Victoria Falls looks as impressive today as it did upon its discovery 150 years ago. However, a number of our clients have initially been luke-warm at the prospect of visiting Victoria Falls. In every instance their attitude has stemmed from a disappointing experience at the over-commercialised Niagara Falls. Rest assured – Victoria Falls is totally unspoilt. Indeed one of our clients, seeing the Falls for the first time after a journey lasting over 16 hours, texted us to say that if he had to fly back the very same day his journey would have been worth it to experience such an awesome sight.

The nearby two hotels are only two storeys high and have minimal impact on the surroundings. The infrastructure around the Falls is equally unobtrusive and visitors are able to feel like they themselves are explorers as they wander around the secluded walkways, in search of the perfect vantage point.

A Brief History of Victoria Falls

Information on the discovery of Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is 1,708 metres wide, making it the largest curtain of water in the world. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummet over the edge every minute.

The native Kololo tribe described the Falls as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’, translated as ‘The Smoke That Thunders’. The Falls border two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with the Zimbabwe side originally featuring greater commercial development, although Zambia has now taken over as the country of preference to visit the Falls, since Robert Mugabe’s policies have all but destroyed Zimbabwean tourism.

The first European to discover the Falls was back in November 1855, when the Scottish explorer
Dr David Livingstone was on an expedition from the upper Zambezi. On November 17th he reached the Falls from upriver and rowed across to the small island, which now bears his name. Livingstone was obviously impressed with what he saw, as he named the Falls after Queen Victoria, his current reigning monarch.

Livingstone is famously quoted as saying this about the Falls:

No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.

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dr david livingstone
Dr David Livingstone