The Victoria Falls

One of the world's most astonishing sights

The Victoria Falls are without doubt one of the world’s most remarkable sights. They occur where the enormous Zambezi (over a mile wide at this stage) plummets 350 feet into a steep gorge sending up swirls of spray to a background of thunderous noise. With an average of 550,000 cubic metres of water passing over the falls every minute, it is the largest curtain of water in the world.

The Falls are actually split into a number of separate waterfalls owing to the small islands dotted along the top of the Falls that interrupt the curtain of water. From west to east, they are called the Devil’s Cataract, the Main Falls, the Horseshoe Falls, the Rainbow Falls and the Eastern Cataract.

Prepare to get wet

The higher water levels towards the end of the rainy season (around May) mean that the spray coming off the Falls is even greater than usual. The result is a dense, swirling mist that soaks everyone and everything beneath it. Wearing waterproof clothing is useless as the water is like a fine shower coming from every angle and will drench you in a matter of seconds. But once you catch your first glimpse of the Falls, this unceremonious dousing will be the last thing on your mind!

A fascinating microclimate

The spray from the plunging water sustains a rich microclimate around the Falls: an important and very interesting rainforest that contains plant species rarely found anywhere else in Zambia or Zimbabwe. Beneath the bird-filled canopy of the forest there are small antelope, monkeys and baboons. Near the Falls, you are likely to see fish eagles, Egyptian geese, kingfishers, many different kinds of bee-eaters, ibis and other storks, egrets and herons. If you are extremely lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of the rare Taita falcon. Rock pratincoles are also very rare yet can often be seen dancing along the rocks at the water’s edge looking for insects. The collared palmthrush is another rarity, occasionally spotted in the forest around the Falls.

With thanks to Wilderness Safaris and Dana Allen for the middle photograph