Zambia: Victoria Falls

I could fill this post with a jumble of words describing Victoria Falls in great detail but I'm not going to.

 Put simply, its beauty speaks for itself.

Stats:

• Its wall of water spans 5604 feet (1708 meters) across, making it the largest in the world
• Each droplet falls between 295-351 feet (90-107m) over the edge into the fast-flowing Zambezi river below
• The spray from the falling water is visible from up to 50km away 

Fun Facts:

• The falls' indigenous name is Mosi-o-Tunya -- meaning "the smoke that thunders"
• It stands TWICE the height of Niagara Falls 
• The first European to encounter the falls was David Livingstone in 1855 
• The name "Victoria Falls" is in honour of England's queen
• The falls perfectly straddle the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe 
• It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

And now... onto the photos. 

These were taken from the Zimbabwean side.

Aaron, Leah, Me, Jason, & Sarah (Kern was behind the camera!)

It is the best side to view the falls as the Zambian side only catches the lip and a partial view of the water falling down. If you want the full effect of the falls' power, making the day trip to Zimbabwe is essential. 

That said, it will set you back $80USD for a double-entry visa, and you'll have to put up a seriously sketchy border crossing as well as aggressive vendors hawking "African" goods.

Once we arrived at the site, we were met by our guide who spent the day with us at the falls. He was cheerful, informative, and loved chatting up Leah about Zimbabwean politics (risky business in that country)!

Our tour began at one end of the falls and worked its way up to the main curtain. 

This was our first glimpse of the falls.  

This is a small gorge on the north side, called the Devil's Cataract. It is a weakened area of the falls and experts suspect it will eventually fall away, joining the rest of the waterfalls and extending the overall curtain.

Leah and Jason take in the side view of the falls -- you can see the main waterfall in the background to the right. 

So excited at the view from here -- little did I realize just how much MORE amazing it got as we walked closer to the main falls. 

Sarah, Jason, and I before we got SOAKED to the BONE as we walked the rest of jungle-lined path 

There were lookout points every five minutes or so as you approached the falls themselves... it allows you to get many different and growing views, which was great!

We're getting closer to seeing the main falls in all their glory!

This was one of the most stunning views. This section is called Rainbow Falls -- appropriate, right??

Rainbow Falls take 2 -- you can see their full depth here

We visited Vic Falls during their low-flow season. Here, you can see thin streams of water. In high season, these petite channels swell to completely cover the rocks. 

That pile of old branches there? Yeah. They are the only thing separating Aaron from toppling over the cliff. No fence, no wall -- nada. Welcome to Africa and their modern safety measures!haha

Thanks to the low water level, we were treated to a view of the very bottom of the falls. Too bad this photo can't truly capture the feeling of looking 300+ feet downwards. When the water is high, this entire area is obscured by an opaque wash of mist and rapids. 

This is where some white-water rafters begin their treacherous journey down the class 5 rapids of the Zambezi!

Here we had a great view of the entire length of the falls

The storm cloud above only adds to the drama 

Doesn't get much more gorgeous than this. 

Kern ventured quite close to the edge to get this shot. Meanwhile, me and the girls tried to keep a safe distance back!

What a view!!