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Articles Victoria Falls - The World's Largest Water Curtain
Articles Victoria Falls - The World's Largest Water Curtain | Victoria Falls - The World's Largest Water Curtain |
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| Written by Andrew Muigai | |
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When you tour Victoria Falls and see the world's largest curtain of falling water, you will certainly be left in awe of its breathtaking view. The waterfall is 1,708 meters wide, and drops about 128 metres into the 120 meters wide Bakota Gorge, forming a thick spray of mist that rises over 150 meters. It is because of this dense mist that the locals call it Mosi oa Tunya - the smoke that thunders. Victoria Falls are considered one of the natural wonders of the world. The waterfalls are situated on Zambezi River, separating Zimbabwe and Zambia, though the larger part is in Zimbabwe. The falls consist of five "falls". The Devil's Cataract, Rainbow Falls, Main falls and the Horseshoe Falls are all located in Zimbabwe while the Eastern Cataract is placed in Zambia. The Devil's Cataract, whose name is derived from the close by island in the Zambezi River, is about 70 metres deep. Main Falls is, on the other hand, the most spectacular of all the falls with water falling 93 metres into the gorge below. Shaped like a horse shoe, Horseshoe Falls is about 95 metres deep and it offers excellent view of Rainbows Falls. A spectacular view of the Cataract Falls can be found by descending 73 steps into the close by Eastern Cataract Falls situated on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. Though Victoria falls can be approached from either the Zimbabwean or Zambian sides, the Zambia side is considerably less thrilling. The best time to see Victoria falls is in the middle of the dry season when the water volume has decreased. However, towards the end of the dry season, the water flow is at its lowest, thus the waterfalls are less electrifying. The period between late November and early April is the rain season in the Zambezi basin above the waterfalls. The rest of the year is usually dry. April receives the highest amount of rainfall, during which time over 500 million liters of water falls over the edge of the waterfalls per minute. In November, the water volume is at its lowest, about a tenth of the flow in April. Victoria Falls is twice in height the size of North America's Niagra Falls and more than twice the width of Horseshoe Falls that is also located in North America. In both dimensions, Victoria Falls is second to South America's Iguazu Falls. The falls are part of two national parks: Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls National Park and Zambia's Zambezi National Park. Victoria Falls National Park situated along the southern banks of the Zambezi River offers the most spectacular views. The best months to go and see the waterfalls are July and August, which fall midway through the dry and cold season. During this season, temperatures range from 5 degrees at night to 20 degrees celsius. White water rafting at the Zambezi gorges, and guided canoeing safaris either on upper Zambezi or downstream from the falls are some of the must-do activities at Victoria Falls. Other activities include the sunset cruise down the river, a nice adventure that provides visitors a chance to closely view hippo ponds and elephants crossing the Zambezi. There are also several chances for freshwater game fishing along the river banks. A nice adventure you can undertake is taking a walk across the Zambezi River Bridge downstream from Victoria falls. The bridge connects Zambia and Zimbabwe, and towers over the Victoria falls gorges. It's main arch spans 156.5 metres, standing 128 metres above the river's lower water mark below. The brains behind this bridge was Cecil Rhodes, whose original idea was a railway connecting Cape Town and Cairo and passing through Zambezi River. Charles Darwin's son, Professor Francis Darwin, was the man who officially opened the bridge in 1905. Named in 1855 after the queen of England by David Livingstone, Victoria falls is now a UNESCO Heritage site. Visitors to the falls can get there by road or by air. By road, visitors can approach from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe or through the Kazungula Border Post in Zambia. To get there by air, you have to use Victoria Falls International airport. The airport has flights to and from Harare, and other regional as well as international destinations. About the Author: Andrew Muigai is the Managing Director of Africa Point, a travel agency that offers Zimbabwe and Zambia safaris and Africa vacation packages to other Africa travel destinations |
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