The world famous Victoria Falls locals called “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (“thundering smoke”) - 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 water curtain almost 2 kilometers long. Such a spectacle meets tourists who come here in the spring, when the river is filled with water to the maximum, 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, 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 the first white man who saw it in 1885 and decided to name it in honor of the English Queen Victoria. When the local natives escorted him to the waterfall and showed him 546 million liters of water, which every minute crashed into a 100-meter abyss, David Livingston was so shocked by what he saw that he immediately dubbed it the name of the queen

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

In 1857, David Livingstone wrote that in England no one can 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 in their flight must have admired such a beautiful sight!

Professor Livingston described the falls as the most beautiful sight he had seen in Africa: “Crawling with fear to the cliff, I looked down into a huge crack that stretched from coast to coast of the wide Zambezi, and saw how a stream thousands of yards wide rushed down to a hundred feet and then suddenly shrinking in a space of fifteen to twenty yards... I witnessed the most wonderful sight in Africa!”

The waterfall is, by some measures, the largest waterfall in the world, and is also one of the most unusual in form (the waterfall is an extraordinary sight - a narrow abyss into which water falls), and has perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any section of the waterfall.

Although Victoria Falls is neither the tallest nor the widest waterfall in the world, its status as the largest is based on a width of 1708 and a height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Numerous islands on the crest of the waterfall divide the water current 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 rush from the waterfall, is 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 Pool where the water is relatively calm. From September to December, when the water level is low, Devil's Pond turns into one of the world's largest swimming pools. The surrounding view will certainly make you a little nervous.

Or get really nervous

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

There are hardly any metaphors that have not yet been applied to this magnificent natural wonder of the world; it's just hard to describe in words. The waterfall and its immediate surroundings are so vast that it is difficult to capture their true splendor with the eye, and for this reason they are perhaps best seen from the air.

A few more photos Victoria Falls bird's-eye

Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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Majestic beauty and power, a rumble that never stops for a second, a million sprays that form a cloud of steam and fog, a sense of danger when you stand on the edge, and above all this greatness a dazzling rainbow - this is the picture you can see at Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world.

In the local dialect, the waterfall has two names at once - Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates as "thundering smoke", and Chongue, which means "place of the rainbow". In general, both names quite accurately characterize the waterfall.

It is located on the Zambezi River, which flows on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was discovered by the Englishman David Livingston, who quite rightly called the waterfall the most wonderful sight in Africa, and later gave him the name of his queen.

For almost its entire length, the Zambezi is a calm river, but its character changes dramatically when, quite unexpectedly, the basalt plateau along which it flows breaks down, and the river rapidly falls down from the height of the cliff, splitting into several streams. And the height there is really rather big - 108 meters, which is a lot for waterfalls of this width. Opposite the waterfall rises another basalt cliff, completely covered with tropical forest.

When to watch

The speed and strength of the flow of the waterfall varies depending on the time of year and season. In the spring, when the water level in the Zambezi rises, the flow becomes powerful, fast and impetuous. During the period of drought, the nature of the waterfall becomes more meek, islands are exposed on the river and along the edge of the cliff. So you can choose how you want to see it and come at this particular time of the year.

observation decks

It is possible to view the waterfall from several points. One of the best vantage points is on the bridge called "Knife Blade" - here you can see the East Stream, the Main Falls and the Boiling Cauldron, a turbulent place where the river turns and goes down into the Batoka Gorge.

Not less than convenient places there is also on the railway bridge thrown over the waterfall, and at the "Tree of Observation". Here you can fully appreciate the Main Falls in all its terrible beauty and look into its boiling emptiness.

The functions of the Victoria Falls, however, are not limited to just delighting the eyes of millions of tourists, it also has a practical application - to supply energy to many cities in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The most unforgettable experience can be obtained, of course, only by seeing the entire waterfall in its entirety. Unfortunately, this cannot be done from the ground, but if you are not too limited in funds, you can resort to the help of many local companies offering excursions to the falls by helicopters, paragliders and small private jets. The route of such excursions, as a rule, runs along the river and, in addition to Victoria, opens up many other local beauties. Just be careful, you will not have much time to look at the waterfall.

Victoria Falls Museum

In the area of ​​the waterfall, not far from the parking lot where tourists and travelers are brought, there is a museum dedicated to the history of the waterfall. The exposition of the museum tells how the waterfall has changed over its thousand-year history, how the water has gnawed and continues to gnaw for itself all new areas in the soft and pliable rock.

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

If you are near the waterfall, be sure to visit national park Mosi-oa-Tunya (Thundering Smoke), its area is small, but here you can see a large number of local animals - antelopes, zebras, giraffes, rhinos. The animals here are extremely peaceful and not shy, as there are no predators here. From the Zimbabwean side there is another natural Park, Victoria Falls.

In the area of ​​the waterfall, not far from the parking lot where tourists and travelers are brought, there is a museum dedicated to the history of the waterfall.

Entertainment and excursions

During your stay at the waterfall, you can make other absolutely unforgettable excursions - for example, canoeing or rubber rafting, a boat trip on the Zambezi River, a jeep safari in the national park or a horseback ride, and if you were always interested in how to this is elephant riding, here you will have a great opportunity to find out everything on your own experience.

For lovers of adrenaline therapy, there is another great entertainment here - bungee jumping. Just imagine this breathtaking jump from the highest point of the waterfall on a rubber rope... Scary, but definitely worth a try.

1. Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, the fourth largest in Africa, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The width of the waterfall is approximately 1800 meters, the height is 108 meters.

2. The waterfall was formed in a place where the Zambezi falls sharply into a narrow (about 120 meters wide) crevice carved by water in a break in the earth's crust. Numerous islands on the ridge divide the waterfall, forming channels. Over time, the waterfall receded upstream, gnawing more and more crevices for itself. These crevices now form a zigzag riverbed with sheer walls.

3. Victoria is the only waterfall in the world that is over 100 meters high and over a kilometer wide.

4. It is believed that the first European to see the falls was David Livingston. November 17, 1855, while traveling from the headwaters of the Zambezi to the mouth of the river (1852-1856), Livingston reached the falls and named it after Queen Victoria.

5. 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 out back by columns of "smoke" several hundred meters high, visible from a distance of tens of kilometers. Almost at the same distance, a thunderous rumble is heard. In the language of the Kololo tribe who lived here in the 1800s, "Mosi-oa-Tunya" - "Smoke that thunders."

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


7. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water per minute pass through the waterfall, and in 1958, during the Zambezi flood, a record level of flow was recorded - more than 770 million liters per minute.

8. After the waterfall, the river flows through a series of narrow and steep gorges with many turns, and then enters a large lake called the "Boiling Cauldron" - because of the numerous whirlpools, it seems that the water is really boiling in it.

9. Victoria Falls belongs to two national parks- "Thundering Smoke" (Zambia) and "Victoria Falls" (Zimbabwe). On their territory there are many wild animals and more than a hundred species of birds. In 1989, the waterfall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

10. At Victoria Falls, a rare natural phenomenon is observed - 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 of the sun, but also of the moon. The nighttime rainbows over Victoria are especially splendid on the full moon, twice a year, when the Zambezi is at its most full-flowing.


11. The waterfalls were hardly visited by people until the railroad to Bulawayo was built in 1905. After commissioning railway they quickly gained popularity and retained it until the end of British colonial rule.

12. Below the "Boiling Cauldron", approximately at an angle of 45 degrees to the waterfall, a bridge is thrown across the gorge, one of five located on the Zambezi River. The arch-shaped bridge has a length of 250 meters, the top of the bridge is 125 meters above the lower level of the river.

13. At the very edge of Victoria Falls there is a place called Devil's Pool. This is a small area of ​​water where you can swim in September and December without fear of being blown down the falls thanks to the rock that protrudes in this place. The pool is popular with tourists who love risk, although according to statistics, on average, one person per year dies from swimming here.

Victoria Falls is located, which is superior in width and is 120 meters, width - 1.8 km.

The Zambezi itself is a very calm river that changes dramatically on the cliff of the basalt plateau. The river here overthrows in five powerful streams, dropping about 550 million liters of water into the gorge per minute. The force of the impact of the water mass on the rock below is so strong that it seems as if the spray turns into "steam" and forms columns of "smoke" of great height.

Victoria Falls is an unusual natural phenomenon. It was formed during the splitting of basalt into tectonic blocks, as a result of which a crack formed across the channel of the Zambezi River, which was then expanded by powerful water streams. River waters, squeezed by a narrow gorge, seethe and boil, creating a roar and rumble. Victoria Falls is only the beginning, which winds through a narrow gorge in zigzags along cracks in basalt rock for almost 70 km.

The strength of the flow of water varies depending on the season and time of year. In the spring, during floods, the water level in the Zambezi rises, and the waterfall fills with strength, becomes powerful, fast and impetuous. During drought, the nature of the waterfall is tamed, islands of land appear on the river and on the edge of the cliff.

If you swim upstream to the waterfall, it seems that the water goes into the ground, because you can see the “shore” in front of you along the river. Opposite the waterfall there is another cliff covered with continuous tropical forest.

Victoria Falls is famous a rare occurrence: magnificent "lunar rainbows". They are formed by the refraction of not only sunlight, but also moonlight. Night rainbows are especially attractive during the full moon, when the Zambezi River becomes full.

All tourists who decide to visit this attraction must take umbrellas, waterproof clothes and shoes with them. All equipment also requires protection from the splashes that the Victoria Falls creates. The photos taken here will cover all these chores with a vengeance. After all, only in this case the memories will remain imprinted.

Victoria Falls, which can be observed from several viewing platforms. One of the most successful is the bridge called “Knife Blade” - here you can see powerful streams of water and a place called “Boiling Cauldron”, where the river turns and goes into the Batoka Gorge. It is very convenient to evaluate beautiful place from the railway bridge thrown over the waterfall, as well as from the "Tree of Observation". Here the waterfall appears in all its frightening power and beauty.

Not far from the parking lot, where tourists begin their tour, there is a Museum of the history of the waterfall. Its exhibitions tell about the changes that Victoria Falls has undergone over its long history, and how the water has laid and continues to make new sections in the rock.

From the side of Zimbabwe, near the waterfall, there is the city of Victoria Falls with the reserve of the same name, as well as another national park called Mosi-oa-Tunya.

During an excursion to the waterfall, you can go canoeing or rafting along the river, go on a safari, go horseback riding or elephant riding. For lovers of adrenaline, bungee jumping is offered - jumping from highest point waterfall on a rope.

Victoria waterfall on the Zambezi River South Africa. Located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The waterfall is about 1800 meters wide and 120 meters high.

Scottish explorer David Livingstone, who visited the falls in 1855, named it after Queen Victoria. Among the indigenous population of these places, the waterfall was known as "Thundering Smoke"

Victoria Falls is one of the main attractions of South Africa, belongs to World Heritage UNESCO. Located on the border of two national parks Thundering Smoke (Mosi-oa-Tunya) in Zambia and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Victoria is the only waterfall in the world that is over 100 meters high and over a kilometer wide.

History of the waterfall

The oldest known inhabitants of the area around the falls were hunters and gatherers, in their languages ​​the falls were called Shongwe, Amanza Thunqayo, Mosi-oa-Tunua "Thundering Smoke".

It is believed that the first European to see the falls was David Livingston. November 17, 1855, while traveling from the headwaters of the Zambezi to the mouth of the river (1852-1856), Livingston reached the falls and named it after Queen Victoria. He wrote of the falls: “No one can compare the beauty with anything seen in England. This has never before seen the eyes of Europeans. Places so beautiful must have been seen by angels in flight."

Early descriptions of the waterfall were left by the Portuguese Serpa Pinto, the Czech Emil Holub, the British artist Thomas Baynes, the author of the first surviving images of Victoria. However, until the railroad was built into the area in 1905, Europeans rarely visited it.

The geographical position of the waterfall

The waterfall is located approximately in the middle of the Zambezi River. Above the falls, the Zambezi flows over a flat slab of basalt in a valley bounded by low and sparse sandstone hills. In the course of the river there are islands, the number of which increases as you approach the waterfall.

The waterfall was formed in a place where the Zambezi falls sharply into a narrow (about 120 meters wide) crevice carved by water in a break in the earth's crust. Numerous islands on the ridge divide the waterfall, forming channels. Over time, the waterfall receded upstream, gnawing more and more crevices for itself. These crevices now form a zigzag riverbed with sheer walls. They are clearly visible on satellite images.

The waterfall is extremely wide, approximately 1800 meters wide, the height of the water fall varies from 80 meters at the right bank of the waterfall to 108 meters in the center. Victoria Falls is about twice as high Niagara Falls and more than twice as wide as its main part ("Horseshoe"). Falling water creates spray and fog that can rise to a height of 400 meters or more. The fog created by the waterfall is visible at a distance of up to 50 kilometers.

During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water per minute pass through the waterfall, due to the enormous force of the falling water, the spray rises hundreds of meters into the air. In 1958, during the Zambezi flood, a record level of flow was recorded - more than 770 million liters per minute.

The waterfall is divided into four parts by islands on the edge of the abyss. Near the right bank of the river there is a sloping stream 35 meters wide, called "jumping water", then behind the island of Boaruka (300 meters wide) there is a main waterfall about 460 meters wide. Livingston Island separates the main waterfall from the second stream (approximately 530 meters wide), the eastern waterfall is located on the very left bank of the river.

The only way out of the crevice where the water is now falling is a rather narrow channel pierced by water in its wall at about 2/3 of the distance from the western end. This channel is about 30 meters wide. The entire volume of water passes through it for about 120 meters, after which the river enters a zigzag gorge. The river does not leave this gorge for about 80 km, until it leaves the basalt plateau.

At the end of the first zigzag, the river enters a deep reservoir called the "Boiling Cauldron", about 150 m wide. In low water, the surface of the pot is calm, but during high water it is covered with unhurried giant whirlpools and swelling of the water surface. The walls of the gorge are over 120 m high.

During the rainy season, up to 9100 cubic meters of water per second passes through the waterfall. At this time, the water drains through the main waterfall in a continuous stream. During the dry season, the waterfall is reduced to a few narrow streams, spray and fog are almost absent, the flow drops to 350 cubic meters per second. At this time, you can explore the depths of the gorge, usually flooded with water. Between the maximum flow in April and the minimum at the end of October, the water level in the gorges changes by almost 20 meters.

At the top of the 120-meter Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, there is a natural mountain pool called the Devil's Pool, where the water is relatively calm. From September to December, when the water level is low, the Devil's Pool turns into one of the largest swimming pools in the world.

Railway bridge at Victoria Falls

Below the "Boiling Cauldron", approximately at an angle of 45 degrees to the waterfall, a bridge is thrown across the gorge, one of five located on the Zambezi River. The arch-shaped bridge has a length of 250 meters, the top of the bridge is 125 meters above the lower level of the river. Regular rail service is carried out on the Livingston-Bulawayo and Livingston-Lusaka lines.

Tourism

Bungee jumping from the bridge near the waterfall. The waterfalls were hardly visited by people until the railroad to Bulawayo was built in 1905. After the introduction of the railway, they quickly gained popularity and retained it until the end of British colonial rule. A tourist town has grown up on the Zimbabwean side. In the late 1960s, the number of tourists decreased due to guerrilla warfare in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and the detention of foreign tourists under the rule of Vennet Konda in independent Zambia.

Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 brought relative peace, and in the 1980s a new wave of tourism began in the region. By the end of the 1990s, nearly 300,000 people were visiting the falls every year. In the 2000s, the number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe began to decrease due to unrest associated with the rule of Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe and Zambia allow visas for day trips across 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 novice tourists, with a large flow of water there are no dangerous stones, and after all the rapids there are sections of smooth water.

National parks

The waterfall is located on the territory of two national parks - "Thundering Smoke" in Zambia and Victoria Falls (Victoria Falls) in Zimbabwe. Both of them are small and have an area of ​​66 and 23 km², respectively.

Wild animals live in the national parks, including numerous herds of elephants and families of giraffes, and numerous hippos live in the river. Two white rhinoceroses have been brought to the Thundering Smoke National Park from South Africa.