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).
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.
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.
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:
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.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
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