Victoria Falls – Explore The Smoke That Thunders

Chasing Waterfalls

Scottish missionary and well-known explorer, David Livingstone stood on the small island in the middle of the falls – now known as ‘Livingstone Island’ in Zambia – and looked on at the roaring curtain of water bustling over the cliff. ‘Victoria Falls‘, he named it, in honour of his Queen. We thought we’d take a closer look ourselves at ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – the indigenous name for the falls, literally meaning the ‘Smoke that Thunders’.

Here’s what we saw:

Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and is on The World Heritage List – so probably worth seeing, right? It might not be the highest or widest waterfall on earth, but it is the largest, based on the fact that its width is 1,708 metres and height 108 metres. You can access it from either the Zimbabwean side or Zambian. On the Zimbabwean side, the falls are always flowing, even in the dry season, while the Zambian side is much drier and less impressive during dry season, but better and wetter in high water season.

For more information about when to visit, click here and on the Falls in general, here!

Our Favourite Vic Falls Places To Stay

• Royal Chundu – Here you will stay right between Victoria Falls and the Chobe National Park on the mighty Zambezi River in Zambia. Stay in either the River Lodge or Island Lodge. It’s about 70 kilometres from the falls but is luxurious with great service, accommodation and attention to detail.
• Tongabezi – This five star property was the first ever river lodge on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls, about 30 kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls and 18 kilometres from Livingstone.
• Toka Leya – This property is tucked away on the banks of the Zambezi River in the western sector of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, about 12km upstream from Victoria Falls. It’s a Wilderness Safaris’ property and has a great focus on being eco-friendly, for example by recycling water, using a worm farm, having their own greenhouse, running tree-replanting project and more.
• Royal Livingstone – On the edge of the Zambezi River, this hotel is the closest accommodation to Vic Falls on the Zambian side (you even have your own private entrance to Devil’s Pool).
• Victoria Falls Hotel – At this hotel, situated inside Victoria Falls National Park, you can enjoy the luxury of having a private footpath leading directly to the entrance gate of Vic Falls. From the front lawn of the hotel you can see along the second gorge to the bridge over the Zambezi River with the spray from the waterfalls wafting up behind. Classic, colonial luxury.
• Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma – Exclusivity and luxury are big here at this upmarket five star Sanctuary lodge, named after David Livingstone’s faithful friends. There are two spacious cottages, both of which take full advantage of their river bank setting.

Don’t Miss Devil’s Pool

Devil’s Pool on the edge of the Victoria Falls is located along the Zambezi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It’s adjacent to Livingstone Island, where David Livingstone first saw the Victoria Falls and remarked: “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”.

When to go: At its peak flow around June, a mile-wide chasm 100m straight down is filled with the roar of water falling at a rate of 3,000 tonnes per second. For most of the year, you’d be swept to your death if you entered the waters of Devil’s Pool. But from September to December, when the river flow is at a safe enough level, you can swim as close as possible to the perimeter within the pool without falling off. This is because the natural rock walls are more exposed and form a barrier, stopping you from being carried over.

Keen to jump into it? Find out more here!

Keen to feel the spray of the mighty Vic Falls?

We can help you plan the perfect Victoria Falls vacation including exciting activities such as micro-lighting, white water rafting, helicopter flights and more. We are experts at building African itineraries and can easily combine a trip to the Vic Falls with a beach holiday or a Big 5 Safari. For more information, take a look at the Victoria Falls Tours and the Victoria Falls Accommodation sections on our website.

Just contact us to get the ball rolling… or the water falling, as the case may be. We can tailor make it to suit your every need and desire.