Victoria Falls
are a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur
on the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Columns of spray can be seen
from miles away as 546 million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge (at
the height of the flood season) over a width of nearly two kilometers into a
deep gorge over 100 meters below. The wide basalt cliff, over which the
falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi
from a wide placid river to a ferocious torrent cutting through a series of
dramatic gorges.
Facing
the Falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height and
capped by mist-soaked rain forest. A path along the edge of the forest
provides the visitor who is prepared to brave the tremendous spray with an
unparalleled series of views of the Falls.
One special vantage
point is across the Knife edge bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the
Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls as well as the Boiling Pot where the river turns and
heads down the Batoka Gorge. Other vantage points include the Falls bridge and the Lookout
Tree which commands a panoramic view across the Main Falls.
Mosi O Tunya National Park is situated
along the upper Zambezi stretching from and including the Falls for about 12kms up river.
It is only 66 square kilometers but provides a home for numerous antelope species, zebra,
giraffe and the recently acquired white rhinos, one of whom gave birth in the park in
1994. These are the only rhinos to be seen in Zambia as its previously large population
has been completely eliminated through poaching. One can take a pleasant drive around the
park in a couple of hours and almost all the species there should be seen at close range.
Since there are no predators, they are very relaxed and afford some excellent photo
opportunities. 
