Victoria Falls

'The smoke that thunders' — the world's biggest curtain of water

The Zambezi River plunges 108 metres — in a sheet 1.7 km wide! It's the biggest curtain of water in the world. The water hits so hard that mist rises 400 metres and can be seen from 50 km away. Local people call it 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' — 'the smoke that thunders'. On full-moon nights a moonbow appears over the falls!

Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya) on the Zambezi River, on the Zambia–Zimbabwe border, is 1,708 m wide and 108 m high — the largest waterfall in the world by width times height (twice as high as Niagara, rivalling Iguazu). At the peak of the rainy season (March–April) 10,000 m³ of water pass every second. The river drops into a crack in a basalt plateau; over 100,000 years the falls have 'moved' upstream 8 times, leaving zigzag gorges. The mist constantly waters a 'rainforest'. In moonlight a 'moonbow' appears. David Livingstone saw the falls in 1855 and named them after Queen Victoria. A UNESCO site (1989). The 'Devil's Pool' is a natural pool at the very edge where you can swim in the dry season.

Fun facts

• The falls' mist rises 400 m — visible from 50 km away.
• On full-moon nights a 'moonbow' appears over the falls.
• There's a 'Devil's Pool' at the edge — brave swimmers bathe at the lip of a 108 m drop.