Best way to see Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is not the highest waterfall in the world by a long way – the Angel Falls in Venezuela takes that prize – but when height, width and flow rate is taken into account, it is the largest. It’s undoubtedly one of Africa’s most iconic highlights, heard and felt before it’s even seen, the spray pulling the temperature down and filling the air with a roaring sound. Suddenly, the local name, Mosi oa Tunya, or ‘the smoke that thunders’ makes perfect sense.
Not that you really need to know any of these measurements or facts to admire the falls – although there are handy infographics at lookout points to put you in the picture – just seeing it, hearing it and feeling it is enough. You’ll find adjectives such as ‘awe-inspiring’ ‘mighty’ and just plain ‘wow’ popping into your mind as you take in its vastness and get drenched in its mist.
You won’t be alone in feeling moved by the falls, either. Scottish 19th century explorer Dr David Livingstone, who gave them the name Victoria Falls, was so captivated by the sight that he said “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” Scottish novelist Muriel Spark, meanwhile, was moved to leave her troubled marriage while gazing at the Victoria Falls, and wrote a beautiful poem about this natural wonder. She said: “the experience of the Victoria Falls gave me courage to endure the difficult years to come. The falls became to me a symbol of spiritual strength...”
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How to see Victoria Falls
National Parks flank the falls on both sides. On the Zimbabwe side there are about 2km of gardens in front of the falls that you can pay to go into with lots of different trails, vistas and viewpoints to explore. Look out for the warthogs and other small game running round while you’re here. The mists sustain a rainforest-like ecosystem around the falls, and you can walk through mahogany, fig and palm trees and admire the blue lobelia flowers that thrive in the misty conditions. You don’t need a guide to view the falls, but you’ll need to pay the single entry fee, which is currently $30 for adults on both sides.
If you favour an adrenalised experience, you’ll be pleased to hear that at certain times of the year it’s possible to take a dip in the Devil’s Pool, a natural pool right at the edge of the cataract. You can also choose to bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge, take a helicopter ride over the falls, ride a zip wire, white water raft along the Zambezi…
Best time to see Victoria Falls,
month by month
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“There’s now a Univisa between Zambia and Zimbabwe, which is the same price for visitors to either side and means you can visit the Victoria Falls from both countries, multiple times, only paying the park entry fee for the side you’re not staying on. In May and June when the Falls are high and there’s lots of water in the river, the Zimbabwe side is very impressive, but at times there’s such a deluge of water that you can’t see across the actual falls through the spray and mist, although you can get a great view if you go and stand at Livingstone’s statue. At that time of year, if you want to go through the rainforest and look at the falls directly in front of you, the Zambian side is preferable.”
“We saw the Falls in mid August, when the Zambezi is still high, so you do get a lot of spray blowing up, which both obscures the view now and then, and drenches you. We took shower proof coats with us which proved completely useless, so either hire capes there or just enjoy getting wet. You can see more of the Falls from the Zimbabwe side, but to be honest, even what we saw from the Zambia side was spectacular so don’t worry if you don’t take in both sides.”