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Victoria falls africa - fact file

A natural wonder of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur, Victoria Falls is on the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa

Map of Victoria falls | Chobe -Vic falls Map (opens new window)

Victoria Falls

· forms the largest curtain of falling water on the planet and is one of the world's greatest natural spectacles and a must see when on safari in Africa

· Victoria Falls is called by the locals : ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ 'The Smoke that Thunders'

· In Nov 1855 the falls were made known to the outside world by David Livingstone

· One can view the falls face on ( mostly from the Zimbabwe side), as facing the falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height and capped by a mist-soaked rain forest.

victoria falls aerial picture -smoke that thunders
latitude and longitude of Victoria Falls* 17° 82'S, 31° 05'E © Wilderness Safaris

Victoria Falls facts

· The Falls are 1690m wide

· the highest point it is 103m high (the average height is 92 meters)

. Devils cataract in the Zimbabwe corner is the lowest point and hence has most water cascading over it.

· At the lowest water level (Nov/Dec), there are less than 20 000 cubic meters of water per minute flowing over the Falls

· At peak flood (Feb/April), over 550 000 cubic metres of water per minute pass over the Falls

· The spray can reach 1km high and can be seen over 30km away

· Small islands stand on the lip of the Falls, including Livingstone Island, where David Livingstone first viewed the falls

« All segments except the Estern Cataract are on the Zimbabwe side

« The Rainforest is sustained by the spray from Victoria Falls, with plant species that are rarely found elsewhere in Zimbabwe or Zambia.

When to visit

Different times of the year will provide different experiences

victoria fallsspray
Spray from above Victoria falls

High Water

¤ Feb to April. In full flood years the falls cannot be seen on foot on the Zimbabwe side with clouds of spray rising high into the sky and drenching all tourists. The aerial view at this time however is spectacular.

The Zambian side of the falls with less water is better at this stage and there are walkways to look out points and across the swaying Knife Edge bridge.

The intense spray provides welcome relief from the heat, but don’t carry anything you don’t want to get wet!

« A walk in the Rainforest or "highway to heaven" keeps you at eye level with sheets of cascading water, being soaked by the - misty breath and deafened by its thunderous roar

victoria falls low
from July the base is accessible

Mid Water

¤ April and May. The falls are at their most spectacular on foot but often the spray is so thick it is difficult to see the full width of the falls.

the weather is magic.

¤ From May onwards as the annual flood abates, the view of Victoria falls gets better and better and photographic opportunities from the Rain Forest path in Zimbabwe improve and most of the falls can be seen from this side.

The sound is still thunderous

The weather is still fantastic.

* Viewing Victoria falls from below by foot or by Jet boat is possible

victoria falls low
Drought year from Zambian side

Low Water

¤ Around November and December . It is just as interesting to come when the water is low. Visitors are able to fully appreciate the geological formation of the falls and the full length and breadth of them.

Low water season’s gifts are:
* one can walk along the lip of Victoria Falls on the Zambian side and swim /picnic or even get married - spectacular

At this time most the water falls at " Devils Cataract" on the Zimbabwe side

Maps and Picture Gallery

Victoria falls map

Pictures of Victoria Falls

Vic falls town

Photo slide shows

Victoria falls

Scenes of the area

Helicopter flight

Reasons to visit Victoria Falls

If ever you find yourself in Africa, do yourself a favour, and make the effort to see the Victoria Falls. No picture can ever capture the power of these awesome falls

It is the adventure capital of Africa if not the world
So much to see and do that any season is a thrill, particularly when the water is at it's lowest and the white water rafting is at it's wildest

No other major waterfall is surrounded by Game Parks
Victoria Falls - the hub of the largest game park in the world Kaza Trans frontier Park

Fantastic tropical weather

perfect (April to August)
very hot and dry (September and October )
hot with mainly thunder showers ( November to March)

Do not rush your stay in Victoria Falls, there is so much to see and do that you could easily spend a week or more checking out the game farms, where you can see lion, elephant, crocodiles and all the wild animals of Africa.

By 2010 while Kaza Park is still in it's infancy, you could spend a month or more viewing "Gods Creations" as it was ten thousand years ago, without "civilization" or even visa hassles. | Animal field guide | African birding picture guide |

Viewing the falls

ZAMBIA
Just 11 kilometres from the town of Livingstone by road. At the border post there is a parking area where you can leave your car.

For the best base-level view, walk down the rain-forest footpath on the Zambia side.

ZIMBABWE
A short walk from the the centre of Victoria Falls town where you can view most of the falls. N.B. The spray from the falls between Jan and July will drench you and your valuables.

For the best rim-level view, visit the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls

Somewhere, over the moon bow

The best time to see Victoria Falls, moonbow is during a full Moon and when the spray is high. ( Jan to July )

The spray can be seen for miles, and on a clear, bright, moonlit night it forms something called a “Moonbow "— reputedly one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on the planet. | More Victoria Falls Information