“Mosi-oa-Tunya” – “The Smoke That Thunders” the Victoria Falls are called in Lozi, an African language.
Flying over the falls one directly realizes why it is so. Even in dry season when the Zambezi carries little water there is a lot of spray in and over the gorge where the water falls into.
The combined width of 1,708 m and height of 108 m make the Victoria Falls the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Zimbabwe and Zambia each share roughly a half of the falls. At the end of the dry season the eastern (Zambian) part of the falls is almost dry whilst the western (Zimbabwean) part carries the main load of water.
The Victoria Falls Bridge spans the Zambezi shortly behind the Victoria Falls. The 1905 officially inaugurated bridge marks the border between Zimbabwe in the west and Zambia in the east.
Bungee-Jumping from Victoria Falls Bridge is a major attraction for adventurous tourists. Every morning the cables and harnesses are checked before the first jump.
The railway track on Victoria Falls Bridge leads to the city of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The identically named railway station sprays the charm of days gone by and is still in use. Historical locomotives and wagons are on display at Livingstone Railway Museum in Zambia. One can dine in refurbished historical trains while experiencing the sundown on the Victoria Falls Bridge.
David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, was the first European to find the Victoria Falls in 1855. He named the now World Heritage Site in honour of Queen Victoria of Britain. The island from where he made his sightings right in the middle of the Zambezi at the edge of the falls is named after him.
Looking from Zimbabwe to Zambia during the dry season one can hardly imagine water falling down the steep rocks and spray raising from the bottom of gorge wetting through the visitors. Being at the dry Zambian side one has a nice and unhindered view of the water masses in Zimbabwe. Baboons together with David Livingstone watch the sun going down over the Zambezi at the Victoria Falls.
