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A ROYAL WONDER OF THE WORLD

DESTINATIONS EXPERIENCE

  THE VICTORIA FALLS

On par with the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest, the Victoria Falls is seen as one of the world’s most astounding natural feats. While the Victoria Falls are neither the highest nor widest waterfalls in the world, the rolling waters which plummet over the edge of the falls are regarded as the largest body of falling water to grace this earth.

On 16 November 1855, David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer made famous in dog-eared history books, is believed to have been the first European to set eyes on the falls. The ground from which he first spotted the natural wonder is now known as ‘Livingstone Island’ in Zambia and is the only land accessible in the middle of the falls. Livingstone named the wonder ‘Victoria Falls’ in honor of Queen Victoria, but the indigenous name of ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ meaning ‘Smoke that Thunders’ is still recognized by the World Heritage List.

The formation of the Victoria Falls began approximately 200 million years ago when sweeping sheets of volcanic lava covered the face of Southern Africa, all the way to Lesotho. After undergoing metamorphosis and transforming into hard basalt rock, an upwelling of the tectonic plate occurred in the site of the present-day falls, heaving up the 300m-thick layers of basalt with great pressure and cracking them into the zigzag pattern of the gorges that are visible today.

It is then that the Kalahari Period occurred, transforming the whole of Southern Africa into a sand-covered desert and filling up the 100m-deep gorges to their lips. Around 500 000 years later, the proto-Zambezi – following a different route to the present river – began flowing over the region, excavating the soft sandstone left by the Kalahari Period and leaving a huge gorge in its wake. This would have been the very first sign of the Victoria Falls that you will see today.

It is thought that earth movement in an earlier geological period diverted the south-easterly flowing upper Zambezi River to a general easterly direction and so initiated the development of a waterfall in an area occupied by a massive bed of basalt which is about 305 m thick.

The basalt, through which the Zambezi runs for 209 kms in the Livingstone area is characterised by very marked joints or cracks, which may have developed as the molten lava cooled. One dominant series of joints running in an east-west direction is associated with zones of soft material within the basalt.


NATIONAL PARKS

The two national parks at the falls are relatively small—Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is 66 square kilometres (16,309 acres) and Victoria Falls National Park is 23 square kilometres (5,683 acres). However, next to the latter on the southern bank is the Zambezi National Park, extending 40 kilometres (25 mi) west along the river Animals can move between the two Zimbabwean parks and can also reach Matetsi Safari Area, Kazuma Pan National Park and Hwange National Park to the south.

On the Zambian side, fences and the outskirts of Livingstone tend to confine most animals to the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. In addition fences put up by lodges in response to crime restrict animal movement.
In 2004 a separate group of police called the Tourism Police was started. They are commonly seen around the main tourist areas, and can be identified by their uniforms with yellow reflective bibs



WILDLIFE 
The national parks contain abundant wildlife including sizable populations of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and a variety of antelope. Lion and leopard are only occasionally seen. Vervet monkeys and baboons are common. The river above the falls contains large populations of hippopotamus and crocodile. 

Elephants cross the river in the dry season at particular crossing points
Klipspringers, honey badgers, lizards and clawless otters can be glimpsed in the gorges, but they are mainly known for 35 species of raptors. The Taita falcon, black eagle, peregrine falcon and augur buzzard breed there. Above the falls, herons, fish eagles and numerous kinds of waterfowl are common.



FISH             
The river is home to 39 species of fish below the falls and 89 species above it. This illustrates the effectiveness of the falls as a dividing barrier between the upper and lower Zambezi.

SEASON
As the dry season takes effect, the islets on the crest become wider and more numerous, and in September to January up to half of the rocky face of the falls may become dry and the bottom of the First Gorge can be seen along most of its length. At this time it becomes possible (though not necessarily safe) to walk across some stretches of the river at the crest. It is also possible to walk to the bottom of the First Gorge at the Zimbabwean side. The minimum flow, which occurs in November, is around a tenth of the April figure; this variation in flow is greater than that of other major falls, and causes Victoria Falls' annual average flow rate to be lower than might be expected based on the maximum flow.

READ THE FULL FEATURE FROM OUR OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE