and South Africa regained its independence. The wave of tourists to Victoria Falls resumed in the 1980s - by which time the annual number of tourists had increased to approximately 300 thousand people.
Description of the area
Above the Victoria Falls, along the Zambezi River, there are islands of different sizes; as you approach the abyss, their number increases. These islands divide the falls into four parts. The right bank of the river is known for “jumping water” - this is the name of the 35-meter wide stream. Behind the island of Boaruca, the width of the waterfall is approximately 460 meters. This is followed by the second main stream behind Livingston Island (530 m). And on the left bank of the Zambezi River there is an eastern waterfall.
The entire flow of Victoria Falls water falls into a narrow crevice and passes through it for about 120 meters, then flows into a zigzag gorge.
Devil's Font
On the Zimbabwe side, at the very precipice of Victoria Falls, there is a section where the water flow is relatively weak, and a narrow rocky ridge creates a so-called pool. This area is known to tourists as the "Devil's Font" and becomes popular from September to December when the water level is low. Desperate extreme sportsmen swim a couple of meters from the cliff. There have also been accidents where swimmers have been carried over the edge, so you should carefully weigh your decision before venturing into the “devil’s pool.”
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
In the Thundering Smoke Park in Zambia you can see such wild animals as elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, two white rhinoceroses, and hippos splash peacefully in the river. There are no predators here, so the animals are not shy and are accustomed to humans.
Tourist information
Entertainment and excursions on the territory of Victoria Falls
- Explore the rapids of the Zambezi River behind the waterfall - for fans of kayaking and rafting. For less extreme tourists, boat trips are offered.
- Experience an adrenaline rush by jumping from a bridge right above the gorge - bungee jumping to the sound of a thundering waterfall.
- See all the beauty of Victoria Falls from a bird's eye view - helicopter and paragliding excursions.
- Book a jeep safari in the national park.
- Fly over the canyon on a zip line - Zip-line attraction.
- Visit the Victoria Falls Museum to learn about how it has changed over its thousand-year history.
When is the best time to go?
Depending on the season, Victoria Falls can be seen in different states. From January to July, the water level in the Zambezi rises, the river flow becomes faster and more powerful (during this period extreme species sports at the waterfall are limited). From August to December, the river dries out significantly, its flow becomes less rapid and strong - this is the peak season for extreme travelers.
How to get to Victoria Falls
Most The best way- fly by plane to the capital of Zambia - Lusaka. Next, you can use local airlines to get to the city of Livingston. The cheaper way is by bus, but the travel time is 7 hours.
It’s better to book a hotel in Livingston in advance to take a break from the road, and in the morning visit Victoria Falls, half an hour’s drive from the city.
Where is Victoria Falls on the map of Africa:
Geographical coordinates: 17°55′28″ south latitude and 25°51′24″ east longitude.
Victoria Falls
In Africa there are many beautiful places. One of them is Victoria Falls, named after the Queen of England. In 1855, this miracle was discovered by traveler David Levingston. The sight of many tons of water flying into the abyss amazed him.
Most huge waterfall in Africa it is about a kilometer long and 100 meters high. It is known that the Zambezi River flows through almost flat terrain, but its path is blocked by a deep canyon into which the water falls. Along the width of the river, at the very edge of the abyss, there are four islands dividing the river into streams. Each of them has its own name. These are Devil's Falls, Rainbow, Horseshoe, Main and East. This is a grand spectacle natural miracle in March and April. In this area, these months are the rainy season.
During the rainy season, it is difficult to see what is happening in the canyon; the water rushes down with such force that while still in the air, before reaching the bottom, it turns into water dust. The clouds rise up to a height of more than three hundred meters. At a distance of 40 kilometers from the waterfall, you can see fog and hear the thunder of water falling into the abyss. When the rains stop, the power of the river weakens, and when dry times come, only a few small streams remain from the powerful flow. At this time, you can get a wonderful view of the river bed and the bottom of the canyon.
Facts about Victoria Falls
The largest waterfall in Africa serves as the border between two countries - Zimbabwe and Zambia; national parks of the hot continent are also located in this place. Only here, on the banks of the Zambezi, large populations of rare animals such as hippopotamuses and giraffes live. Due to the constant presence of water dust during the rainy season, tall, evergreen trees grow along the banks of the waterfall, reaching enormous sizes. Thanks to water, these plants survive during the dry season, when water is scarce throughout the area.
For a very long time, Victoria Falls has been visited by many tourists. Some come here specifically to see this miracle. In 1905, a railway was built along which you can get to the desired location. Previously, only a few enthusiasts got here. This waterfall is the only one in the whole world where you can admire a rare phenomenon - a lunar rainbow. This sight is very rare, it appears only once every 15 years, during the full moon. An indispensable condition is the rainy season, when a natural phenomenon manifests itself in full force.
Local residents have equipped an observation deck on top of a huge baobab tree. You can climb it using a special ladder. Such a device does not disturb the harmony of nature and at the same time makes it possible to see all the beauties of the area. Above Victoria, as the largest waterfall in Africa is called, there is a wonderful nature, forests with many species of animals grow here. Directly along the banks of the Zambezi there are national parks where, in addition to giraffes and hippos, animals such as elephants, antelopes and crocodiles are observed.
Waterfall can be dangerous
The best way, of course, is to look at all this splendor from a helicopter, which can hover at a fairly high altitude. This is the only way to view the waterfall as a whole. Some especially brave people try to get closer to the stream and photograph the river falling down from as close as possible. This behavior is dangerous and many have already paid for frivolity with their lives, but there are new daredevils who are taking risks again.
The most big waterfall Africa is considered Victoria Falls, which is located on the Zambezi River. Many people come here and have unforgettable experience. Upstream, rare animals live in national parks.
Oddly enough, the driest continent on our planet is also home to majestic waterfalls. Few people have not heard of the famous Victoria Falls, but not many people know that in Africa there is a Tugela Falls four times its height.
Tugela Falls, Tugela River (South Africa)
Tugela Falls, although not the most famous African waterfall, is the second highest waterfall in the world. Although, strictly speaking, the Tugela is more likely to be five free-falling waterfalls, the total height of the water falling in them is 947 meters.
It is located in the Republic of South Africa, in the Drakensberg Mountains, which are part of the Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu. Tugela means sudden in Zulu. The Drakensberg Mountains are called Ukhahlamba in Zulu. They contain the source of the Tugela, the largest river in this province that gave birth to the largest African waterfall. The cliff from which the Tugela Falls falls is often covered with snow during the winter months.
The Southern Drakensberg is a landscape of forested river valleys framed by majestic cliffs, hillside fields and vast areas of pristine nature. The park provides for tourists leisure- canoeing, mountaineering, mountain biking trails, hiking, and more relaxing holiday- fishing, leisurely nature walks and scenic tours.
Tugela Falls is undoubtedly the key attraction of any trip to the Drakensberg Mountains. A beautiful mountain trail leads to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources, which starts from the nearest parking lot. The road to the top of the Amphitheater - Drakensberg cliff is very flat, with the exception of only one relatively short climb. You can freely walk across two hanging bridges to the top of the mountain. All the way to observation deck It takes about 5 hours to get to the waterfall and back.
The second trail at the foot of the Tugela Falls begins in the Royal Natal National Park. It's also a very easy seven-kilometre climb. The trail along the Tugela Gorge runs through primeval forest. At the final stage of the ascent to the Tugela Falls, you have to overcome boulders, and then a suspension bridge is built, which leads to an observation deck from which you can see the waterfall rushing down from the Amphitheater, consisting of five cascades following each other.
Kalambo Falls, Kalambo River (South Africa)
Kalambo Falls, at 427 meters (772 feet) high, is one of the majestic waterfalls on the Zambia-Tanzania border. The width of the waterfall is 3.6 - 18 m. It is the second highest continuously falling waterfall in Africa. The waterfall is located on the Kalambo River of the same name, which flows into Lake Tanganyika.
Downstream from the waterfall, the river flows through a 5-kilometer gorge about 1 km wide. and a depth of up to 300 m before entering the valley of Lake Tanganyika.
The waterfall was first discovered by Europeans only in 1913. Archaeologically it is one of the most important sites in Africa. In its vicinity, human activity has been traced for more than two hundred and fifty thousand years. The first excavations around the small lake at the bottom of the waterfall were carried out in 1953 by John Desmond Clark.
Stone tools and hearths dating back to approximately 300,000 BC were found there. The hearths indicate to us that people were already systematically using fire.
Augrabies Falls, Orange River (South Africa)
Augrabies Fallsis is located on the Orange River, in national park South Africa. It ranks third in terms of water fall height and is ahead of the next famous Victoria Falls. The local Khoikhoi tribe calls this waterfall Ankoerebis - “place of great noise”, and this is no coincidence, because powerful streams of water rush with a roar from a height of 146 meters into a rocky gorge with maximum depth about 200 meters and 18 km long.
Aughrabies received its name in 1778 from a Finn, Hendrik Jakob Wikar. This name was adopted by the Boers who settled here later.
During the 1988 flood, 7,800 cubic meters of water passed through the waterfall every second, and 6,800 cubic meters of water in 2006. This is three times the average flood flow at Niagara Falls, 2,400 cubic meters per second, and more than the highest peak on record for Niagara Falls, which was 6,800 cubic meters per second.
Victoria Falls, Zambezi River (Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Victoria Falls is undoubtedly one of the main attractions in South Africa. Victoria Falls is listed World Heritage UNESCO. It is located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the border of the two national parks- Thundering Smoke Park (Mosi-oa-Tunya) in Zambia and Victoria Falls Park in Zimbabwe. Scottish explorer David Livingstone, who visited the waterfall in 1855, named it in honor of Queen Victoria. Local tribes They gave it the name "Thundering Smoke".
The width of Victoria is approximately 1800 meters, the height is 108 meters. Thanks to this, it is unique in the world. Victoria is almost twice as tall as Niagara Falls and more than twice as wide as its main part, the Horseshoe Falls. The mass of falling water breaking into splashes forms a fog rising to a height of more than 400 meters, visible at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water flow through the falls per minute, and in 1958 the Zambezi recorded a record flow of more than 770 million liters per minute.
At the point where it falls, Victoria Falls is divided into four parts by islands. On the right bank of the river, up to the 300-meter-high island of Boaruka, a 35-meter-wide stream of water rushes down, called “jumping water,” followed by the main waterfall, the width of which is about 460 meters. It is followed by Livingston Island and a stream of water about 530 meters wide, and the eastern waterfall is located on the very left bank of the river.
The Zambezi River falls into an approximately 120 meter deep fault in the earth's crust. Numerous islands on the ridge of the waterfall form channels and divide the waterfall depending on the seasons. Over time, the waterfall retreated upstream of the Zambezi. At the same time, he gnawed through the soil to the bottom of the crevice, now forming a zigzag river bed with steep walls.
The only exit of the river from the crevice is a rather narrow channel, made by water in its wall approximately 2/3 of the distance from the western end. Its width is only about 30 meters and its length is about 120 meters. Coming out of it, the Zambezi flows into a zigzag gorge that stretches for 80 km. After the zigzag closest to the waterfall, a deep reservoir about 150 m wide, called the “Boiling Cauldron,” formed.
During the rainy season, the water of the Zambezi flows through Victoria in a continuous stream, but during the dry season the falls almost dry up. The spray and fog above it are practically invisible and the water level in the gorge at the bottom of the waterfall decreases by almost 20 meters.
Below the “Boiling Cauldron is thrown across the gorge” railroad bridge 250 meters long and 125 meters high above the river level. It was built in 1905 and is one of five existing bridges on the Zambezi River.
Blue Nile Falls, Blue Nile River (Ethiopia)
The Blue Nile Falls (Tis Ysat, or Tis Abbay) are located on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. In Amharic they are called Tis Issat, which means "Smoking Water". They are located in the upper reaches of the Blue Nile River, about 30 km downstream from the city of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The Blue Nile Falls are considered one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ethiopia. It is estimated that four streams of water fall from a height of 37 to 45 meters, changing from small streams in the dry season to a torrent of more than 400 meters wide in the rainy season.
The entirety of Tees Abbay Falls consists of a cascade of several small waterfalls located at the feet of the large upper waterfall.
In 2003, two hydroelectric power stations started operating at the waterfall. Some of the water from the Blue Nile flows to them through artificial canals located above the waterfall. Thanks to this, the flow of water through the waterfall has become smaller, but this does not prevent the formation of a rainbow above it, which many tourists come here to see. The gorge into which the river falls is famous for the oldest stone bridge in Ethiopia, which was built by Portuguese missionaries back in 1626.
Namaqualanda Falls (South Africa)
Namaqualanda (Afrikaans: Namakwaland) is a waterfall in the arid region of Namibia. This region stretches over 970 km. along west coast and its total area is 440,000 km². The region is divided by the lower reaches of the Orange River into two parts - Lesser Namaqualanda in the south and Greater Namaqualanda in the north.
Namaqualanda Falls is located on the Orange River a few miles north of Nieuwoudtville on the road to Loeriesfontein.
Berlin Falls, Blyde River (South Africa)
Berlin Falls is located in the Mpumalanga province in northeastern South Africa. It is 262 feet high. Berlin Falls is part of the famous African Panorama route and is located north of Graskop and close to God's Window in the Blyde River Canyon area.
Murchison Falls is located on the Nile River.In its upper part, Murchison cut his way into rocks only 7 meters wide and 43 meters deep. In the west, the river flows into Lake Albert.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda. It occupies 3840 square kilometers. The park is home to the famous Murchison Falls, where cliffs squeeze the waters of the Nile into a narrow gorge, just 7 meters away.Buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses inhabit this corner of wildlife
In addition to the powerful Victoria and the highest Tugela and Mtazari, Africa has such a miracle as the Lofoi Falls in Zaire, in the Kundelungu National Park, in the province of Shaba, in the very southeast of the country. The Lofoi River falls like a water ram from a height of 340 meters.
Kalambo Waterfall
At the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika, on the Kalambo River, which forms the border between Tanzania and Zambia, lies the 221-meter-high Kalambo Falls. Like a water sword, it cuts through a sheer rock wall, rushing into the abyss in a powerful stream. Kalambo Falls has become widely known since 1953, when archaeologists discovered one of the oldest African cities of the Paleolithic era in its area. The oldest iron objects on the continent made by Africans were also found there.
African Augrabies Falls.
Augrabies Falls In South Africa, in the Kalahari desert, on the Orange River, the Augrabis Falls, 146 meters high, is located. Augrabis is found in wild, rocky terrain. In this place, the Orange River spreads between a jumble of lifeless rocks and islands, forming a delta up to 7 km wide. The waters of the river along the main channel break through a narrow crevice and fly down into a deep gorge. In a gigantic cauldron, the depth of which is about 45 meters, the river rushes furiously, swirls, raising waves six meters high. A cloud of water dust rises a hundred meters, almost to the crest of the waterfall, and gives birth to a light rainbow. The roar of the waterfall echoes loudly in the surrounding area. Water flow during floods is hundreds of cubic meters per second. During the rainy season, it is generally impossible to approach Augrabis on foot; it can only be viewed from a helicopter. If Victoria Falls is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, then the surroundings of Augrabis, especially in the dry season, look harsh and gloomy. The waterfall was discovered in 1778.
African Kabarega Falls in Uganda.
Kabarega Waterfall Kabarega Falls on the Victoria Nile River in Uganda is considered one of the wonders of the world. At one time, it was named in honor of the outstanding English geographer, geologist and traveler of the century before last, R. Murchison. The waterfall is unique in that the waters of the Nile break through a tiny chasm, only 6 meters wide, with enormous force, and roll down in giant waves at an angle of 50° through a series of ledges into a gorge 120 meters deep. This sight exudes primeval power and leaves an indelible impression. The rainbow shines continuously over the waterfall. The rays of the sun dissolve in a sparkling cascade with the roar of rushing foam, and the waterfall appears as a sparkling stream of precious stones. The waterfall was discovered by the Englishman S. Baker in 1864, and named in honor of R. Murchison, who at that time held the post of chairman of the British Royal Geographical Society.
Calandula waterfall in Angola.
Kalandula Waterfall Kalandula Falls is the second widest after Victoria. It is located on the Lucala River, in Angola. It's a stunning sight. The river rushes down with a roar. The width of its launch site is about a kilometer. One hundred and five meters she is in free flight, having lost her earthly support. During this time, its greenish waters turn into a boiling white mass. Myriads of tiny splashes are born when Lukala meets the stone bed of Kalandula. The polyphonic organ roar of falling water creates a fabulous, festive mood. Kalandula Waterfall gives tourists the unusual beauty of light music.
Waterfalls in Africa are small.
Calais waterfalls on the Samu River in Guinea look like an avalanche of water at least 600-700 meters wide, falling from a height of 50-60 meters.
Located in Ethiopia on the Ganale Doria River Barattieri waterfall 140 meters high. In the same country, the Blue Nile River forms the fourth widest africa waterfall(after Victoria, Kalandula, Calais) - Thiess Abbay. With a span of 300 meters, it has a height of 50 meters, and appearance reminiscent of the American part of Niagara. A hydroelectric power station was built at the Tiss Abbay waterfall.
Waterfalls in Africa numerous and very picturesque. Naturally, there are also lesser known ones. In the south of the continent, in the state of Lesotho there are many mountain rivers. The country is located on a plateau up to 3 thousand meters high. This country is perhaps the only one on the continent where Africans wear fur coats. In Lesotho, on one of the tributaries of the Orange River, there is Maletsunyane waterfall 192 meters high.
A very interesting waterfall is in the upper reaches of the Comoe River, in the south West Africa- a wide type, with subsequent cascades spread out on stone slabs. Curious boilers Felu waterfall in Upper Senegal. The multi-stage cascade of Boyali near the capital of the Central African Republic is impressive. Waterfalls of 100 meters in height are located on one of the left tributaries of the Rbia River in Southern Morocco and southern Africa. Popular in South Africa Albert Falls on the Karkloof River - “a waterfall flowing into a bowl.”
Rainbows shine over the waterfalls of Africa, whose people are still fighting colonialism and neo-colonialism. In the struggle for their daily bread, they naturally cannot always admire the wonders of nature. It should be noted that in most developing countries, areas of natural interest have been declared nature reserves. A large waterfall is always an element of the national wealth of any country. It is in Africa that at the entrance to one of the reserves there is an inscription: “Remember, we are not the owners of natural resources, but only trustees of our descendants!”
South Africa: The largest waterfall in the world - Victoria!Victoria Falls- one of the outstanding attractions of Africa and one of the most unusual waterfalls in the world.
It is created by the Zambezi River, abruptly falling into a narrow chasm 100 meters wide.
Moreover, Victoria is the only waterfall in the world that is more than a kilometer long and more than a hundred meters high.
Mosi-o-Tunya ( Thundering smoke) this is what hunters of the Batoka tribe called the waterfall on the Zambezi River for a long time.
And the Matabele pastoralists living on the opposite bank gave him another, no less poetic name - Chongue, which in their language means " Rainbow Place".
Modern name- Victoria - the first European who saw it in 1855, the Englishman David Livingston, gave the waterfall in honor of his queen.
He discovered this natural wonder after a two-year arduous journey through the savannahs and jungles of Central Africa.
The three hundred warriors of the local leader Selectu who accompanied the explorer did not dare to approach the roaring mass.
In their opinion, a formidable deity lived in the abyss under the boiling wall of water, making itself known with a terrifying roar.
Only two of Livingston's bravest companions dared to board the shuttle with him and swim to the island located on the ridge of the waterfall.
But let’s give the floor to the traveler himself:
“Huge columns of “steam” appeared before our eyes, rising upward five to six miles from us.
The “steam” rose in five pillars and, deviating in the direction of the wind, looked as if these pillars were touching a low cliff covered with forest. At such a distance, it seemed that the pillars above were mixing with the clouds.
Below they were white, and above they became dark, like smoke.
This whole picture was extremely beautiful.
The waterfall is limited on three sides by cliffs about 100 m high, which are covered with forest.
The rowers, guiding the shuttle into the middle part of the stream among whirlpools formed by many protruding stones, brought me to an island located in the very middle of the river, not far from a ledge over which the water flowed. Although the waterfall was very close, we could not determine where this huge mass of water was going; it seemed that it was going into the ground, since the opposite ledge of the crack, at which the water disappeared, was only 27 m from us.
At least I could not understand this until I crawled with fear to the very edge and looked down into a huge chasm that stretched from one bank to the other across the entire width of the Zambezi...
Looking deep into the chasm, to the right of the island, I saw nothing but a thick white cloud, on which at that time there were two bright rainbows.
From this cloud a huge stream of “steam” burst out, rising 200-300 feet; condensing at the top, the “steam” changed its color, becoming dark like smoke, and came back in a hail of small sprays, which soon did not leave a single dry thread on us.
This shower falls mainly on the other side of the chasm; a few meters from the edge of the cliff there are evergreen trees standing like a wall, the leaves of which are always wet.”
A modern tourist who wants to see Victoria Falls with his own eyes will see almost the same picture as the English explorer saw a century and a half ago.
Thousand-ton masses of water hit the basalt foot of Victoria with such force that the water turns into clouds of spray, flying back in five columnar white clouds, rising hundreds of meters into the sky.
They can be seen from a distance of forty kilometers, and the roar of the waterfall, similar to continuous peals of thunder, can be heard almost as far away.
The Zambezi River, spreading almost two kilometers wide in this place, suddenly stumbles upon a giant crack in the basalts, and a powerful water avalanche falls one hundred and twenty meters down, falling into a narrow abyss with hundred-meter steep walls, located at right angles to the upper channel.
The islets divide the entire breadth of Victoria into several separate streams bearing the names:
"Devil's Falls", "Main Falls", "Horseshoe", "Rainbow" and "East Falls".
Water jets, reminiscent of arrows flying down with foamy ends, are carried into the abyss and disappear in a cloud of spray.
Two magnificent rainbows constantly glow above the waterfall.
Shocked by the picture that opened before him, Livingston wrote in his diary: “This sight was so beautiful that the flying angels must have admired it.”
The waters of the Zambezi, squeezed by a narrow gorge, seethe and bubble like volcanic magma, foam and rage with a wild roar and crash.
And the scientist’s pencil turns under the influence of this fabulous majestic picture into the poet’s pen, for it is impossible to convey the sensations of an eyewitness to this earthly miracle in the dry language of a scientific report.
Here is another excerpt from the description of David Livingston's journey:
“The entire mass of water overflowing the edge of the waterfall, three meters below, turns into a kind of monstrous curtain of snow driven by a blizzard. Water particles are separated from it in the form of comets with flowing tails, until this entire snow avalanche turns into a myriad of small comets rushing in one direction , and each of them leaves behind its core a tail of white foam."
Victoria Falls is the only place on Earth where you can see the rarest natural phenomenon- lunar rainbow.
It does not occur often - only at those moments when the flood on the Zambezi River coincides with the full moon period.
And even people who have been here more than once cannot always boast that they have seen this night miracle.
After all, between the next appearances lunar rainbow Sometimes it takes 10-15 years.
Only recently did photographers from National Geographic magazine manage to capture it on film for the first time.
Alas, the black and white illustrations in our book are powerless to convey its mysterious charm.
It’s hard to even say what makes the greatest impression on those who have visited Victoria Falls: the spectacle of a gigantic river suddenly disappearing into a bottomless pit, the monstrous roar of a water avalanche, rainbows in clouds of spray, or the wet splendor of the evergreen forest framing this fantastic picture.
Each of the tens of thousands of tourists who visit the waterfall every year takes away something of their own in their memory, something that particularly struck them in this most beautiful corner of Africa.
Some believe that the most stunning impression occurs when observing the white columns of “thundering smoke” in the rays of sunset, when the fading sun throws a golden stream of rays onto the cloud pillars, coloring them gray-yellow, and then it seems that some giant torches.
It must be said that the Africans treated their waterfall much more carefully than the Americans, who spoiled the landscape of Niagara with ridiculous observation towers.
To see Victoria from above, it is enough to walk fifty meters to the huge baobab tree towering above green sea jungle. Climbing a metal ladder to its top, you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the waterfall without disturbing the natural harmony.
Many travelers do not limit themselves to just the spectacle of the waterfall.
No matter how beautiful and menacing the view of a hundred-meter wall of water falling into the abyss is, Africa still conceals many wonders.
And if you go on a pirogue journey through the dark waters of the Zambezi, which spills above the waterfall, you can see on the banks and islands of the river a whole world of mysterious and amazing African nature: green walls of the jungle descending to the water, bathing hippos and elephants, lurking crocodiles and people coming to drink antelope...
And thrill-seekers sometimes decide on a desperate and risk-filled rafting trip on inflatable rafts along the lower reaches of the Zambezi, roaring and raging in the gorge under the waterfall.
On a twenty-kilometer stretch of the river they have to overcome nineteen rapids with waves reaching six meters in height...
The discoverer of Victoria Falls, friend and teacher of indigenous Africans, Dr. Livingstone, is immortalized here forever.
Just a few meters from Devil's Falls stands a modest monument to the remarkable explorer. And nearby, in a town named after Livingston, his memorial museum is open.