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Victoria Falls. Thundering Smoke of Africa

Worldwide famous waterfall Victoria, who local residents called “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (“thundering smoke”) - one of the most picturesque and enchanting sights on the African continent!

A legendary attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world. Here the mighty Zambezi River falls down, forming a curtain of water almost 2 kilometers long. This spectacle greets tourists who come here in the spring, when the river is maximally filled with water, so that every second 5 million liters of water fall down 100 meters and 30 km from the waterfall you can see clouds of steam rising above the water

Indeed, the water spray rising from the waterfall forms a cloud that looks like smoke from afar. The waterfall owes its name to David Livingstone, the discoverer and first white man, who saw it in 1885 and decided to name it in honor of the English Queen Victoria. When local natives took him to the waterfall and showed him 546 million liters of water, which every minute crashes into a 100-meter abyss, David Livingston was so shocked by what he saw that he immediately christened it after the queen

At the waterfall, the width of the Zambezi River reaches 1.6 km. The water falls with a roar into the 106-meter opening formed in its path.

In 1857, David Livingstone wrote that in England no one could even imagine the beauty of this spectacle: “No one can imagine the beauty of the spectacle in comparison with anything seen in England. The eyes of a European had never seen such a thing before, but the angels must have admired such a beautiful sight in their flight!”

Professor Livingstone described the falls as the most beautiful sight he had seen in Africa: “Crawling fearfully to the precipice, I looked down into the great fissure that stretched from bank to bank of the broad Zambezi, and saw a stream thousands of yards wide tumbling down the hundred feet and then suddenly contracted into a space of fifteen to twenty yards... I witnessed the most wonderful spectacle in Africa!”

The waterfall, according to some parameters, is the largest waterfall in the world, and is also one of the most unusual in shape (the waterfall is an extraordinary sight - a narrow chasm into which water falls), and has perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any section of the waterfall

Although Victoria Falls is neither the highest nor the most wide waterfall in the world, its status as the largest is based on its width of 1708 and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Numerous islands on the ridge of the waterfall divide the water flow into several branches. The dense fog and thunderous roar produced by the waterfall can be perceived from a distance of approximately 40 km

A boiling cauldron at the beginning of a winding gorge 80 km long, through which streams from the waterfall rush, crossed by a bridge 198 meters long and 94 meters high

At the top of the 120-meter Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, there is a natural mountain pool called Devil's Pond where the water is relatively calm. From September to December, when water levels are low, Devil's Pond becomes one of the world's largest swimmable bodies of water. The surrounding view will certainly make you a little nervous

Or get very nervous))

Victoria Falls is often compared to the Argentine-Brazilian Iguazu Falls, because if you do not take into account the intermittency of the Iguazu water wall, it would be the widest waterfall in the world!

There are hardly any metaphors that have not already been applied to this magnificent natural wonder of the world; it's just hard to describe in words. The falls and its immediate surroundings are so vast that it is difficult to take in their true magnificence, and for this reason they are perhaps best viewed from the air.

A few more photos Victoria Falls bird's-eye

The world-famous Victoria Falls, which locals call “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (“thundering smoke”), is one of the most picturesque and enchanting sights on the African continent.

Victoria Falls is a legendary landmark that attracts tourists from all over the world. Here the mighty Zambezi River falls down, forming a curtain of water almost 2 kilometers long. Such a spectacle greets tourists who come here in the spring, when the river is filled with water to its maximum, so that every second 5 million liters of water fall down 100 meters and 30 km from the waterfall you can see clouds of steam rising above the water.

The waterfall is only the beginning of a picturesque stretch of the river bed, for the river, shrouded in a cloud of spray, immediately rushes with a roar into a narrow gorge, along which it zigzags for almost 70 km. These intricate twists and dizzying turns are caused by cracks in the rock, widened over millennia by the sheer force of water. The Zambezi River meanders across a plateau formed from layers of sandstone and basalt; Where these two different rocks meet, cracks form.

At the waterfall, the width of the Zambezi River reaches 1.6 km. The water falls with a roar into the 106-meter opening formed in its path.

The waterfall is extremely wide, approximately 1800 meters wide, the height of the waterfall varies from 80 meters at the right bank of the waterfall to 108 meters in the center. Victoria Falls is approximately twice as tall as Niagara Falls and more than twice as wide as its main section (the Horseshoe Falls). Falling water creates spray and mist that can rise to a height of 400 meters and above. The fog created by the waterfall is visible at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water per minute flow through the falls, and due to the enormous force of the falling water, the spray rises hundreds of meters into the air. In 1958, during the Zambezi flood, a record level of flow was recorded - more than 770 million liters per minute.

Access to the waterfall From the Zimbabwean side, entrance to national park Victoria Falls is paid (25 USD). The hotels are located in the town of Victoria Falls. The closest ones to the waterfall are Victoria Falls Hotel 5*, The Kingdom at Victoria Falls 4* and Ilala Lodge 5*. From the Zambian side everything is much more interesting. If you live in one of the hotels of the Sun International group (Zambezi Sun 3* or The Royal Livingstone 5*, then entrance to the waterfall is free and unlimited directly from the hotel premises. For those who live in other hotels and lodges, entrance is paid - 30 USD In addition, you will have to travel every time, since the rest of the hotels are located upstream of the Zambezi.

The falls are, by some measures, the largest waterfalls in the world, and are also among the most unusual in shape (the falls present an extraordinary spectacle - a narrow chasm into which water falls), and have perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any section of the falls .

Although Victoria Falls is neither the tallest nor the widest waterfall in the world, its status as the largest is based on its width of 1708 and height of 108 meters, forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Numerous islands on the ridge of the waterfall divide the water flow into several branches. The dense fog and thunderous roar produced by the waterfall can be perceived from a distance of approximately 40 km.

A few meters ahead and you fall down along with the waterfall.

Victoria is located in South Africa on the Zambezi River. Its width is 1708 meters and its height is 108 meters. This is 2 times higher than Niagara Falls. His rivals are only Angel da Iguazu from South America.
The water falls across the entire width of the river into the abyss formed in the plateau.

The width of this particular abyss is 1708 meters. But its depth varies from 80 meters to 108 meters. On the crest of falling water there are 2 big islands. They are not flooded even when the river is in full flood. These are Boaruca Island and Livingston Island.

Victoria Falls during the rainy season.

Rainy season on the river. The Zambezi begins in November and ends in April. The rest of the year is the dry season. The peak of the flood occurs in April. At this time, the spray from the waterfall rises to a height of 400 meters and is visible for almost 50 km.

During the dry season, the islands become numerous. And from September to January a dry bottom is generally visible.

Discovery of the waterfall

Victoria Falls was discovered by Europeans and received its name from the discoverer.
The first European to see this natural wonder on the Zambezi was Scottish explorer David Livingstone in 1855, standing on what is now called Livingstone Island. He named the waterfall in honor of the English Queen - Victoria.

In the language of local tribes, the name of the waterfall sounds like Mosi-oa-Tunia, which translates as “Thundering Smoke”. In 2013, UNESCO recognized both names as official. Therefore, both “Victoria Falls” and “Thundering Smoke” are correct names for the waterfall.

Bridge next to the waterfall

A bridge was built next to the waterfall. It is turned to the water at an angle of 45 degrees. The length of the bridge is 250 meters. The bridge is located at an altitude of 125 meters above the river. Vehicles can cross the bridge.

Tourists

Since the late 90s of the last century, 300 thousand tourists visit Victoria every year. And the number of people wanting to see the falling water on the Zambezi continues to grow.

Devil's Pool

The most interesting place is the Devil's Pool. It is located on Livingston Island. The water flow in this place is at the same level from September to December. This allows desperate daredevils to swim next to the abyss.

Victoria Falls got its name in honor of the English Queen Victoria. In 1855, it was discovered by the famous Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone. In the local dialect, the waterfall is called "Mosi-oa-Tunya", which means "Thundering Smoke". That's what the Makololo people called it, who came to these places in the 19th century. Neither the Makololo tribe nor Livingston were the discoverers of these places - stone artifacts indicate that the first people appeared here more than 3 million years ago.
Livingston became the first European to see this waterfall on November 16, 1855. In his diary he wrote: “Angels in flight looked at places so beautiful.” The waterfall is surrounded by the world's largest curtain of water, the width of which is 1688 m, and the maximum depth is more than 100 m. The roar of falling water and splashes flying high into the sky indicate the proximity of the waterfall long before you see it in person. The water falls from the cliff into a narrow crevice, the width of which at different times of the year ranges from 60 to 120 m. The waterfall looks most spectacular in April and May, after which the volume of water gradually decreases until December, when rains begin to fall again, filling the Zambezi bed.
Lush a tropical forest along the banks of the river is also included in national park Mosi-oa-Tunya in Zambia and Victoria Falls and River Park in Zimbabwe. Together, these parks cover an area of 56 thousand hectares.
The parks also include sections of the river 5 km downstream and 35 km upstream from the waterfall.
The rainforest surrounding the river contains a number of endemic plants, most notably ferns, which are extremely rarely found elsewhere in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Clouds of spray covering the entire area adjacent to the waterfall create high humidity here, which promotes vegetation. Among the trees found here are teak, phytelephas (matte palm), golden ficus and ebony. Further from the river and waterfall, the typical Kalahari forest begins, covering most terrain. About 30 species of large mammals live here, including elephants, monkeys and baboons.
The river is home to crocodiles and hippos, and the riverside forests are home to more than 400 species of birds, including the rare bright green-breasted Livingstone's turaco, the trumpeter rhinoceros and several species of sunbirds.
During the rainy season, many flowers bloom in the coastal forests, such as red lilies, wild yellow gladioli, palm flowers and a number of other representatives of the local flora.

From a geological point of view, Victoria Falls is a very young formation. Scientists believe that about 1 million years ago the course of the Zambezi River ran along a wide valley along a plateau to the middle threshold of the Zambezi, where today the mouth of the Matetsi River is located. At this fracture point in the earth's crust, the river falls from a height of 250 m along a vertical slope of exposed rock. The fast current erodes the edge of the waterfall, cutting an increasingly deeper channel into the basalt plateau.
The basalt was formed by large layers of lava that erupted before the Zambezi River appeared. A volcanic eruption occurred here between 100 and 50 million years ago. Lava streams flowed along cracks in the earth's crust, gradually cooling and solidifying. Inside, basalt consists of soft rocks that are easily washed away by water.
By the middle of the Pleistocene period - 35,000 - 40,000 years ago - erosion gradually formed the Batoka Gorge, cutting it approximately 90 km from the current waterfall. Gradually, the falling water eroded the edge of the falls, and the valley began to turn north until it was almost at right angles to the basalt fault lines running from east to west.
Over time, the water carved out the cracks, turning them into stone walls. The river found itself sandwiched inside narrow faults, the walls of which continued to collapse under the pressure of water. Since the faults run from east to west, the formation of a waterfall is only possible when.

Over thousands of years, the water continued to erode the stone until a weak point was discovered, at which, under the pressure of water, the stone layers collapsed, and a new fault was formed, which became a wall for the falling water.

The Scot who discovered Victoria Falls for Europeans was a missionary who spent most of his life traveling in Africa. Following from west coast Africa to the east, he reached the Zambezi River at Sesheka in 1851, but did not see the waterfall until November 16, 1855 and wrote in his diary: “... I saw three or five large columns of water vapor rising to a height of a hundred or more feet " Livingston was so wary of exaggerating the size of the falls that he seriously underestimated its true length and height.
Livingston returned to Africa again in 1865, hoping to discover the sources of the Nile, after which he disappeared. The New York Herald newspaper sent journalist and traveler Henry Stanley to search for him, who in 1871 managed to find the Scot.
Soon after this, Livingston again set out in search of the sources of the Nile, although he was weakened by malaria. He died in the village of Chitambo, in modern Zambia in 1873, without achieving his goal. His remains were transported to England and buried in Westminster Abbey in London.

GUIDE

1. The Victoria Falls Bridge was built in 1905. This 198m long bridge spans the river near the waterfall and offers magnificent views. The bridge is open to trains, cars and pedestrians. The bridge connects Zambia and Zimbabwe.
2. Knife Blade ledge - opens from here best view to the waterfall from the Zambian side. The path leads down along a bridge shrouded in spray to an island surrounded on all sides by water.
3. "Devil's Threshold", the westernmost point of the waterfall, where erosion of the stone currently continues. Nearby there is a monument to David Livingstone, the first European to see the waterfall.
4. The Field Museum Built on the Site archaeological excavations. Some of the items found during the excavations are on display here, including evidence that the first people appeared in these places about 3 million years ago.
5. The path along the Zambezi River passes through the rainforest, which gives the opportunity to observe wild animals: baboons, monkeys, crocodiles and elephants, as well as different kinds birds and plants.
6. “Boiling Cauldron” - the point at which the streams of river water merge, beginning their fall down into the Batoka Gorge.
7. River cruise provides an excellent opportunity to observe life wildlife and feel the calm that reigns on the river above the waterfall.
8. White Water crossing - this risky journey can only be made accompanied by an experienced guide who knows the river rapids. The Zambezi is one of the ten largest timber rivers in the world.

Curious facts

■ Surrounded by coastal tropical forest Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is considered one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The Zambezi River, which reaches a width of 2 km in this place, thunders its waters from basalt cliffs, raising a curtain of water into the air that can be seen from a distance of more than 20 km.
■ The waters of the Zambezi River rush off the cliff, forming a cloud of spray that can be seen for many kilometers. During floods, about 500 million liters fall down from the cliff every minute. water.
■ “Big Tree,” a type of baobab, grows near the spot where the discoverers of the falls set up camp before crossing the river. According to scientists, the age of this tree exceeds 1500 years.

■ The huge amount of spray and water vapor generated when the waters of the Zambezi River fall from the basalt cliffs lead to the formation of small cumulus clouds. Above the waterfall, crocodiles sometimes appear from the river, wanting to bask in the sun in the coastal mud.
■ More than 400 species of birds live around the falls, including weaver birds, which build their amazing nests from blades of grass or other plant material. The Victoria Falls Bridge was built in 1905. It connected the copper and coal mines around Nwange to the railway line. With the advent railway people began to settle where the city of Livingston later arose.

One of the largest waterfalls in the world. It is located in South Africa on the river Zambezi. Water cascades from a 120-meter-high ledge into a deep and fairly narrow basalt canyon, saturating the environment with giant columns of mist that can be seen from a distance of 40 kilometers.

Victoria is the main attraction South Africa, located at the junction of the Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Thundering Smoke (Zambia) national parks, also included in World Heritage UNESCO.

It attracts tourists from all over the world and literally fascinates them with its uniqueness. The roar of the waterfall can be heard so far away that the hunters from the tribe Batoka They nicknamed him Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translated means “thundering smoke.” Matabele- the tribe living on the other side of the river also gave it a poetic name - “the place of the rainbow” (Chongue). sparkles here with all the colors and it looks very beautiful!

Ring rainbows almost constantly dapple over the gorge, and during the full moon you can sometimes see an amazing phenomenon here - lunar rainbow, which can only be found in some places in the world, for example, at Niagara Falls.

Victoria is surrounded on three sides by forested cliffs approximately 100 meters high. The forest growing along the banks is called Rain, and silvery, refreshing rain really falls in these places all year round, all day long, but it falls from a thundering gorge, and not from the sky.

If you float along the river to a waterfall, it will seem that a third bank suddenly appears across the current. This is exactly how the missionary saw Victoria David Livingston- Victoria's discoverer. Livingston was so amazed by the beauty that he immediately named it in honor of the Queen of Britain. A monument to this great explorer was erected on the shore of the waterfall.

Many eyewitnesses say that the most amazing sight at the waterfall is the columns of “thundering smoke” that look like huge torches over the abyss, in harmony with the golden rays of the sunset.

From a geological point of view, Victoria Falls is a crack formed due to the occurrence of rocks of different hardness - basalts and sandstones - in the vicinity. The width of this waterfall exceeds 1700 meters, the height is approximately 128 meters. The islets divide Victoria into five streams: Main Falls, Devil's Falls, Horseshoe Falls, East Falls and Rainbow Falls.