Fact Sheets & Video - Zimbabwe

The might and the glory of Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls - Described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800's as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' - 'the Smoke that Thunders' and in more modern terms as 'the greatest known curtain of falling water', Victoria Falls is one awe-inspiring beauty and a natural wonder of the world to boot!

The falls lie approximately mid way down the course of the Zambezi River, on the Zimbabwe/ Zambian border. For a considerable distance above the falls the river flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a valley bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river's course is dotted with numerous tree-clad islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls.

Columns of spray can be seen from more than twenty kilometres away, as water plummets over the edge over a width of nearly two kilometers into a gorge over 100 meters deep. The wide basalt cliff, over which the falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi from a wide placid river to a ferocious torrent cutting through a series of dramatic gorges. In the wet season, the river discharges as much as 9,100 m/s (320,000 cubic feet per second) of water. At this time, the water rolls over the main falls in an unbroken expanse. The (One of the two seasons in tropical climates) dry season may see the falls diminish to just a few narrow cascades, with the spray and mist almost absent and the flow reduced to as little as 350 m/s (12,500 cu. ft/s). At this time it is possible to look into the normally obscured depths of the gorge. The level of the river in the gorge varies by up to 20 metres between maximum flow in April and the end of the dry season in October.

Just below the Boiling Pot, and almost at right angles to the falls, the gorge is spanned by a bridge, one of only four over the Zambezi river, which was completed in April 1905 and was initially intended as a link Cecil Rhodes' Cape to Cairo railway scheme. The bridge is 250 metres across, with a main arch spanning 150 metres, and the top of the bridge is 125 metres above the low-water level of the river. Today, regular rail services connect the towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone with Bulawayo via the bridge, with another line running from Livingstone to the Zambian capital Lusaka.

Vantage points to see the Falls: Zimbabwe and Zambia offer different perspectives of the falls. The Zimbabwe side (Victoria Falls) is said to be more commercialized as compared to the Zambian side (Livingstone). However Zambia is becoming more popular with the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Further Information:

Victoria Falls, Zambia

South African Airways fly return to Livingstone

$2600 ex Perth

$2771 ex Sydney

$2842 ex Melbourne

South African Airways

1300-435-972

www.flysaa.com

Prices correct at 14/5/08. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.

Peregrine Adventures

10 day Mana Pools Canoe Safari from $3450 a person twin share incl some meals, entry fees, accommodation, transport and guide. Extra options while you there include:

Full day white water rafting from $113

30 minute micro-lite flight from $214

1300-854-500

Prices correct at 14/5/08. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.