VICTORIA FALLS & ZAMBEZI NATIONAL PARKS

UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site - Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Parks are situated on the western tip of Zimbabwe. The Falls, known by the local Kololo tribe as Mosi oa Tunya- The Smoke that thunders, is one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" and one of the largest and most spectacular waterfalls on earth.

The falls are 1,7 kilometres wide and nearly 550 million litres of water cascade 70 to 108 metres into the chasm      below -every minute- during the Zambezi River's peak flow. Victoria Falls is made of five different "falls". Four of these are in Zimbabwe: The Devil's Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Horseshoe Falls -and one, The Eastern Cataract, is in the bordering country of Zambia.

The Devil's Cataract

The falls here are about 70 metres deep. They derive their name from an adjacent island in the Zambezi River where it is reported that locals used to conduct sacrificial ceremonies. With the advent of the missionaries, this practice was frowned upon and considered "devilish", resulting in the name of the area.

Main Falls

The falls at this point are at their most majestic. With a wide curtain of water thundering down 93 metres into the gorge below and peak water flows of 700,000 cubic metres per minute, this section throws out a magnificent spray that continually nourishes the evergreen rainforest around the area.

Horseshoe Falls

This section is horseshoe shaped and is 95 metres deep.
This section usually dries up at the height of the dry season
between October and November.Rainbow Falls A beautiful
rainbow can clearly be seen from this viewpoint. The falls are 108 metres deep at this point and are the deepest  of the whole series.

The Eastern Cataract

These falls are situated completely on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls but have a stunning view from the Zimbabwean side. They are the second deepest falls of the series at 101 metres deep.

Cataract Viewpoint

A unique view of the falls below can be found by descending 73 steps into the gorge.

David Livingstone Statue

The David Livingstone statue can be found at the left end of the Falls near the spectacular Devil's Cataract viewpoint. On 16 November 1855, Livingstone (the first Western explorer to view the Falls) wrote in his journal: "...scenes so lovely must have been gazed on by angels in their flight."

The Rainforest

The rainforest area of Victoria Falls is filled with many unique species of flora and fauna. One can wander amongst the Fig, Mahogany and Date Palm groves while gazing at the falls from magnificent viewpoints. Many species of birds and small mammals may be spotted beneath the protective canopy of the forest.

The Boiling Pot

This place is appropriately named to describe the turmoil where water from opposite sides of the falls collide in the Zambezi River as it turns in a southeasterly direction passing through several gorges.

Victoria Falls Bridge

Having been designed in England, the bridge was transported from Europe in pieces and was assembled on site, bridging the Zambezi River and linking Zimbabwe and Zambia in 1906. The bridge is also renowned for its popular bungee jumping.

The Game Park

Zambezi National Park together with Victoria Falls National Park cover an area of 56,000 hectares. The northern border of the Park is formed by the great Zambezi River which also forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia for much of its length. A wide variety of larger mammals may be found within the Zambezi National Park including The Big Five: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and white rhinoceros. In addition, herds of sable antelope, eland, zebra, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck and impala as well as many of the smaller species of game can be viewed. The Zambezi River is home to a large variety of fish and is famous for its bream and fighting tiger fish.Zambezi National Park has two main game-viewing sections: the Zambezi River Game Drive, with an extensive network of roads along the river accessed through the main gate of the Park, and the 25 kilometre Chamabondo Game Drive in the southern part of the Park, which begins about 5 kilometres outside of Victoria Falls town - just off the main road to Bulawayo.

information courtesy of ZIMBABWE PARKS & WILDLIFE