Victoria Falls, the
largest waterfalls in the world, is a destination like no other. The
falls are part of the Zambezi river, which forms a border between Zambia
and Zimbabwe. At the falls the Zambezi river cascades an amazing 108
meters (360 feet) over a width of 1,708 meters (5,604 feet). The falls
were named after Queen Victoria by the European explorer David
Livingstone who is thought to be the first European to view the falls.
The native name of the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya which means ‘Smoke that
Thunders’. Victoria falls is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
is visited by roughly a million tourists per year. One particularly
popular feature of the falls is Devil’s Pool, a pool at the edge of the
falls where people can swim and look over the falls without being pulled
over by the current due to a natural rock wall that creates the pool.
This can only be done from September to December when the river flow is
at a safe level. Devil’s Pool is located on the Zambian side of the
falls and is accessed from Livingstone Island, while most of the viewing
areas of the falls are located on the Zimbabwean side. Visitors can
view the falls from both countries, but there are considerable visa
charges involved in doing so, on top of the day pass charges each
country assesses to visit the falls. Visitors can find accommodations in
Livingstone, Zambia, and the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
