Information about Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls - the tallest waterfall in the world

Victoria Falls is the only waterfall consistently listed among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Located on the border between beautiful, but very poor Zimbabwe and popular safari tour Zambia, the largest waterfall in the world is rightly called one of the most beautiful and amazing. The sight of millions of liters of water per minute (during peak season) falling into a narrow gorge is one of the most unforgettable moments in life. The huge stream of falling water forms a high cloud of water mist, which on a clear day can be seen from a distance of 20 km. Due to this phenomenon, the local tribes gave it the name "Mosi oa Tunya" (thundering smoke).

David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, became the first European to see and describe the falls. On November 17, 1855, the Scottish explorer sailed down the Zambezi River, in the very center of his beloved Africa. On a small shuttle he swam to the very big island at the edge of the waterfall, and from there witnessed with his own eyes what he later called “the most beautiful sight I saw in Africa.” This island was later named Livingston Island. David, in typical colonial fashion, named Victoria Falls after the British Queen.

Livingstone returned to Britain in 1856, and a year later published the best-selling book Missionary Travel and Exploration in South Africa, which made his travels around the Dark Continent world famous. The published book (70,000 copies - a huge circulation at that time) took an extraordinary place in history geographical discoveries and opened Central Africa to the first European travelers.

Victoria Falls began to gain popularity during the British colonial rule of Northern Rhodesia (modern Zambia), and Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). The impetus for the development of tourism in this region was the construction of the railway. Wanting to unite all the English colonies in Africa, businessman Cecil Rhodes took the initiative to build a railway that would connect the north and south of the continent, from Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt). This project was never brought to life until the end, but at first Railway was built at incredible speed (about one and a half kilometers per day). In 1905, a railway bridge was built over the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls, and two towns were founded in the area during this period.

Victoria Falls

Before the current crisis in Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls was considered the most popular tourist destination in Africa. Back in 1999, hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls. Tourism grew at a rate of 15% per year, and then a land reform program began, which was based on the confiscation of land owned by white farmers. Now the former tourist mecca of Zimbabwe serves as a sad example of the destructive economic policies of the country's President Robert Mugabe. According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, tourism revenues fell from $777 million in 1999 to $26 million in 2008. Tourism in Zimbabwe has literally and figuratively gone downhill.

In August 1999, Mugabe officially opened the Kingdom Hotel on the outskirts of Victoria Falls. Costing $26.3 million, it was the largest investment since independence in 1980. Cleverly modeled after the historic buildings of the central African empires, much of the hotel's decor consisted of natural wood, thatch and stone. Luxurious air-conditioned rooms, luxury shops, four restaurants, three bars and a casino - real paradise for tourists.

But international isolation and economic decline as a result of the disastrous policy of seizing the farmland of white farmers turned this a beautiful hotel and the city itself into an almost lost paradise. Who would have thought that a city with such a name (translated as Victoria Falls) would have problems attracting tourists! For most visitors, Victoria Falls looked much more attractive than its only competitor, the city of Livingston. But Zimbabwe's economic disasters have dramatically changed the status quo, and today most foreign tourists prefer the Zambian side, despite the fact that the scenery of the falls on the opposite side is less spectacular.

Livingston

Livingstone was founded in 1905 at a distance of 10 km from the swampy banks of the Zambezi River. The city is named after David Livingstone, the first European to see, name and describe the waterfall. The city was one of the first white settlements in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). In 1911 it became the capital of Northern Rhodesia (modern Zambia). In 1935 the capital of the state was moved to Lusaka, but Livingstone retained its status as a "tourist capital" as well as much of its colonial heritage. Livingston owes its current prosperity primarily to Victoria Falls. Thanks to instability in neighboring Zimbabwe, Livingstone receives the bulk of tourists who come here to visit the falls. Safari tours into the wild are also popular, giving you the opportunity to see with your own eyes herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, and hippopotamus.

Description of Victoria Falls

The Zambezi River is the fourth largest in Africa after the Nile, Congo and Niger. For 1,200 kilometers, the mighty river quietly rolls its waters across the plains of central Africa when it suddenly breaks off the edge of a basalt plateau into a deep and narrow gorge on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Water falls into the gorge from a height of 108 meters, the volume of water ranges from 20,000 to 700,000 cubic meters per minute (depending on the season of the year). Further, a rapid stream of water noisily makes its way through the steep rock gorges.

During the rainy season, the waterfall is difficult to see due to fog. During this period, water fog sometimes rises to a height of up to three hundred meters and can be seen from a distance of 20 km. Thick water mist saturates the air so much that in some places it turns into raindrops. Even on the hottest day you can get wet to the bone.

The waterfalls are extraordinary interesting phenomena. Considered by geologists to be nature's most destructive forces, water erodes and breaks down (albeit slowly) solid rock, forming canyons and gorges. Downstream from Victoria Falls, the river has eroded soft spots of basalt rocks and carved zigzag gorges for many kilometers. This is the result of the constant retreat of the waterfall line, a process that took hundreds of thousands of years.

Based on the experience accumulated over a dozen visits to the waterfall. Cold weather promotes warm memories, and my friends sent me a recent photo.

You often read/hear that Victoria Falls is the most big waterfall in the world. When you try to clarify what “largest” means, a hitch arises.
In fact, Victoria Falls is one of the three largest waterfalls in the world along with Niagara and Iguazu, but is not a leader in any of the parameters (width, height, flow power), as evidenced by the comparative table

	Victoria Falls	Niagara Falls	Iguazu Falls
Height	108m	51m	64-82m
Width:	1 708m	1 203m		8 264	12 792

As we can see from it, the widest is Iguazu, the most powerful, if we take average indicators, is Niagara. Yes, Victoria Falls is the highest of the three, but, unfortunately, it is not even among the thirty highest waterfalls in the world
But, apparently, in order not to offend Victoria, they also came up with the title “the most” - the Greatest Falling Curtain of Water on this Planet, which can be translated as the largest waterfall in terms of area of ​​falling water.
This is what it looks like from above

And so - on the map

It’s an amazing coincidence, but all three of the largest waterfalls are located on the borders of two countries: Niagara - USA and Canada, Iguazu - Argentina and Brazil, Victoria - Zambia and Zimbabwe. I don’t know about the first two, but the dispute between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the question of which is better does not stop for a second. Arguments of the parties:

1. Both countries claim that 80% of the waterfall is on their territory. And oddly enough, both sides are right. If we look at the border between the countries, it makes a squiggle between Livingston and Cataract Islands. As a result, it turns out that 80% of the waterfall itself actually belongs to Zambians. However, 80% of the opposite side, where the observation platforms are located, belongs to Zimbabwe.
So, oddly enough, both sides are right.

2. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe claim that the view of the waterfall from their territory is better.
If we ignore seasonality, then, as can be seen in the bottom photo, almost the entire waterfall can be seen from Zimbabwean territory. From Zambia, only part of the waterfall is visible.

Photo by Oleg Gaponyuk

On the other hand, it should be taken into account that the water level in the Zambezi fluctuates throughout the year. As a rule, the most low level in December - January and the highest in April - May. This affects the power of the waterfall. Since the main current of the Zambezi falls into a gorge opposite the Zimbabwean observation platforms, during the period of low water, the waterfall from the Zambian side presents a pitiful sight.

view of the Zambian part	view of the Zimbabwean part

But during big water Due to the dense cloud of water dust formed when the main flow falls, the waterfall is practically invisible from the Zimbabwean observation platforms, but from the Zambian side everything is perfectly visible. This is clearly visible in the very first photo.
In addition, from Zambia there is a beautiful view of the bridge between the two countries.

Top view of the bridge and the location from which it was filmed

Photo by Oleg Gaponyuk

Access to the waterfall
From Zimbabwe, entrance to Victoria Falls National Park is paid (25 USD). The hotels are located in the town of Victoria Falls. The closest ones to the falls are Victoria Falls Hotel (5*****), The Kingdom at Victoria Falls (4****) and Ilala Lodge (5*****).
From the Zambian side everything is much more interesting. If you are staying in one of the hotels of the Sun International group (Zambezi Sun (3***) or The Royal Livingstone (5*****), then entry to the waterfall is free and unlimited directly from the hotel premises. For those who stays in other hotels and lodges, entrance fee is USD 30. In addition, you will have to travel every time, since the other hotels are located upstream of the Zambezi.

Photo
As you can see from the pictures above, a cloud of water dust hangs almost constantly over the waterfall. This makes the use of photo and video technology difficult. Stories of expensive photographic equipment breaking down are commonplace. There is only one way out - either use an aquapack or a soap dish, which you won’t mind throwing away. It is relatively safe to take photographs from the extreme viewing platforms. This view, for example, opens from the first Zambian point.

Things to do
1. Naturally, go to the waterfall. Preferably more than once.
2. Flight over the waterfall by helicopter or microlight (hang glider for 2 people). The second option is actively used by photographers, since on a helicopter the windows shine into the lens.
3. Rafting
4. Canoe trips
5. Bungee and other flying fox
7. Cruise along the Zambezi. Frankly weak from an animal point of view. The best option- Chobe National Park
8. Full-Day Safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana
9. Safari in the national park (also weak compared to Chobe). Maybe in jeeps, on elephants, on horses, walks with lions, but this does not increase the number of animals in the park.
10. Visit to the village of Mukuni. I recommend it, the village is not popular.
11. Lunch on Livingston Island.

I would like to dwell on the last point in more detail. Livingston Island is clearly visible in the first photo. It juts out over the steep slope. The island belongs to Zambia and excursions to it are organized by the Zambian hotel Tongabezi Lodge, although they can be booked at any hotel on the Zambian part of the waterfall. There are 5 excursions daily
7:30 - US$ 65
9:00 - US$ 65
10:30 - US$ 65
12:30 - US$ 120
15:30 - US$ 95
Three regular excursions, one with lunch and one sundowner. Better to take with lunch. During the excursion you can walk around the entire island and go to the very edge of the waterfall.

There are a lot of emotions and adrenaline, but such experiences are not recommended for people who are afraid of heights. During low water, you can even swim in a natural pool called Davil's Pool.

Another phenomenon that Victoria Falls is famous for is the lunar rainbow. Sun International runs the evening/night Lunar Rainbow Tour of the Falls. Last time, an ordinary rainbow was enough for me.

Although, perhaps, next time I will definitely go to the waterfall at night :)

Worldwide famous waterfall Victoria, which locals call “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (“thundering smoke”), is one of the most picturesque and enchanting sights on the African continent!

A legendary attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world. Here the mighty Zambezi River falls down, forming a curtain of water almost 2 kilometers long. This spectacle greets tourists who come here in the spring, when the river is maximally filled with water, so that every second 5 million liters of water fall down 100 meters and 30 km from the waterfall you can see clouds of steam rising above the water

Indeed, the water spray rising from the waterfall forms a cloud that looks like smoke from afar. The waterfall owes its name to David Livingston, the discoverer and first white man, who saw it in 1885 and decided to name it in honor of the English Queen Victoria. When local natives took him to the waterfall and showed him 546 million liters of water, which every minute crashes into a 100-meter abyss, David Livingston was so shocked by what he saw that he immediately christened it after the queen

At the waterfall, the width of the Zambezi River reaches 1.6 km. The water falls with a roar into the 106-meter opening formed in its path.

In 1857, David Livingstone wrote that in England no one could even imagine the beauty of this spectacle: “No one can imagine the beauty of the spectacle in comparison with anything seen in England. The eyes of a European had never seen such a thing before, but the angels must have admired such a beautiful sight in their flight!”

Professor Livingstone described the falls as the most beautiful sight he had seen in Africa: “Crawling fearfully to the precipice, I looked down into the great fissure that stretched from bank to bank of the broad Zambezi, and saw a stream thousands of yards wide tumbling down the hundred feet and then suddenly contracted into a space of fifteen to twenty yards... I witnessed the most wonderful spectacle in Africa!”

The waterfall, according to some parameters, is the most big waterfall in the world, and is also one of the most unusual in shape (the waterfall is an extraordinary sight - a narrow chasm into which water falls), and has perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any section of the falls

Although Victoria Falls is neither the highest nor the most wide waterfall in the world, its status as the largest is based on its width of 1708 and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Numerous islands on the ridge of the waterfall divide the water flow into several branches. The dense fog and thunderous roar produced by the waterfall can be perceived from a distance of approximately 40 km

A boiling cauldron at the beginning of a winding gorge 80 km long, through which streams from the waterfall rush, crossed by a bridge 198 meters long and 94 meters high

At the top of the 120-meter Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, there is a natural mountain pool called Devil's Pond where the water is relatively calm. From September to December, when water levels are low, Devil's Pond becomes one of the world's largest swimmable bodies of water. The surrounding view will certainly make you a little nervous

Or get very nervous))

Victoria Falls is often compared to the Argentine-Brazilian Iguazu Falls, because if you do not take into account the intermittency of the Iguazu water wall, it would be the widest waterfall in the world!

There are hardly any metaphors that have not already been applied to this magnificent natural wonder of the world; it's just hard to describe in words. The falls and its immediate surroundings are so vast that it is difficult to take in their true magnificence, and for this reason they are perhaps best viewed from the air.

A few more photos Victoria Falls bird's-eye

Zimbabwe, Zambia

Photo Bibichkov Mikhail

Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, the fourth largest in Africa, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. This is one of the most spectacular waterfalls. In the language of the Kololo tribe, who lived here in the 1800s, "Mosi-oa-Tunya" - "Smoke that thunders." And Victoria Falls is the name that David Livingstone, a British missionary, gave it when he discovered the falls between 1852 and 1856. Victoria Falls is a breathtaking spectacle of awesome beauty and magnificence.

The falls are, by some measures, the largest waterfalls in the world, as well as being one of the most unusual in shape, and having perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any section of the falls.

Although Victoria Falls is neither the tallest nor the widest waterfall in the world, its status as the largest is based on its width of 1.7 km (1 mile) and height of 108 m (360 ft), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The maximum flow power compares well with other major waterfalls.

Photo by Veronica

The waterfall was formed by the sharp fall of the Zambezi into a narrow chasm, carved by its waters in a fracture zone of the earth's crust. Numerous islands on the ridge of the waterfall divide the water flow into several branches. The dense fog and thunderous roar produced by the waterfall can be perceived from a distance of approximately 40 km. A boiling cauldron at the beginning of a winding gorge 80 km long, through which streams from the waterfall rush, is crossed by a bridge 198 meters long and 94 meters high. During a flood, the water flow rate is approximately 546 million liters of water per minute.

There are two islands on the crest of the falls that are large enough to part the curtain of water even in full flood: Boaruca Island (or Flow Island) near west bank, and Livingston Island is near the middle. The main streams are called: Leaping Water (called by some the Devil's Stream), the Main Falls, the Rainbow Falls (the highest) and the East Stream.

Photo by Veronica

The depth of the chasm, called the First Gorge, varies from 80 m (262 ft) at its western end to 108 m (360 ft) in the center. The entire volume of the Zambezi River flows through the (360 ft) wide 110 m outlet of the First Gorge for a distance of approximately 150 m (500 ft), then enters a zigzag series of gorges, defined according to the order in which the river reaches them. The water entering the Second Gorge takes a sharp turn and cuts through a deep pool called the Digester. Victoria is a complex system often called "Victoria Falls". If you look from an airplane in a direction from west to east, the system will look like this: Devil's Cataract (Devil's Falls), about. Cataract, Main Falls (Main Cascade), Fr. Livingston, Horseshoe, Rainbow Falls, Fr. Armcare ("chair") and Eastern Cataract (East Falls). The river from the abyss finds its way out in a natural “hole” 70-120 m wide, located closer to the Eastern Falls. Proran is called Boiling Pot, which means “boiling pot”. Raging, the river passes through a zigzag canyon of three branches, each 1.5 km long, and only when it breaks out onto the plain does its flow calm down.

Main gorges:

First Gorge: where the river flows into Victoria Falls
Second Gorge: (connected by the Victoria Falls Bridge), located 250 m south of the falls, 2.15 km long (270 yards south, 2350 yards long)
Third Gorge: 600 m south, 1.95 km long (650 yards south, 2100 yards long)
Fourth Gorge: 1.15 km south, 2.25 km long (1256 yards south, 2460 yards long)
Fifth Gorge: 2.55 km south, 3.2 km long (1.5 miles south, 2 miles long)
Songvi Gorge: 5.3 km south, 3.3 km long, (3.3 mi south, 2 mi long) named after the small Songvi river coming from the northeast, and greatest depth of 140 m (460 ft) at the end dry season.
Batoka Gorge: The gorge below Songvi. This gorge is approximately 120 km (75 miles) long, and carries the river through a basalt plateau to the valley that now contains Lake Kariba.

The walls of the gorges are almost vertical and approximately 120 m (400 ft) high, but the river level in them varies by 20 meters (65 ft) between the wet and dry seasons.

But it is impossible to feel the statistical data. It's worth a visit to see that the mighty cascade of the Zambezi River, rushing into the Batoka Gorge, is the widest curtain of falling water on the planet.

Many of Africa's animals and birds can be seen in the vicinity of Victoria Falls, and a range of river fish species are also well represented in the Zambezi, making it possible to combine wildlife viewing and sport fishing with sightseeing.

UNESCO

Photo by Veronica

Victoria Falls is one of the main attractions of Africa - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The falls are shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and each country has a national park to protect the falls and a town serving as a tourism hub: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and the town of Livingstone in Zambia, and Victoria Falls National Park and the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Railway bridge at Victoria Falls.

Below the Boiling Pot, almost at right angles to the waterfall, a bridge spans the gorge, one of five located on the Zambezi River. The arch-shaped bridge is 250 meters long, the top of the bridge is 125 meters above the lower level of the river. Regular train services connect the town of Victoria Falls and Livingstone to Bulawayo, with another line connecting Livingstone and Lusaka.

Formation of Victoria Falls

Victoria railway bridge
Photo by Veronica

"Jumping Waters" - the westernmost flow of Victoria Falls formed the line of least resistance where the falls subsequently formed. The recent geological history of Victoria Falls can be seen in the shape of the gorges below the falls. A basaltic plateau through which the Upper Zambezi has carved many large cracks filled with weaker sandstone. In the area of ​​the flowing falls, the largest cracks run roughly east-west (deviating slightly northeast-southwest), with smaller north-south cracks connecting them.

Over at least 100,000 years, the falls retreated upstream through Batoka Gorge, eroding sandstone-filled cracks to form gorges. The river has fallen in different eras into different chasms, which now form a series of sharp zigzag gorges downstream from the falls.

Ignoring some of the dry sections, the Second to Fifth Gorges and Songvi Gorge represent past sections of the waterfall at a time when it fell into one long straight chasm, as it does now. Their size indicates that we are not living in the period of the most widespread "Mosi-oa-Tunya" ever. The waterfall had already begun to carve the next main gorge, falling into one side of the "Leaping Water" section of the falls.

More about Victoria Falls and its discoverer

Photo by Veronica

David Livingstone, a weaver who became a doctor, a famous traveler, and explorer, discovered Victoria Falls to the world. During all the years of his stay in Africa, he allowed himself to change the local name only once and only once carved his initials and the date “1855” - the year of the great discovery - on a tree. Livingston's heart was committed to African soil in Ilala, his body rests in Westminster Abbey in London. The great traveler left us a hand-written drawing of Victoria.

The majestic Zambezi, having absorbed water from the area of ​​​​a huge pool of 1.3 million square meters. km, approaches a basalt crack and falls into the abyss with an amazing roar. Mosi-oa-Tunya - Thundering Smoke, or Seongo (Chongue), which means “Rainbow” or “Place of the Rainbow” - this is what the locals called and still call the waterfall, to which Livingston gave the name of the English queen.

Victoria Falls is a completely extraordinary phenomenon in world nature. In the distant past, the deep tectonic forces of the Earth split the strongest rock - basalt - into blocks, and a crack 100-120 m wide from one bank to the other formed across the Zambezi channel, but to such a depth that a 40-story building could hide. If you swim upstream towards the waterfall, it will seem as if the river is going underground, because right in front of you you will see a “bank” crossing the river! The waters of the Zambezi, squeezed by a narrow gorge, boil, seethe like magma, foam, and rage with a wild roar. “The entire mass of water pouring over the edge of the waterfall turns three meters below,” as David Livingston wrote, “into the likeness of a 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 myriads of small comets rushing in one direction, and each of them leaves behind its nucleus a tail of white foam."

Charles Livingston, brother famous traveler, who visited Victoria Falls and had previously seen Niagara, gave the palm to the miracle of Africa and noted that he had not observed the phenomenon described above in Niagara. D. Livingston assumed that it was caused by dry air. None of the later researchers after the Livingston brothers mention the microstructure of the Victoria jets. It is difficult to say what the reason for this is: either a lack of observation, or inattention to the effect. Meanwhile, it deserves the name: “The Livingston Brothers Effect.”

“Each drop of Zambezi water,” wrote David Livingston, “gives the impression of having its own individuality. It flows from the oars and slides like beads along a smooth surface, like drops of mercury on a table... Each drop is continued in the form of pure white steam. .."

The force of the impact of multi-ton masses of water on the rock from below is such that the water turns into “steam” and is knocked back out into columns of “smoke” several hundred meters high, visible from a distance of tens of kilometers. A thunderous roar can be heard at almost the same distance.

In the last century, getting to Victoria Falls was not easy. D. Livingston was accompanied by three hundred warriors of the leader Selectu. But local residents were afraid to approach Mosi-oa-Tunya itself, considering it the residence of some formidable deity. David Livingstone was accompanied directly to the waterfall by only two daredevils - Takeleng and Tuba Makoro. They swam from the upper pool to the island. Kazeruk (now Livingston Island), located at the very crest of the waterfall, and great traveler was able to look into the boiling abyss and survey almost the entire system. Livingston enthusiastically described the rainbow over the waterfall, a rare rainbow, worthy of a “miracle of nature”: these were ring rainbows, unusual for the European eye, one inside the other, concentric circles of many rainbows. Subsequently, Livingston wrote in his diary: “The spectacle is so beautiful that it was probably admired by the flying angels.” Observed at Victoria Falls a rare phenomenon nature - lunar rainbows. After all, a rainbow arises as a result of refraction and decomposition into component parts of the spectrum of light rays not only from the sun, but also from the moon. As on Iguazu, night rainbows over Victoria are especially magnificent during the full moon, twice a year, when the Zambezi is at its deepest.

According to the description of some travelers, the water dust of Victoria makes a special impression in the evenings, when “the fading sun throws a golden-yellow stream of rays onto the water columns, coloring them gray-yellow, and then it seems that some fantastic giant torches are standing above the water ".

The waterfall is located on the territory of two national parks- "Thundering Smoke" (Mosi-oa-Tunya) in Zambia and "Victoria Falls" in Zimbabwe. Both national parks are small, covering an area of ​​66 and 23 square kilometers respectively.

IN national parks- rich wild nature. There are significant populations of elephants, giraffes and hippos. It is also home to two white rhinoceroses, which were brought there from South Africa.

A small cemetery remains on the site of an old English settlement.

Tourism

Photo by Veronica

The falls were virtually unvisited by people until the railway to Bulawayo was built in 1905. After the introduction of the railway, they quickly gained popularity and maintained it until the end of British colonial rule. A tourist town has grown up on the Zimbabwe side. In the late 1960s, tourist numbers declined due to guerrilla warfare in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and the detention of foreign tourists under Venneta Konda's rule in independent Zambia.

Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 brought relative peace, and the 1980s saw a new wave of tourism in the region. By the late 1990s, almost 300 thousand people visited the falls annually. In the 2000s, the number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe began to decline due to unrest associated with Robert Mugabe's rule.

Zimbabwe and Zambia allow visas for day trips when crossing borders without prior application, however these visas are considered expensive.

Immediately after the waterfall, a section of the river begins with numerous rapids, which attracts fans of kayaking and rafting. The rapids are safe enough for beginner tourists; there are no dangerous rocks at high water flows, and after all the rapids there are sections of smooth water.

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Victoria Falls is one of the most famous in the world. Due to its height and beauty, it is one of the seven wonders of the planet. The waterfall is located in Zimbabwe and shares the poor country with Zambia. Every minute, several tens of millions of liters of water fall into the gorge here, which subsequently form a very dense water fog. Locals They called it thundering smoke.

The width of Victoria Falls in the photo exceeds 1000 meters. If we take into account the ruptures of the drains, then the total size will be almost 2 kilometers. The height of Victoria Falls is 100 meters.

The noise that is heard when water falls can be heard 40 kilometers away in calm and quiet weather. From the same distance you can see splashes and misty clouds that rise up to 500 meters from the top of the waterfall.

It is at Victoria Falls that you can observe the most mysterious phenomenon in the world - lunar rainbows.

History of Victoria Falls

The first European explorer to visit Zambia and see this magnificent creation of nature was David Livingstone. He was originally from Scotland and in 1850 went on a trip to Africa. A few years later he saw this waterfall. Its greatness was so stunning that David could not look at the miracle of nature with a calm gaze and named it in honor of the reigning Queen Victoria. On one of the rocks of the Victoria Falls, he even wrote that such beauty cannot be compared with anything else in the world and the only thing missing here is the angels circling above the rising steam of the breaking water.

Upon arrival in England, Livingston described what he saw as follows: “I crawled to a cliff with a large rhinestone. My eyes were drawn into a huge crack that stretched over 1000 meters. This is the most amazing place I have been to in my entire life.”

Getting to Victoria Falls by 1905 was very difficult and only a few expeditioners visited it. That year a railway was built, which still passes near the miracle of the planet. Victoria is now recognized as an object world heritage at UNESCO.

It should be noted that 100 years ago, residents of Zambia and Zimbabwe were afraid to approach the “Thundering Smoke”, but after an active influx of tourists they began to actively develop tourist complexes.

Victoria is the winner among waterfalls

The height of Victoria Falls is far from the highest in the world, but it has the most unusual shape. He falls into a narrow abyss, which was formed by breaking the earth's crust. In addition, in the basin of the territory the most a large number of flora and fauna.

Many geography buffs wonder why Victoria was recognized as the largest waterfall, because there are higher and wider rocks from which water flows, also forming a vivid picture of fog. The answer is simple, Victoria is the largest waterfall in terms of the total area of ​​the pool and the “falling wall” of water.

It is worth noting that during the dry season (September-December) the amount of water in the Zambezi River decreases significantly. Most of The waterfall becomes bare and even manages to be overgrown with greenery. During this period, you can walk along the upper part of the miracle of nature, jumping between streams.

At other times of the year, it can be seen even in the photo that Victoria Falls is dangerous. This wonder of the world is now responsible for a lot of deaths. The reason for this is the fast current and very slippery stones, which make it impossible to grab onto them. From the bottomless abyss Livingston Island (the most high point before the cliff) is separated only by a very small bridge. This place was nicknamed Devil's Pool by local Aboriginal people because of the many deaths that occurred here.

However, the rule: “Where there are people, there is extreme sports” is present in any interpretation and in any place. Even during floods, extreme sports enthusiasts stop in the middle of the river and near Livingston Island on the edge of the waterfall and take pictures. A person stopped in the middle of the river feels like tons of streams of water are flying past him.

During high water periods, the pool has recently been closed, and extreme sports enthusiasts are not allowed to approach the waterfall under any pretext.

Bungee jumping - double extreme

This kind extreme recreation extremely popular in our country and abroad among people who cannot live without adrenaline in their blood. Those who want to feel how their blood is boiling can go to the Victoria Falls Bridge and jump into the abyss on an elastic rope, feeling free flight for a few seconds. A few meters from the water, the cable springs back and lifts the jumper a little upward. A few swings and the extreme lifts up.

The photo of Victoria Falls is very often compared with the well-known, and, as many believe, significantly neglected Iguazu, which is located in Brazil. However, if not for the intermittency of the waterfall walls, perhaps it would have won first place.

By visiting Victoria Falls along with the site, you will experience all the danger and grandeur of the waterfall. You need to see this body of water at least once in your life, when fast streams of water break on the ground and scatter into millions of small particles, creating a unique wall of fog. Come with the resort to Victoria Falls, take pictures of it and you will never forget this trip!