Mosi-oa-tunya - "the smoke that thunders" is an awe-inspiring sheet of falling water that spans the Zambezi River and forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It's also one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The Falls cut a 2 km swath across the majestic Zambezi, sending more than 500 million cubic litres of water over its edge every minute during the height of the rainy season! I've been to Niagara Falls and it is very impressive, but it pales in comparison to Victoria Falls and its glorious rainbows and deep gorges. The other thing that's kind of nice is that in comparison to Niagara it is not very touristy. They get about 20,000 visitors a year, which is nothing compared to the Niagara machine and its nonstop boat trips to the falls every 30 minutes every day! David Livingstone discovered the falls in 1855 when one of the local Makololo tribe members took him to the edge. He was so overwhelmed with the beauty and power of the waterfall that being a loyal British subject he named it after Queen Victoria. Of course the local people still refer to it by its local name, Mosi-oa-tunya.
We were there mid-fall (May) and the end of the wet season so the Falls were at their fullest capacity. It was a very wet trip and needless to say there was no chance of getting to the Devil's Pool on the Zambia side - that is the small rock pool at the very edge of the falls that you always see in pictures with people appearing to hang over the infinity edge. It is only available in the dry season when the flow is much less.
You can visit the Falls from either the Zambia or the Zimbabwe side of the river, although most of the best viewing (about 75% of the viewing spots) are located on the Zimbabwe side so I would recommend staying on that side. There are 12 viewing spots along the walking trail although the further along you get the wetter it becomes - I highly recommend snagging a poncho before you set out otherwise prepare yourself for a torrential rainstorm along the way! There are a couple of viewing spots where you literally feel like you are in a tropical rainstorm and can hardly open your eyes due to the volume of water falling.
We stayed in Victoria Falls, on the Zimbabwe side of the Falls. In my opinion it is a much more quaint little city than Livingstone, which is much larger and seems more industrial. Victoria Falls has a very British feel to it and is easily walkable from the lodges and a safe spot to take a break. One thing that is a little disconcerting after a lot of safari travel (from the safety of your jeep!) is that the city of Victoria Falls is actually located in a national park so not only is there a massive waterfall, but there is plenty of wildlife roaming the streets of the city as well! We saw baboons and elephants in the town itself, just strolling along the main roads and the hotels warn against venturing out on foot after dark. It is worth taking a little drive through Zambezi National Park while you're there since it is so convenient.
We stayed at a new lodge called Batonka that was built last year (2016) and was lovely, with a very "Out of Africa" feel. It has a handful of rooms surrounding a lovely pool and garden and a huge veranda where all the meals are served. The management and staff were all welcoming and very helpful and it was within walking distance of the city center so a perfect spot to chill for a couple days.
We opted not to do all the touristy type things but they are all available for anyone interested, including ziplining, ultra light, helicopter flights over the gorge, sunset cruises on the river and white water rafting. The water was too high for rafting while we were there but I think that would have been a great option.
We were there mid-fall (May) and the end of the wet season so the Falls were at their fullest capacity. It was a very wet trip and needless to say there was no chance of getting to the Devil's Pool on the Zambia side - that is the small rock pool at the very edge of the falls that you always see in pictures with people appearing to hang over the infinity edge. It is only available in the dry season when the flow is much less.
You can visit the Falls from either the Zambia or the Zimbabwe side of the river, although most of the best viewing (about 75% of the viewing spots) are located on the Zimbabwe side so I would recommend staying on that side. There are 12 viewing spots along the walking trail although the further along you get the wetter it becomes - I highly recommend snagging a poncho before you set out otherwise prepare yourself for a torrential rainstorm along the way! There are a couple of viewing spots where you literally feel like you are in a tropical rainstorm and can hardly open your eyes due to the volume of water falling.
We stayed in Victoria Falls, on the Zimbabwe side of the Falls. In my opinion it is a much more quaint little city than Livingstone, which is much larger and seems more industrial. Victoria Falls has a very British feel to it and is easily walkable from the lodges and a safe spot to take a break. One thing that is a little disconcerting after a lot of safari travel (from the safety of your jeep!) is that the city of Victoria Falls is actually located in a national park so not only is there a massive waterfall, but there is plenty of wildlife roaming the streets of the city as well! We saw baboons and elephants in the town itself, just strolling along the main roads and the hotels warn against venturing out on foot after dark. It is worth taking a little drive through Zambezi National Park while you're there since it is so convenient.
We stayed at a new lodge called Batonka that was built last year (2016) and was lovely, with a very "Out of Africa" feel. It has a handful of rooms surrounding a lovely pool and garden and a huge veranda where all the meals are served. The management and staff were all welcoming and very helpful and it was within walking distance of the city center so a perfect spot to chill for a couple days.
We opted not to do all the touristy type things but they are all available for anyone interested, including ziplining, ultra light, helicopter flights over the gorge, sunset cruises on the river and white water rafting. The water was too high for rafting while we were there but I think that would have been a great option.
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