Victoria Falls: the smoke that thunders
Known by local peoples as Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders,' Victoria Falls give their name to this Zimbabwean town that grew entirely around the tourism generated by one of the planet's most dramatic waterfalls.
The falls park can be explored on foot along a series of panoramic trails.
The day begins at the Victoria Falls, a UNESCO heritage site wider than a kilometer and higher than one hundred meters, which generates a mist visible for kilometers away — from which comes the local name 'smoke that thunders'.
Right across, the Victoria Falls Bridge has crossed the gorge since 1905: Cecil Rhodes wanted it as a stop on a railway never completed from Cairo to Cape Town, and today it also hosts a bungee jump bridge.
In the afternoon, upstream from the falls, elephants, hippopotamuses and buffalo are observed on safari in boats or off-road vehicles within the Zambezi National Park.
Only in the dry season, when the current allows it, do the most adventurous reach the Devil's Pool: a small natural pool literally on the edge of the precipice.
Those who dive into Devil's Pool in the right season lean their heads over the edge of the waterfall: below, only the cloud of spray hides the hundred-meter drop.
Between April and May, when the Zambezi River's flow is greatest, the spray can darken the view of the falls from the closest viewpoints almost entirely.
Guided tours and experiences in Victoria Falls
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