Welcome to Victoria Falls

Deep in southern Africa, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Zambezi River plunges over a basalt cliff to create the largest sheet of falling water on the planet. Victoria Falls stretches 1,708 meters (5,604 feet) wide and drops 108 meters (354 feet) into a narrow gorge below. The spray from the impact rises over 400 meters into the air and can be seen from 50 kilometers away.

The Kololo people named it Mosi-oa-Tunya — 'The Smoke That Thunders' — because the mist and roar are so immense they seem almost supernatural. In 1855, Scottish explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see the falls and named them after Britain's Queen Victoria.

Today Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated in 1989), a magnet for adventurers, and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Let's explore this thundering masterpiece of nature.