Victoria Falls, Zambia

Made known to the wider world by the famous British explorer Dr David Livingstone in 1855, the Victoria Falls, which form a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, are one of Africa’s best-known natural wonders and one of the world’s most impressive waterfalls. The falls, which Livingstone named after Queen Victoria, were known to native Kololo tribes in the 18th century as Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’, and the spray that they generate can be seen for miles around. The cascade is formed as the calm, two-kilometre-wide (1.2 miles) Zambezi River spills out of a flat basalt lip and plunges into the gorge below. At their highest, the Victoria Falls drop a distance of 108m (345ft), almost twice as far as the Niagara Falls. As much as 546,000,000 cubic metres (713,725,490 cubic yards) per minute plummet over the edge at the height of the flood season. Viewing the falls from the Zambia side means that visitors can follow a path that goes right up to the falling water. An alternative view can be had from the Boiling Pot, right in the depths of the gorge at the bottom of the falls. The 111-metre-high (364-foot) Victoria Falls Bridge, commissioned by British statesman Cecil Rhodes in 1900 as a railway crossing, is now a popular place for bungee jumping, and can be crossed by foot for excellent views of the falls and the winding blue-green waters of the Zambezi River. It is also possible to see an aerial view of the falls from a Micro-light or fixed-wing plane. The area around the falls is a prime game-viewing location. The best time to view the Victoria Falls is between December-July when the water levels are high.
Air: Lusaka International Airport, Harare International Airport, Livingstone Airport (domestic flights). Rail: Livingstone Station. Road: Coach: Services from Lusaka. Car: Victoria Falls border road (from Zimbabwe); from the south on Mosi-oa-Tunya Road (from Livingstone).