The Victoria Falls – The Smoke that Thunders
The spectacular Victoria Falls links two countries, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It was discovered by David Livingstone in November 1855 and is known in the local language, as Mosi-oa-tunya, "the Smoke that thunders". It was Livingstone who named Victoria Falls after his Queen and stated in his now famous diary entry - “On sights as beautiful as this, Angels in their flight must have gazed”.
No person who has seen the Vic Falls will deny that there is a magic about the Falls in the towering column of spray when the river is high; the deafening thunder of the falling water; the terrifying abyss and tranquil lagoons upstream in which hippo and crocodiles laze. The Vic Falls are certainly spectacular throughout the year, but from February onwards, after the rainy season, you will experience the heaviest flow and volume of spray.
It may be because few other waterfalls allow such a close approach on foot, but it is also the unusual shape of the Victoria Falls that enables virtually the whole width of the Falls to be viewed face-on, at the same level as the top, from as close as 60 m (200 ft).
Adventure sports and a range of accommodation
The rustic Victoria Falls town - just ten minutes from the Falls, and on the outskirts of the game-rich Zambezi National Park – has all amenities necessary to act as a base for exploring the region. Accommodation is plentiful – from low budget campsites to luxury hotels.
And across the border in Livingstone, Zambia, visitors will find a town geared for the adventure sports enthusiasts with heaps of travel and adventure sports companies.
Victoria Bridge – third highest Bungee jump in the world
At a height of 364 feet, the Victoria Falls Bridge, completed in 1905, is the world's third-highest bungee jump, though the scream factor is arguably the loudest, making it a great draw-card for adventure sports enthusiasts. While plummeting into the abyss, you will be blasted with spray from the thundering Victoria Falls, and then jerked back to reality within inches of the swirling eddies of the Zambezi below.
How to enjoy the Victoria Falls Experience - take to the sky's and the water
Anyone can pay an entrance fee and walk around the ridge of Victoria Falls and take some good pictures to send home, but to truly experience the size and scope of the spray, you've got to get airborne, and there are options - tame and a little wild: Fixed wing planes, helicopter, microlight?
River Rafting , in many shapes and sizes, is conducted on both sides of the Zambezi River, in Zimbabwe and Zambia below the Victoria Falls.
The main rafting and adventure sports operations in Victoria Falls are:
- Shearwater Adventures, based in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.This company provides for whitewater rafting, Victoria Falls jet boats, Vic Falls helicopters, elephant back safaris, Victoria Falls Bungee jumping, ultralight flights, bridge walks, game drives and much more.
- Safari Par Excellence. They do Zambezi rafting, river boarding, kayaking and other scary ways of propelling yourself though the rapids for adventure sports nuts. SafPar's main base opposite Siloka Island just 4 km upstream from Victoria Falls offers a full range of accommodations and amenities including a campsite, a tented "Adventure Village" and comfortable chalets. And then they offer all the Vic Falls alternatives of bungee jumping, horse and elephant trails, jetboating etc
The Victoria Falls Hotel, a Classic African Safari experience
For almost 100 years, visiting members of Royal families, international and local statesmen, and celebrities worldwide, have preferred to stay at The Victoria Falls Hotel, set in the Victoria Falls National Park with a private path to the Victoria Falls.
Safarimall.com offers cheap and discounted flights to Africa and to Zimbabwe.
Check Tripadvisor and see what info and deals they have for Victoria Falls Vacations.
Read other African Travel Articles:
Kruger National Park, South Africa
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