Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world, located on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, known locally as 'Mosi-oa-Tunya,' or 'The Smoke That Thunders.'
Long known to local peoples by a name describing its thunderous spray, the falls only picked up their current English name after a Scottish missionary arrived and claimed to have discovered them.
The Smoke That Thunders
The falls stretch nearly a mile wide and drop over 350 feet, generating massive, thunderous clouds of spray visible from miles away — a phenomenon that gives rise to the falls' evocative local name, used by indigenous peoples long before European contact.
Livingstone's "Discovery"
Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see the falls in 1855, naming them after Queen Victoria, though local peoples had of course known of and named the falls for centuries prior to his arrival.
A Shared Natural Wonder
Victoria Falls sits directly on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, with both countries offering different vantage points and tourism infrastructure for visitors, and the falls are often considered one of the most spectacular shared natural wonders on Earth.
Adventure Tourism Hub
Beyond sightseeing, the falls and surrounding Zambezi River gorge have become a major destination for adventure tourism, offering activities including whitewater rafting, bungee jumping from the nearby Victoria Falls Bridge, and helicopter tours over the falls.
A Protected Wonder
Victoria Falls was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989 and remains one of the most significant tourist and economic assets for both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
