Living on the edge: Seven highlights of astonishing natural wonder

Seven wonders of Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe

Straddling two nations, Victoria Falls – also Mosi-oa-Tunya (“the smoke that thunders”) in the local Sotho language – is a humbling sight. It may not be the world’s tallest nor widest waterfall, but visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the breadth of ways to experience it – with an astonishing array of vantage points, you’ll want to take your time.

1 Birds’ eye view

Bring your raincoat to Victoria Falls, Africa, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.Credit: Getty Images

Passengers descending into the airports at Livingstone or Victoria Falls – gateways to the world’s largest sheet of falling water – should keep an eye on the khaki sprawl below; depending on your seat and direction of flight, you might catch your first glimpse of Mosi-oa-Tunya spuming from what appears to be a hairline fracture in the earth’s crust. Marvel at the Zambezi River coursing between Zambia and Zimbabwe before tumbling into the 1.7 kilometre-long gorge separating the two countries. Thrillseekers can also see the falls from above on a helicopter joy flight.

2 On a knife’s edge

Crossing the Knife Edge Bridge. Credit: Photo: Getty Images

While Zimbabwe commands the best views, the vista from Zambia contextualises the geography of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Drive or walk across the historic Victoria Falls Railway Bridge to the eastern shore of the Zambezi River, and watch as it flies like a rollercoaster towards the spray-plumed crest. A mere slip of Zambian territory faces the falls proper, but the view of Eastern Cataract is magnified when seen from the precipitous Knife Edge Bridge (visas can be obtained at the border post; ensure you have a multi-entry visa if you’re returning to your starting point).

3 A season for everything

When the river swells with rainfall (roughly February to May), it feels like you’ve been caught in a monsoonal shower. Every minute, 500 million litres of water tumble over the elongated lip, deluge the opposite walkway and drench visitors to the bone (wet weather gear is essential and cameras should be protected). But as the river slows to a comparative trickle (roughly October to December), hidden beauties are exposed: basalt gorge walls filmed with gossamer; mist flecked with starbursts; a gulch sculpted by inexorable movement.

4 Rainbows and moonbows

Bright sunlight of the dry season creates spectacular rainbows.Credit: Photo: iStock

On cloudless days, sunlight refracts off the “thundering smoke” and throws rainbow bridges across the gorge. By night, only a tidal-wave roar belies the fall’s location. But when the moon is full, lunar rainbows are alchemised by moonlight as it glances off the vapour seeping from the gorge. The park opens for three nights over the full moon period, giving visitors the rare opportunity to see Mosi-oa-Tunya lit by an ephemeral moonbow.

5 On the brink

It’s an interminable drop from the precipice to the jagged rocks below, but Devil’s Pool on the Zambian side is the only place you’ll feel the water sluicing over your body. The Zambezi churns past this natural rockpool just before plummeting into the chasm; “swimmers” are corralled by the pool’s steep sides - and reined in by safety-conscious guides. Access is only possible on guided tours during the low-water season.

6 It’s a wild world

A red-billed hornbill holding an insect in his beak in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park.Credit: Photo: iStock

Victoria Falls’ beauty is enhanced by its setting: a vast transboundary conservation area comprising Victoria Falls and Zambezi national parks on the Zimbabwean side and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park Across the border in Zambia. Wildlife will distract you on either side: banded mongooses, warthogs, duikers and a rich assortment of bird life. Elephants, hippos and crocs are the stars of a sunset river cruise.

7 Look up

Batoka Gorge and the Zambezi River.Credit: Photo: iStock

After smashing into Batoka Gorge, the river doglegs through a channel and zigzags along a chain of rapids before reaching calmer waters. Whitewater rafters go with the cataclysmic flow; jet-boaters race against the tide towards the aptly named Boiling Pot, a cauldron caught in the channel’s throat.

From here, Mosi-oa-Tunya is pure resplendence: the ravine narrows to a fissure; the curtain of water foams at its hem; the spume ascends the basalt walls and clouds the mighty parapets. Jet-boating excursions cease when water is at its peak, roughly April and May, and when it reaches its lowest level, roughly October and November.

The writer travelled as a guest of Bench Africa. See benchafrica.com