Travel Guide Victoria Falls National Park

For a traveler in search of grandiose and exceptional sites, the Victoria Falls are a must. The jewel in Zimbabwe's crown, twice as high as its American counterpart (the famous Niagara Falls), the Zimbabwean cataracts are also much wider and extend their curtain of waterfalls over 1.7 km. Their extremely powerful flow can reach, at the end of the rainy season, 545 million liters per minute! The noise they make as they rush into the gorge can be heard for miles around. It is easy to understand what astonishment and fascination Livingstone must have felt in 1855 when, during one of his numerous expeditions to southern and central Africa, he discovered this miracle of nature. Surprised and attracted by a curious whitish cloud rising permanently above a tiny part of the forest, he probably asked the natives to lead him to the foot of this Mosi-Oa-Tunya, "the smoke that roars", of which the chief had told him. There, soaked by the foam projected above the fault and stunned by the incredible din resounding in the gorge, Livingstone had the revelation of one of the most extraordinary natural sites of all times and, subjugated by so much majesty and splendor, he gave the falls the name of its queen, Victoria. This name is still used today, although after independence, during the hunt for colonial names, a group of opponents of the former white regime expressed the desire to give the falls back their original name of Mosi-Oa-Tunya. A certain wisdom (of a highly lucrative nature!) prevailed, and it was decided to leave the cataracts with their popular name, so as not to influence the ever-increasing flow of tourists (and currency). Livingstone remained on African soil until his death. His arm amputated by an attack of lions will not have dissuaded him from having a wiser life! When you step on this ground, it is indeed difficult to leave it. The falls are the tourist attraction of the country, and there is no shortage of ideas to feed this playground; selfies on the edge of the ravine in the "Devil's Pool", helicopter flights, rafting, bungee jumping in the canyon ... It is also an inexhaustible source of tourist economy.