The marvel of Victoria Falls

On the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is the marvel that to many, is one of Africa’s wonders.
The marvel that is Victoria Falls rolls off the 360ft-high rocks and cliffs that stretch about a mile inside Zambia.

From a distance, the thunder is such loud as the falls touch rocks – it is that sound of heavy and constant rain.

“They [falls] are a must visit if you happen to be here [Zambia],” one of my Zambian friends told me, as we set off for a tour of the falls.

Several tales have been told of Victoria Fall. Many though rotate around the presumptive healing powers that they possess.

It is one of the usual jokes as many locals [Zambians] believe that a bath in the misty falls will give you healing and blessings.

The falls from the Zambia side, according to a tour guide, receive more visitors than the ones in Zimbabwe because they are more calm yet marveling.
With a constant roar and spray rising water, Victoria Falls is a sight on its own. Throughout the year, there are visitors.
For $10, we are ushered into one of Africa’s wonders. At the entrance there is a medieval sculpture of David Livingstone, a British explorer, who is believed to have been the first white man to visit the falls in 1855.

The sculpture on its own leaves you with imaginations as it overlooks a number of small paths the leading to viewing points.
From the viewpoint, the sun’s rays pierce through the misty waters forming shadowy rainbows that will tease your imagination.

“All the roads lead to different viewpoints and they all provide different sceneries,” the tour guide tells us moving in a group of about 30 people.

At one viewpoint I stand above a cliff overlooking the falls. It is a scene you can never forget as it provides you with an opportunity for photo moments that will sooth you with lasting memories.

The Victoria Falls are estimated to be more than 1.6 kilometres wide with a maximum drop of 420ft, in the Zambezi River.

The falls are formed as the Zambezi River plunges into a narrow chasm carved by edge cutting waters along a fracture zone in the earth’s crust.

Numerous islets at the crest of the falls divide the water to form a series of falls with the thick mist and loud roar produced perceptible from a distance of at least 40 kilometres.

The Boiling Pot, is the beginning of a winding gorge through which the river flows below the falls. It is spanned by a 650ft long bridge that is 310ft above the river.

Victoria Falls

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres and height of 108 metres resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls. In height and width Victoria Falls is rivalled only by Argentina and Brazil’s Iguazu Falls.