Victoria Falls

The waterfalls Victoria Falls the big attraction in the area between the cities of Livingstone in Zambia and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The place is undoubtedly also one of the African continent’s great landmarks and nature experiences. To see and experience the falls, one would normally visit the Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe, as the best view is obtained from here. The park is located next to and opposite most of the falls starting from the western end of the water cascades.

Along the waterfalls, a series of numbered viewpoints have been marked in the park, which are also referred to here. To the far west is Viewpoint I, and to the southwest at the Victoria Falls Bridge is Viewpoint XVI. Note that some of the viewpoints are covered in water during the rainy season

From west to east lies the first of the majestic waterfalls, the so-called Devil’s Cataract, which can be seen nicely from viewpoint II. It measures 60 meters in height, and is thus the lowest of the falls. Devil’s Cataract is the geologically weakest point along the falls and the Zambezi has cut a ten meter deep furrow in the basalt here and continued development will direct more and more water this way. Devil’s Cataract is separated from the remaining falls by Cataract Island, also known as Boaruka Island. Boaruka means “parts of water” in the language of the Tonga tribe.

East of Cataract Island are the actual falls, Main Falls, which can be seen from, among other things, viewpoints V-X. Perhaps the best place is point VII, where you get the full roar, sound and power of the waterfall right in front of you. Main Falls is where most of the water falls over the edge of the cliff, before thundering after 100 meters against the rocks and water below.

East of Main Falls is the island of Livingstone Island, which is well seen from lookout point XI. The island is named after Scottish David Livingstone, who arrived on 16 November 1855 as the first European to the area. He was paddled to the island by locals, and it was from here that he saw the actual falls for the first time. He also tried to measure the drop height from here using a string with cartridges as a weight. He four-footed it more than 90 meters down. At lower water levels, you can get to Livingstone Island and experience David Livingstone’s path of discovery. It happens from the Zambian side of the border.

Immediately west of Livingstone Island you can see the small Armchair Falls, where the famous swimming pool is located. The swimming pool is a naturally formed hole undisturbed by the flow and fall of the Zambezi just inches from the pool and in the dry season you can swim here just an arm’s length from the cascading waterfall.

East of Livingstone Island are the Horseshoe Falls, seen from viewpoint XI. Horseshoe Falls gets its name from the horseshoe shape that the Zambezi has carved into the top of this section of Victoria Falls. In the dry season, Horseshoe Falls may be the easternmost waterfall, as the following in this direction may have dried up.

After Horseshoe Falls come the highest of the falls. It is the Rainbow Falls with a height of 108 meters. The falls can be seen from viewpoint XIII, and the name comes from the beautiful rainbows you can be lucky enough to see here.

Farthest to the east flows the eastern branch of the Zambezi, which descends over the Eastern Cataract. The Eastern Cataract is often parched in the dry season, and this gives a different perspective on the nature of the area. When the falls have dried up here, it is possible to join a trip along the falls and all the way to Livingstone Island. The Eastern Cataract can be seen from viewpoint XIV or from the Knife’s Edge site on the Zambian side of the Zambezi.

Knife’s Edge and the area immediately east of it in Zambia also offer a fantastic look down along the falls, and here you can imagine how they have moved from east to west over time. You can also look at Zimbabwe’s Danger Point and see how steep the cliffs are below. Finally, you can also see the entire impressive water cloud that rises over the entire waterfall area.

Zambezi

The Zambezi River forms the border between the countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the Zambezi is the source of the Victoria Falls. The river is the fourth longest in Africa with 2,574 kilometers. It originates in Zambia, and after running in or on the borders of Zambia, DR Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, it empties into the Indian Ocean.

Along the course of the Zambezi there are several waterfalls, of which Victoria Falls is by far the largest and most impressive. There are also several hydroelectric plants with dams here. Kariba Dam is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and forms Lake Kariba, while Cahora Bassa in Mozambique forms a lake of the same name.

The Zambezi is usually divided into the Upper Zambezi, which runs from its headwaters to Victoria Falls, the Middle Zambezi between Victoria Falls and Cahora Bassa, and the Lower Zambezi from Cahora Bassa to the Indian Ocean.

In the area around the towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone, you can experience the calm course of the Zambezi up close before Victoria Falls. This can, for example, be experienced from the national parks in the area, and after Victoria Falls you can see a series of canyons in the bedrock, which the masses of water have carved out over time. They can be seen, for example, from the Victoria Falls Hotel or the Victoria Falls Bridge.

Victoria Falls National Park

Victoria Falls National Park is located along the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side of the border. The centerpiece of the park is naturally the majestic Victoria Falls, but there are several other experiences in the park itself.

You can walk along the waterfalls and enjoy many impressive views of them. You can also walk to the west end of the park, where there is a statue of David Livingstone. The statue stands near the Devil’s Cataract Viewpoint. Standing here, one can think of David Livingstone’s words from November 16, 1855: “…scenes so lovely must have been gazed on by angels in their flight.”

Starting from the Livingstone statue, you can walk in the park and experience nature and the waterfalls in their entire length. You first pass the place Chain Walk, there are 73 steps down to the place with the falls’ best view of rainbows and the cascades in the first part of Victoria Falls. The first and westernmost part of the falls is called Devil’s Cataract, which is separated from the actual falls, Main Falls, by the island Cataract Island.

Opposite Cataract Island and Main Falls, in the park you can experience a rainforest with plants that are not otherwise seen in the region; oak mahogany trees. You can also see a baobab tree that measures 20 meters in height and 16 meters in diameter.

Further east and immediately after Main Falls you can see the island of Livingstone Island, and to the east of it you can enjoy the sight of first the Horseshoe Falls and then the Rainbow Falls.

Farthest east you come to Danger Point, which juts out along the falls of the Eastern Cataract. Here you can see the gorge cut by the Zambezi River and through which it continues its course after Victoria Falls. On the opposite bank lies Zambia, and if you continue south-east and away from the falls, you can enjoy the sight of the Victoria Falls Bridge.

On this stretch you can also get down to the Boiling Pot, from where you can board White Water Rafting trips. On the descent to the Boiling Pot, you get a bird’s-eye view of the falls, which puts the size and power of the falls into perspective.

During walks in the park, you can also look for and enjoy the experience of the local wildlife. You can see, for example, a number of birds, baboons and various species of antelope.

Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park

Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park is an area located on the Zambian side of the Zambezi. The park covers the area to the east of Victoria Falls as well as over 66 km2, which lies approximately 20 kilometers along the Zambezi to the northwest of the falls.

The most visited part of the national park is the area that stretches from the border post with Zimbabwe to Victoria Falls itself. Shortly after the entrance there is a statue of David Livingstone. It was erected in 2005 and stands as a counterpart to its better known and older counterpart in the national park of Zimbabwe at the other end of the falls.

From here you can start by walking along the paths to the banks of the Zambezi and see the quiet river, which just a few meters later rushes down over the edge of the cliff. The time of year determines the amount of water that flows here, and outside of the rainy season the eastern falls can be dry.

After the banks of the Zambezi, you can follow the intensity of the falls by following the paths and viewpoints to the Knife-Edge Bridge walkway, which leads over a gorge to a lovely tour close to Victoria Falls and where the Zambezi cuts inland through several large gorges. Note that you can rent rain boots and jackets before this bridge, and especially in the rainy season, the investment is worth every penny.

The round trip after the Knife-Edge Bridge offers beautiful rainforest and exquisite views from vantage points of both the Victoria Falls body of water, the Victoria Falls Bridge and the gorge that carries the Zambezi along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border.

In connection with this part of the park is the Field Museum, where you can get closer to the natural history explanation of the mighty Victoria Falls, and you can also see various finds that have been found in the area. These include stone tools, among other things.

Northwest of the falls, Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park offers a large area that is a nature and wildlife reserve. The plant and animal life is particularly rich, with e.g. baboons, zebras, buffaloes, warthogs and a number of antelope species. Hippos and crocodiles can also be found at the Zambezi, and elephants can sometimes cross the river from Zimbabwe. The bird life in the park is exciting to experience, and here there is a large number of species.

In the park is also the Old Drift Cemetery, where some of the early European settlers were buried. Some visitors who were affected by e.g. malaria were also laid to rest here. Among other things, you can see Samuel Thomas Alexander’s grave at the Old Drift Cemetery, which was abandoned when the settlers moved to higher ground at present-day Livingstone.

Victoria Falls Bridge

The Victoria Falls Bridge is a bridge that stands majestically over the Zambezi River as one of Africa’s iconic structures. The border between Zambia and Zimbabwe runs in the middle of the bridge, and from both countries, without officially visiting the neighboring country, you can walk to and over the bridge before returning to the starting point. You can of course also go from country to country, but it is not necessary if you do not want to spend extra time crossing the border formally.

The bridge was built as part of the famous Cecil Rhodes’ plan to connect the British possessions from Cape Town in the south to Cairo in the north. Although Rhodes did not make it to Victoria himself, he instructed his engineers to build the railway and thereby the Victoria Falls Bridge, so that from the train one could catch a glimpse of the falls themselves.

The bridge was produced in England and in parts sailed to Beira in Mozambique, from where the pieces were taken by the new railway to Victoria Falls, where, after 14 months of construction, the bridge was opened in 1905. It is 198 meters long, and it stands 128 meters above the lower water table in the Zambezi.

Immediately from its opening, the bridge connected vast areas of land and resources in Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia respectively, and it remains a major traffic artery. The Victoria Falls Bridge is thus still the only rail link between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the road over the bridge is one of very few that connect the two countries.

For many decades, regular passenger trains ran over the bridge, but this traffic has stopped today. However, the bridge’s railway continues to be used by both freight trains and special passenger trains such as Rovos Rail’s luxury trains. You can also go out on the bridge with the Victoria Falls Tram, which runs from the station in Victoria Falls, and you can also try bungee jumping from the middle of the bridge immediately on the Zambian side of the border, which is clearly marked by lines and signs.