Victoria
Falls
Victoria Falls
town is the administrative and commercial centre for the surrounding
area. It contains customs and immigrations facilities near the
Victoria Falls bridge into Zambia.
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The Victoria
Falls are located on the Zambezi River about 1 000km from its
source. They are one of the wonders of the world and Zimbabwe's
most popular tourist attraction. With a width of about 1,700m
and an average depth of about 100m, they form the biggest single
curtain of falling water in the world.
The Victoria
Falls in full flood. |
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The flow
of water over the Falls varies according to the time of year
and the rainfall in the Zambezi's upper catchment areas in Zambia
and Angola. The opposite side of the gorge creates a natural
viewing platform from which the full extent of the Falls can
be seen.
Sunset over the
Falls. |
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The Victoria
Falls area is filled with many hotels, lodges and camps with
facilities to cater for all needs. Major attractions include
casinos, a golf course, sporting facilities and the world famous
white water rafting. Rafting costs for the day are roughly US$100.
One of the world's tallest bunjee jumps is also operated on the
Victoria Falls bridge.
Traditional dancing,
the Falls pictured from a fly-over and white water rafting |
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The Falls were
described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800's
as Mosi-oa-Tunya which means "the Smoke that Thunders."
In 1851, Livingstone first heard of the great waterfall, but it
was only in 1855 that he set out to visit it. He described it
as "the most wonderful sight I had witnessed in Africa."
In 1857 he
wrote: "No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything
witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European
eyes, but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels
in their flight. He named the Falls after the British Queen at
the time - Queen Victoria.
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