The Victoria Falls is without doubt
one of the most breathtaking places on earth.
The enormous Zambezi River plunges 103 metres into a chasm
almost 2km in length. In full flood the water makes a deafening
roar throwing up towering clouds of spray which create
multitudes of sparkling rainbows and constantly drenches the
opposite cliff in rain.
No trip to Zambia would be complete without seeing this
incredible natural phenomenon, one of the seven wonders of the
natural world which is, not surprisingly, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
On the 16th November 1855, Dr. David Livingstone, the famous
missionary explorer, became the first European to see the falls
and introduced them to the world with the fitting description
“scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their
flight”.
Dr. Livingstone named the falls after his Queen Victoria. The
other name given to the falls by the Kololo people, a South
African tribe which had colonized the area in the 1830s, is
Mosi-Oa-Tunya, “The Smoke that Thunders”, the indigenous
Toka-Leya people call them Shungu-na-Mutitima which has the same
meaning. Visit the falls at the height of the flood and you will
realise why they chose that name!!Read more >>>
One of our
travel consultants recently saw the falls for the first time.
Her face says it all.
The town of Livingstone, which celebrated its 100 year
anniversary in 2005, is situated 10km away. Livingstone was
founded after the abandonment of the earlier settlement, the Old
Drift, beside the Zambezi river. In 1907 Livingstone became the
capital of Northwestern Rhodesia and with the creation of
Northern Rhodesia in 1911, was capital of the whole territory
until 1935. Many of the buildings from this bygone era, with
their columned verandahs and facades, wide steps and attractive,
Edwardian style, can still be seen about the town giving it a
rarified dignity.
The town is
considered the tourist capital of Zambia and an enormous
range of activities are available in the area, all of which
our consultants will be happy to arrange for you. See below
for a complete list of activities
Adrenaline
◊
White Water rafting
◊
Abseiling
◊
Bunji Jumping
◊
Gorge Swing ◊
Flying Fox ◊
Jet Boat Ride
◊ River Boarding
◊
Flying
◊
Helicopter ◊
Microlight ◊
Tigermoth
◊
Game Viewing
◊ Mosi Oa
Tunya N.P.
◊ Chobe
National Park
◊
Birding
◊
Canoeing ◊
Crocodile Farm
◊ Elephant back rides
◊
Fishing ◊
Horse Riding ◊
Kayaking – tandem
◊ Livingstone Island
◊ Museum visits – Livingstone &
Railway Museums ◊
Off road bicycle hire
◊ Quad Bike Rides
◊ River Cruise
◊
Self Drive – Car and 4 x 4 hire
◊ Scooter hire
◊ Tours – Livingstone town
(historical) -
Maramba Market
- Chief Mukuni’s Village
-
Victoria Falls
The
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park: The 6,500ha Park extends around the falls and along the
Zambezi River. A fenced off section, known as the Game
Park, is the home to white rhinos which have been
introduced and do not occur naturally in Zambia. Within
the park is an area called the Old Drift – this is where
the pioneers first settled and ferried their goods
across the Zambezi before the bridge was built. There is
also an old graveyard here.
The habitat is a mixture of riverine vegetation, dry
mixed woodland and mopane. The game which may be seen in
the park include zebra, waterbuck, hippo, impala,
giraffe, elephant, kudu, warthog and buffalo. The
elephant visit at will, swimming out onto the islands
and across to Zimbabwe, which is a spectacular sight.
Birds: The Livingstone area has extremely varied
habitats including riparian sandbars & fringing forest,
mopane woodland and basalt cliffs, with over 400 species
of birds including the rare Taita Falcon. The
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and Batoka Gorge are both
Important Bird Areas.
Fishing: Species likely to be caught include the
notoriously powerful tiger fish, bream and the Upper
Zambezi Yellow Fish, a notable special for dedicated
fishermen. The best time of year for fishing is June –
November. The Zambezi River above the falls is subject
to a catch and release fishing policy. Zambian waters
are closed for fishing between 1 December and 28
February.
Best Time of Year to Visit The Victoria Falls and its spectacular flow of water can
be enjoyed throughout most of the year. The volume of
water cascading over the falls is entirely dependent on
the rainfall in the catchment area of the Zambezi River.
The greatest volume of water is usually recorded in the
months of February to May. When this occurs, Livingstone
Island is closed and so, too, are some of the activities
carried out in the Batoka Gorge. The flow increases from
January to April and is at its lowest from September to
January.
