Victoria falls are the magnificent 100 meter falls on the border of Zambia and
Zimbabwe and a popular travel destination for tourists. The Kololo tribes who
live in this area call it 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' meaning the greatest known curtain of
falling water’. Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as 546 million
cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge (at the height of the
flood season) over a width of nearly two kilometers into a deep gorge over 108
meters below, which is almost twice the height of Niagara falls.
Sprays reaching up to 1000 feet in the sky and adorned by multiple permanent rainbows. The vast column of spray from these falls can be seen from over 50 Kilometers.. The Falls are among the the largest waterfall in the world. As much as 546,000,000 cubic meters per minute plummet over the edge at the height of the flood season. Tourists can follow a path that goes right up to the falling water from Zambia side.
The official name for this breathtaking spectacle is Victoria Falls, named by David Livingstone in 1885 when he ‘discovered’ them and named it in the honor of his queen. This 2 km gorge is spanned by the Victoria Falls Bridge which was was completed by 1905 and connects Zambia and Zimbabwe. The bridge has an amazing view of the Falls and the black shiny basalt rocks. One special vantage point is across the Knife edge bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls as well as the Boiling Pot where the river turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge.
To fully appreciate the incredible size and the awesome power of the Falls is from the air, Micro-light and fixed wing flights are available. On the opposite cliff, facing the Victoria falls, you can take a well marked and paved walk through the rain forests. Unlike the game parks, Victoria Falls has more Zimbabwean and Zambian visitors than international tourists as they are accessible by bus and train and therefore comparatively inexpensive to reach.
The best time to view the Victoria Falls is between December-July when the water levels are high. Few adventure loving tourists even take whitewater raft and even bungee jump into them. Victoria Falls are a must see tourism place for anyone who travels to Zambia or Zimbabwe.
