Victoria Falls

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, 2km-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. The 111m-high (364 ft) 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. White-water rafting through the Zambezi Gorge is at its wildest between July and August. Canoeing and kayaking can be practised on the more subdued river stretches above the falls. 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.