‘The smoke that thunders’ or Mosi-oa-Tunya seems to be an ideal name from the magnanimous Victoria Falls which is a waterfall in Africa in between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe and formed on the Zambezi River.
Just on the basis of the width of the Victoria Falls, it is considered to be the largest in the world. The presence of the natural spectacle was first brought in to notice by the Scottish explorer David Livingstone in 1855 when he spotted the falls from a piece of land on the river just before the drop. This mass of land is now called the Livingstone Island. The total width of the Victoria Falls is known to be 1,708 metres and the water falls from a height of 108 metres. The water which falls per minute over the falls is estimated to be about 500 million cubic metres. The rock from which the water plummets seems to be a wall of basalt and sprays of water are visible from a distance of one kilometre at least. As the water falls, it gives rise to a mist which covers the rain forests in the vicinity.
As because the Zambezi River flows through the flat lands of a plateau and gets a number of small islands in its path so, the Victoria Falls gets formed by a series of falls where the water gushes through gorges below. The streams of water that fall down have specific names starting from the direction of Zimbabwe towards Zambia. These names are Devil’s cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, and the Eastern Cataract. The highest amount of water in the Victoria Falls is usually visible during the rainy season which lasts from February to May. During this time the spray of water is known to rise to a height of 400 metres. Also, in this time on days of full moon, a moon bow is visible on the spray of water. In the Zambian side, there is a Knife-edge Bridge which is known to give the best sight of the entire Victoria Falls.
In the Zimbabwean part, the nearest town is called Victoria Falls and it is a major tourist destination. It is close to the Zambia border and the city of Botswana. In the recent few years, the number of tourists and adventure seekers going to the Victoria Falls have risen a great deal as the tour operators have launched a great deal of packages to cover the busiest tourist attraction of Zimbabwe.
When you decide to visit the Victoria Falls, the most important aspect to be freezed remains which country to go to in order to have a good trip. In this aspect it is very important to also take a call on the factor as to which is more cost effective. Though two third of the Victoria Falls fall on the Zambian side but, the view from that side is not complete. The Zimbabwean side benefits you on this aspect. You can also cross the borders of the two countries but that involves charges for Visa, the duration of your stay in each side, and how many entries you have to pay for. Keep in mind all charges in this part have to be paid in cash. If you wish to see a dramatic nature of the fall, the ideal time of visiting is during the rainy season as during the dry time, the volume is less.