Local tribes call him grazing smoke. Waterfall Victoria - Radding smoke. Victoria Waterfall in the rainy season

Since then thanks to the Scottish Researcher, the doctor and Missionarier Livingston, the world found out about the Waterfall, named after him, in honor of his Queen Victoria, guests stretched here from different countries. Agree, it would be strange - to stay next to the gracious smoke and to keep from visiting such a bright sight of Africa? And we went there. I went out and imagined how the discovery was made ... After a long drought, the river was low. But during the night, nature recovered a little from the heat, and warm clean water smelled of freshness ...

The first European on the River Zambezi from the waterfall

So it was. The water level due to drought fell strongly, but no wonder on the local dialect, the name Zambezi means the "Great River". Tropical dragonflies were rushed over its huge wide wide wide, tropical dragonflies. In the rocky fellows, innumerable legions of waterfowl - chupulines, Kulikov, Cablanov, silently maneuverable, silently maneuvered African skimmers, fishermen 'eagles scanned the depth in search of fish.

Serendantly laid in the sun Hippopotama, when a narrow, walled wet walked around two dark heads. The rower stood on the back of a fucking boat and deftly, in full silence, managed it with a long sixth. The flat window lavished in the middle of the river between slippery and jazbed black cliffs, overcame the surrounding angry streams, slid from rare areas of relatively calm water.

She was heading towards the roaring of the abyss, where the water flow rushed throughout the whole mass. Above the cliff hung a white cloud of fog, which continuously hesitated, then dropping, then rising again. A few more goals came up with hippos, which, as if accompanied, turned their little round ears after the ship ...

Mysterious natural phenomenon - grazing smoke

In the middle of the XIX century, many have believed that the center of the continent takes the desert. And he, for many months, listened to the reverent conversations about Moshi OA Tunya. Radiant smoke ... and reflected on this phenomenon. What is it? Perhaps in an unexplored part of internal Africa there is a large volcanic area? And he went to find this volcano and put it on the map.

But I found something much more wonderful. One of the days of the trip suddenly under the cloudless sky on the horizon there was a rainbow. Then the distant thunder began to be heard in a hot half-day atmosphere, and five pillars of smoke were noticeable above the tops of the trees, as if large sections of grass burned in the savannah.

All this was incredibly strange, with such phenomena he had to face for the first time in his life. It is noteworthy that in the district of the sixty miles there was not a single local settlement, and this is not surprising: after all, people were convinced that the glory smoke - possession of the evil and cruel great spirit.

The blacks of his native satellites of Serylie from one thought to get closer to his abode. But he was neither superstituted nor fearful and considered his duty to explore this part of the continent before - after all he was a missionary! - carry the light of Christianity here.

He went through the day in the day in the mind of the possible causes of these incomprehensible natural phenomena, until it was on the threshold of the greatest waterfall in the world. One of the five Great African Rivers - Zambezi, spread through a spacious valley wide with a good mile, interrupted her smooth flow here. Across the channel was a giant crack in the earth's crust. The water made his way to her through the kaima of small islands and with desperate madness rushed into the abyss.

In the footsteps of the Great Traveler

And on November 16, 1855, having a pencil and a notebook in his pocket and a notebook, the greatest researcher in history - David Livingston floats to one of these blocks of the Earth. The island is bordered by a waterfall with one of its edge. The fact that there will be a restless European, which will break up on his stomach and looked into the foamless abyss with a thrill and the ink-smooth ledge, from which a thick curtain of water will be launched, will hit him for life ...

But these two vintage pictures of the Victoria Waterfall, placed in the article, were made not by the hand of a great traveler, and quite another Europeans - Thomas Bains, who reached the rattling smoke on the River Zamfisi a few years later Livingston.

Pay attention to the right lower corner of the photo with a monument, the composition includes those worst wakes.

Victoria Waterfall is included by UNESCO in the list of human world heritage sites. From the National Park Chobe, where we were, to this miracle of the world to go not far. But all the difficulty was that, according to the terms of the lease of our car, we could move on it only in Namibia and Botswana.

I had to negotiate at the hotel so that they are in their transport to bring us to the Rainbow Hotel in Victoria Falls Zimbabwe, and in the day they took back.

How to convey the greatness of the waterfall? What art is it for strength? For more than hundreds of years, poets, writers and artists tried to pay tribute to the outstanding landmarks of the Black Continent and in the measure of talents perpetuate him in their creations. But it was time and digital cameras appeared, capable of capturing up to the drop of the greatness and beauty of the water flying down.

Now the Victoria Waterfall is captured on millions of photos. We intend to add our lepts to them, after walking the sunset and dawn, and make these frames in all our ability - after all, and it impressed us not less than on his discoverer.

From heaven, as if one of the angels

Huge, powerful and extremely beautiful Waterfall Victoria ... On him - so the Livingston's discoverer was convinced of him - even the angels of Heaven in flight were inspired! Indeed, to assess his scale and figure out how it is arranged, you need to look at the rattle smoke MOSI-OA-Tunya from above. Well, team at takeoff?

Victoria Waterfall is approximately in the middle between the source of Zambezi and its mouth.

To this special area of \u200b\u200bits bed, the river is suitable wide and calm. It slowly flows through flat terrain, forming broad floodplains. Solid idyll: Decrase frogs in the poles in the poles, elephants knee-deep in the water eat violet hyacinths and splash on each other with water, Antelopes of Cannes graze on the shore ...

And suddenly, absolutely unexpectedly the riverbed turns out to be cut with a narrow crack. As if by the living body of the Earth, someone had just hacked the sharp knife and the edges of the cut had not yet separated. And a powerful water avalanche from the entire river width poured into the gaping wound.

In the cloud of splashes, with a stunning noise and, accompanied by easy shudgeing of the earthly subsoil, it falls into deep abyss and as if it goes into unknown depths. And this phenomenon of the sudden disappearance of a wide river amazing imagination.

Below the waterfall, almost even the terrain, which the sharp zigzags cuts through several almost bottomless gorges, on them, concerned, runs the River Zambezi further. But more on that later.

Interesting Facts: Victoria Waterfall Height and Other

So, a powerful aqueous avalanche is collapsed into a narrow abyss with ripple walls, located at a right angle to the upper bed. I'll hang for a minute right above the waterfall, but first several digits. As the statistics know everything:

• Waterfall length Victoria (coinciding with the width of the Zambezi river in this place) - 1708 meters.
• Gorge width - on one side to the opposite from 50 to 120 meters.
• The depth of the earth's fault in his western tip - 80, in the middle - 108 meters. For clarity - the bell tower of my beloved would hide there together with a wedding ball and a cross.
• Just imagine: every minute over the edge slides in the abyss 500 million liters of water in the rainy season. In dry - much smaller, only 10 million liters. Compare - our standard bath holds about 200 liters of water.
• The waterfall of Victoria's waterfall is a fog clouds saturated with moisture. They envelop the raining gorge and stretch to the sky, you can notice them, even at a distance of 50 km.

More about Victoria Waterfall

How does he look like a fellow woman? It is amazing and unexpected, but he is not the highest, and not the widest, and not even the most complete.

And the peculiarity of this grandiose miracle of African nature is that, firstly, this waterfall is not located in the mountain, but in the middle of the flat terrain. Secondly, no one has such a wide curtain of falling water. Alpores the mountain ... It creates favorable conditions for numerous magnificent rainbows that connect opposite edges of the gorge.

By the way, do you know, friends that the rainbow is not an arc at all, but a circle?

What a rainbow happens

From school, it is known that the rainbow is a special optical phenomenon that occurs when the rays of the sun are refracted in tiny drops of water. "The flow is rapidly down, in the dance dance, dozens of multi-colored rainbows under the sun were colorfully lit ..." The beautiful spectacle of the double rainbow is not so rare. He saw him after a heavy rain when the air is oversaturated with water drops. Sunlight is refracted again.

We all accustomed to believe that the rainbow has an arc shape, because this is how people see it, standing on the surface of the earth. But if you observe this phenomenon in height, for example, from the aircraft, the viewer will see the full circle from a series of colors - the outside is red, orange and so on, ending with the inner purple.

It is rare to see that, even less often take a picture. On Airpano's Russian photographers proudly pose a photo of a round rainbow on Victoria Waterfall, made by them during filming panoramas for the project.

Victoria Waterfall is famous not only with its bright and juicy double, triple daily rainbows, it is one of the few places on the ground, where the chances of catching and falling out such a rare and amazing natural phenomenon as the Moon Rainbow.

Are you surprised? How can I see the rainbow at night, because it is the result of the refraction of sunlight? Friends, amendment - not solar, but light rays! This effect is possible when the full moon gives enough light, and the sky is dark and clean. The lunar rainbow is perceived by the human eye as pale and white, although in fact it is the same multicolored.

There are even a rainbow foggy. They are very weakly painted and manifest themselves on the columns of water suspension.

In the first gorge along the crest of the waterfall

For me, reader! Look: the fracture of the river bed occurs in such a way that the front of the waterfall looks almost a straight wall. During the low water along the rocky surface of the wall, only individual flows fall. Nude areas of basalt, hidden, and stretch almost to the bottom of the gorge. At this time, it becomes possible (although not quite safe) to pass along the ridge of the waterfall, crossing the exposed messages, insidious stones and areas of the river, so deceptively calm in front of a sharp drop.

The structure of Waterfall Victoria from the West to the East looks like this:

• The first stream - width 35 and 61 meter high is called a waterfall (or cataract) of the devil.
• Behind him follows the island of Boaruk (Cataract) three hundred meters wide, in which the natives worshiped the evil deity of the waterfall and brought him gifts.
• The island begins the main cascade of waterfall, called Main Falls. Its width is 460 and a height of 83 meters.
• Next, the island of Livingston, the island of Livingstone. It was here that the wet of an outstanding researcher of Africa moored.
• The third, disappearing in the dry season, the flow of horseshoe - Horsch.
• Next is the place of the most beautiful rainbows - 99-meter Rainbow Falls.
• The last is the East-Cataract - East Waterfall, 98m height.

Zimbabwe or Zambia?

Oh, how we wanted to see an amazing natural phenomenon from the embroidered! But the helicopter flight cost so much as tormented by this amount, we overpowered our passionate desire. Legs, legs - closer to nature, we decided. And, caught a taxi, went from the hotel to watch the waterfall from their Zimbabvian side, because the time before the sunset was still.

Waterfall Victoria share two countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe among themselves, therefore, two national parks - Mosi-OA-Tunya and Victoria-Falls are part of 66 square meters. km and 23 square meters. km, respectively. On the side of Zambia, you can go over the bridge, but we feared that without vaccination from the yellow fever, we will not miss there, so our dreams did not stretch into the Zambian side.

However, running forward, I will say that we were mistaken and this time without much difficulty with small financial losses were able to visit Zambia. But the rules for obtaining a visa, unfortunately, often change and the next year, the Zambian border we no longer crossed: canceled one-day visas, and buy a monthly, which costs $ 50 per person for the sake of a couple of hours of stay in the country, it would be stupid.

Watch Victoria Waterfall

We walked in a small park "Victoria Falls" almost four hours, until the arrival of twilight. Of course, photographed at the memory of the Bronze Figure of Livingston, which did not disagree from their discovery. We were in Victoria Falls early May, when the power of the waterfall only begins to go on a decline, and he was unrelated!

On the shore, the opposite water curtain, there is a tropical rainforest - thick bushes and groves of mahogany, figs and dative palm trees, walking paths with a lot of viewing sites, from where different views of the waterfall. The water of the River Zambezi rocked, we did not tear off the eyes from huge racing flows. Clouds of water dust, then completely closed the waterfall, then, as if the clouds were spread to the sides. Hundreds of little sparks were danced and played the brightest rainbow from ever seen by me.

Friends, remember: the stones on the cliffs are wet, it means there are slippery, on the edges of the survey sites are sketched branches and spines, so the shoes for the excursion are desirable to choose with reliable fixation and solid sole. Tourist sandals are perfectly suitable, fastening on the ankle, they will be quite comfortable.

Clothes here should wear such that it is not pity to wet, even better if she dries quickly. My version with denim breeches was far from the best. But I want to notice that usually recommended by tourists for such a walking cloak with a hood - completely meaningless. Yes, he will save you from splashes. But, because on the street under forty degrees, you will note under it, as if they were simply wet. From my point of view, to honestly wipe it preferable.

A serious dry season bonus: At this time, another rare opportunity is available on Zimbabvian side - an overview of the Victoria Waterfall from the bottom of the gorge, from there, where water is usually boiling.

Where are we sailing?

Canyon-squeezed in a narrow space. A huge mass of water is looking for output and finds it in a single narrow and short break leading to the second gorge. Entering into it, the powerful flow turns sharply, forming the so-called boiling boiler with waterways.

From here begins a zigzag cascade of narrow gorges with steep, 120-240 meter walls. Together with the Victoria Waterfall itself, there are now eight pieces. Did you notice the word "now"?

Different secrets of waterfall MOSI-OA-TUN

It's all about the secrets - everything starts with them. For me, acquaintance with Waterfall Victoria began at school age with an exciting treasure search, which was reliably covered by Kafrian kings in a cache for falling jets. How many unforgettable adventures had to go through me together with the heroes of Bussenar ...

Many adults threatening smoke manits mystery fler, which is hidden in ancient legends about a giant black snake with a gray-blue head. Chipic, dangerous and thick monster lives in Mosi-Oa-Tun and pulls into the depths of people with the help of unknown strength. Well, yes, of course, it was seen.

No, he saw not only Africans with a fervent imagination. Here, for example, the testimony of 1925 of a certain Mr. V.Pare, which with small water descended on the rocks in the canyon. Suddenly, it was shot from the water, stamped literally on the tail, a snipe monster. Several long seconds passed, before the terrible creature disappeared in the depths of the cave at the foot of the devil cataract ...

God knows who was this man and why no one allows himself to doubt his story, but there were too many cases of this kind, so that they simply smell their hand. Something here will definitely lick.

But the genuine mystery of MOSI OA Tunya is associated with the origin of this geological formation consisting of a waterfall and seven steep gorges adjacent to it.

How did the Victoria waterfall

Now geologists adhere to such a theory. In the Jurassic period, the huge flux of fire lava splashed through cracks in the earth's crust. He created the basalt plateau, according to which the River Zambezi now flows. But before that, there was still a lot of millions of years. Having cooled, basalt buzzed, the cracks were slowly filled with sandstone - much less durable material than basalt.

And when the powerful stream of Zambezi was fusing over the fractures filled with sandstone, the river began its endless work on the flushed of rocks, gradually, for thousands of years, forming a deep gorge with a widely owned waterfall in it. The earliest version of Victoria's waterfall was formed about 5 million years ago and it was much lower in the flow than modern. Then the water fell from the cliff with a height of 140 m, and his length was 3.3 km - a much larger education.

The work of water continued - she blurred sandstone in the next crack upstream, and Zigzag's waterfall moved. Over the past 100,000 years, this is the eighth waterfall. And not the last. Devil Cataract The starting point to form its next position. The picture from the satellite shows two existing, not yet eroded, but very suitable cracks in basalt.

Fike Devil and Other Entertainment

Already addressed in the hotel, we went to see what the town breathe. Winned forced to think. It turned out that after the economic crisis in Zimbabwe quietly live without a national currency. On the deltaplan, helicopter, tarzancu, visiting the park with a waterfall - all prices are not enough that in dollars, but they, besides, really bite.

Zimbabvians are inventive. To empty the pockets of tourists on the Victoria waterfall, they offer a lot of fascinating opportunities - walks and meeting sunset on canoe, fishing for zambezi, rafting on the white water of the Zambezi River ... But many of the proposals are very dangerous.

For example, swimming in a small pool on the very edge of the waterfall at Livingston Island. It is not known when and who first discovered this oddity in the river bed, but she with hypnotic power attracts tourists to itself. The font of the devil is a three-meter venge with water, the natural stone barrier separates it from roaring the abyss. The zone of the Devil's pool is not fenced off from the surrounding rapid and violent flows, and, of course, tragic cases are happening here!

On the bridge full adrenaline

Through the second gorge, the paint to the waterfall, the arched bridge, its length of 198 meters and the height of 128 meters above the Zambezi level. This engineering structure is part of the ambitious plan of Cecil John Rhodes - politics, industrialist, financier and just an extraordinary person who constantly walked in an old shirt and trousers, although he was a diamond king and founder of De Birsc Corporation.

The bridge was built as an element of a strategically important railway, which began in Cape Town, went across the River Zambezi and, according to the plans, was supposed to end in Cairo. Fortuna turned to the ross back, the grandiose plan was not realized, but the constructed railway bridge still functioning perfectly.

Additionally, it is used for pedestrian and automotive movement. We stopped to make some photos, and heavy trucks, following the transit through the bridge, rushed, passing by the breathtaking species of Victoria Waterfall.

So, on the bridge it is not only possible to go to the other side, they offer a cool opportunity to jump down on the rope. Interestingly, but why most bandji jumpers make up women?

Once a 22-year-old Australian Erin Langworthy succumbed to the temptation to show on such giant swings, but did not work out. During Bunji-jumping from the bridge, she burst the holding rubber rope. Free drop began at an altitude of 110 meters. The poor thing Erin is head down and with knitted legs - flew directly to the river, sided by crocodiles. Reptile, who were clearly bored, immediately interested ...

Fortunately, the girl was able to save, it was separated only by the fright, the fracture of the clavicle, strong bruises and numerous bruises. But ... Is it worth risking? This is an incident on the video:

We did not take risks, but just a little stood this bridge. Livingston devoted his wonderful discovery of Queen Victoria, but she, although he lived a long age, but did not see this impressive waterfall. But in April 1947, her great-grandfather Georg Vi came here along with his wife and two daughters.

One of the princesses is then still very young Lilibet - in the future will be Elizabeth II. From this bridge, the monarch family looked at the River Zambezi, on which two islands received new names in honor of the royal daughters. Now Princess Elizabeth Island belongs to Zimbabwe, and Princess Margaret Island The territory of sovereign Zambia.

View from Zambia on a rattle smoke

Here they do not say "Zimbabwe" or "Zambia", the names of countries are reduced to short winters and deputy. On the dark blue sky is a hot almost hot sun, it comes to us behind the back. It's time to leave the winters and get to Zambia. We go along the bridge by turns on the Tarzanka, past the strings of cars on border control.

"Will you long? Planning to sleep in Zimbabwe? " We answer: "Yes," we are stamped passports, then the standard wet rag, we pay for entry into the park. "And here is cheaper," we rejoice, we get leaflets with options for routes and go along the Zambian land.

Here we are the only white - also a kind of sight. We are as wedding generals, the matter is asked to stand up for the revival of the composition in the center of laughing groups. Here the park is called "Rady Smoke", here is also a monument to Livingston, here the same waterfall of amazing beauty, the same splashes and sparks.

Only here is not fog, but a wall of water dust, through which you have to go. How those who say that the Wonder Waterfall Victoria must be seen from Zambia and from Zimbabwe.

Oyuy! Introve the wind, the second tropical shower and we, wet as mice, there is no single dry thread. Having waited when we were passed by another flock of visitors, I pulled jeans and a T-shirt, Sanya squeezed them and I pulled everything back. I managed on time - the next group also wet and happy than happy Chinese.

Near the park a small market for souvenirs. All the fact that we were offered in Zimbabwe, there is no comparison with the local assortment of elephants, hippofans, statuettes from an ebony tree. Back on the bridge was more difficult to go, the hands were delayed souvenirs. We crossed the border among the latter, when the sun was almost at the very horizon.

Who wants to be a trillionaper?

Victoria-Falls town met us by Homon streets and merchants. They, seeing a bunch of packages and convictions in our hands, have become two, no three times persistent. Buy something ... Buy it, sir! Very cheap ... But in the winters, one of the poorest countries in Africa, everything is shockingly expensive. However, Sanya did not resist and became the owner of a trillion dollars. True, Zimbabvian and came out of the appeal after a default, but still a trillion - on a stunning banknote of zerils in one line barely fit.

Do you know about the annual Schnobel Prize, which is a parody of Nobel? It is always funny and handed for useless and meaningless discoveries. A worthy award of her laureates is a hammer in a glass box or a similar wonderful bill - genuine hundred trillion Zimbabvian dollars with one piece of paper.

What could get for their fabulous money Zimbabvians? Almost nothing, even chocolates could not buy for such a bill. Zimbabwe Central Bank, conducting currency exchange in the country, for 250 trillion dollars in the national currency of scoop meal one old good American dollar. Nice days for dreaming to stay billionaire ended after the dollarization, and the very number of millionaires sharply decline - after all, the average wage in the country is about $ 253 per month.

Adventure comes to an end

Twilight came, for a billion people, the people of Africa ended another day with his joys and difficulties ... We had dinner at the hotel at the table by the pool. Tonight, a local ethnic ensemble was performed here. Seeing the only and interested viewers in us, the artists gradually focused on us, which allowed us to record their inspired songs and dances on the phone.

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The world famous Waterfall Victoria, which local residents call "Mosi-Oa-Tunya" ("Radiant Smoke") - one of the most picturesque and charming spectacles on the African continent!

The legendary landmark attracting tourists from all over the world. Here, the mighty river Zambezi falls down, forming a water curtain with a length of almost 2 kilometers. Such a spectacle meets tourists who come here in the spring when the river is filled as much as possible, so that every second 5 million liters of water fall down 100 meters and 30 km from the waterfall you can see the clouds of steam clouds rising above the water

Indeed, water splashes rising from the waterfall form a cloud, from afar similar to the smoke. Its named Waterfall is obliged to David Livingston, the discoverer and the first white person, who saw him in 1885 and decided to name in honor of the English Queen of Victoria. When the local natives spent it to the waterfall and showed 546 million liters of water, which every minute with a crash fell into a 100-meter chance, David Livingston was so shocked that he seen that he immediately dubbed his Queen's name

On the waterfall, the width of the River Zambezi reaches 1.6 km. Water with roar falls into the 106 meter opening on its way

In 1857, David Livingston wrote that in England, no one can even imagine the beauty of this spectacle: "No one can imagine the beauty of the spectacle in comparison with something seen in England. The Europeans's eyes never had seen this, but the spectacle was so beautiful admired, should be angels in their flight! "

Professor Livingston described the waterfall as the most beautiful spectacle that he saw in Africa: "Lifting with fear of cliff, I looked down into a huge crack, which stretched from the shore to the shore of Wide Zambezi, and saw a stream in thousands of yards width winding down on One hundred feet and then suddenly squeezed in the space of fifteen - twenty yards ... I witnessed the wonderful spectacle in Africa! "

The waterfall, according to some parameters, is the largest waterfall in the world, and is also one of the most unusual in shape (the waterfall is an extraordinary spectacle - a narrow abyss in which water drops), and having perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any site of the waterfall

Although waterfall Victoria It is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, its greatest status is based on a width of 1708 and an altitude of 108 meters, forming the greatest leaf of incident water in the world. Numerous islands on the crest of the waterfall share the aquatic course of several sleeves. Dense fog produced by a waterfall and thunder roar can be perceived from a distance of about 40 km

Boiling boiler at the beginning of the arguing gorge of 80 km long, through which streams are rushed from the waterfall, crossed in 198 meters of length and 94 meters of height

At the upper point of 120-meter waterfall, Victoria in Zimbabwe has a natural mountain water, called the devilish pond, where water is relatively calm. From September to December, when the water level is low, the devilish pond turns into one of the most huge water bodies in which you can swim. The surrounding appearance, of course, will make you take a little

Or nerve))

Victoria's waterfall is often compared with the Argentine-Brazilian Waterfall Iguazu, because if not to take into account the intermittentness of the Water Wall of Iguazu - it would be the greatest waterfall in the world!

It is hardly available for metaphors that have not yet been applied to this magnificent natural miracle of light; It is just hard to describe in words. The waterfall and its closest surroundings are so extensive that it is difficult to cover their true magnificence, and for this reason they may be best viewed from the air.

A few more photos victoria Waterfall bird's-eye

One of the largest waterfalls in the world. It is located in South Africa on the river Zambezi.. Water drops with a ledge of 120 meters high in a deep and rather narrow basalt canyon, the extensive environment by giant water dust pillars, which can be seen from a distance of 40 kilometers.

Victoria is the main attraction of South Africa, located at the junction of National Parks "Waterfall Victoria" (Zimbabwe) and "Rady Smoke" (Zambia), is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage.

Loves tourists from all countries of the world and literally fascinates them with their uniqueness. Waterfall roar is heard so far that the hunters of the tribe Batoka It was nicknamed by mosi-ooh-tuna, which means "rattle smoke". Matabel - A tribe living on the other side of the river - also gave him a poetic name - "Rainbow Scene" (Chongeus). Sparks here with all colors, and it looks very beautiful!

Over the gorge almost constantly the ring rainbows, and during the full moon, you can sometimes see an amazing phenomenon - moon Rainbowwhich can be found only in some places in the world, for example, in Niagara Falls.

Victoria from three sides is surrounded by wooded cliffs of approximately 100 meters high. Forest growing along the shores call Rain, and silver refreshing rain really goes in these places all year round, the whole day, but it falls from the rattle gorge, and not from the sky.

If you sail along the river to the waterfall, it will seem that the third bank appears across the course. This is exactly what Victoria Missionary saw David Livingston - Victoria's discoverer. Livingston was so struck by beauty that immediately gave him a name in honor of Queen Britain. On the shore of the waterfall set a monument to this great researcher.

Many eyewitnesses declare that the most striking spectacle on a waterfall is similar to huge torches over the abyssful pillars of "rattling smoke", harmonizing with the golden rays of sunset.

From a geological point of view, Victoria Waterfall is a crack formed due to location in the neighborhood of rocks of different hardness - basalts and sandstones. The width of this waterfall exceeds 1,700 meters, the height is approximately 128 meters. Oslands divide Victoria for five streams: the main waterfall, devil waterfall, horseshoe, oriental and rainbow waterfalls.

The world famous Waterfall Victoria, which local residents call "Mosi-OA-Tunya" ("Radiating Smoke") - one of the most picturesque and charming spectacles on the African continent.

Victoria Waterfall is a legendary landmark that attracts tourists from all over the world. Here, the mighty river Zambezi falls down, forming a water curtain with a length of almost 2 kilometers. Such a spectacle meets tourists who come here in the spring when the river is maximally filled with water, so that every second, 5 million liters of water fall down 100 meters and 30 km from the waterfall, you can see the clouds of steam clouds, rising above the water.

The waterfall is only the beginning of the picturesque segment of the river bed, for the splashes of a river spray with a roar immediately rushes in a close gorge, which loops with zigzags during almost 70 km. These intricate twists and dizzying turns are caused by cracks in the breed, expanded for the millennium of one of the power of water. River Zambezi wanders on a plateau formed from sandstone and basalt layers; In places of meeting two of these different breeds and cracks are formed.

Indeed, water splashes rising from the waterfall form a cloud, from afar similar to the smoke. Its named Waterfall is obliged to David Livingston, the discoverer and the first white person, who saw him in 1885 and decided to name in honor of the English Queen of Victoria. When the local natives spent it to the waterfall and showed 546 million liters of water, which every minute with a crash fell into a 100-meter abyss, David Livingston was so shocked that he saw himself immediately dubbed his Queen's name.

On the waterfall, the width of the River Zambezi reaches 1.6 km. Water with roar falls into the 106 meter opening on its way.

In 1857, David Livingston wrote that in England, no one can even imagine the beauty of this spectacle: "No one can imagine the beauty of the spectacle in comparison with something seen in England. The Europeans's eyes never had seen this, but the spectacle was so beautiful admired, should be angels in their flight! "

Professor Livingston described the waterfall as the most beautiful spectacle that he saw in Africa: "Lifting with fear of cliff, I looked down into a huge crack, which stretched from the shore to the shore of Wide Zambezi, and saw a stream in thousands of yards width winding down on One hundred feet and then suddenly squeezed in the space of fifteen - twenty yards ... I witnessed the wonderful spectacle in Africa! "

The waterfall is extremely wide, approximately 1800 meters wide, the height of the water drops varies from 80 meters at the right bank of the waterfall to 108 meters in the center. Victoria Waterfall is approximately two times higher than Niagara Falls and more than twice the wider of its main part ("horseshoes"). Falling water forms splashes and fog, which can rise to a height of 400 meters and above. The fog created by the waterfall is visible at a distance of 50 kilometers. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water passes through the waterfall, due to the huge power of falling water splashes rise by hundreds of meters in the air. In 1958, during flooding in Zambezi, the record level of the runoff is marked - more than 770 million liters per minute.

Zimbabwe Waterfall Access Entrance to Victoria Falls Paid National Park (25 USD). Hotels are located in the town of Victoria Falls. Nearest to Waterfall - Victoria Falls Hotel 5 *, The Kingdom At Victoria Falls 4 * and Ilala Lodge 5 *. From the side of Zambia, everything is much more interesting. If you live in one of the hotels in Sun International (Zambezi Sun 3 * or The Royal Livingstone 5 *, then the entrance to the waterfall is free and unlimited directly from the territory of hotels. For those who live in other hotels and lodges, the entrance is paid - 30 USD. In addition, every time you have to go, as the rest of the hotels are located upstream Zambezi.

The waterfall, according to some parameters, is the largest waterfall in the world, and is also one of the most unusual in shape (the waterfall is an extraordinary spectacle - a narrow abyss in which water drops), and having perhaps the most diverse and easily observed wildlife of any site of the waterfall .

Although Victoria's waterfall is neither the highest nor wide waterfall in the world, its status is the greatest based on the width of 1708 and an altitude of 108 meters, forming the largest leaf of incident water in the world. Numerous islands on the crest of the waterfall share the aquatic course of several sleeves. A dense fog produced by a waterfall can be taken from a distance of approximately 40 km.

Several meters forward and you fall along with a waterfall down.

Victoria is located in South Africa on the Zambezi River. Its width is 1708 meters, and the height is 108 meters. This is 2 times higher than Niagara Falls. His rivals are only Angel da Iguazu from Y.America.
The fall in water occurs across the entire width of the river in the abyss formed in the plateau.


The width of this precipitate and is equal to 1708 meters. But its depth changes from 80 meters to 108 meters. On the crest of falling water are 2 large islands. They do not even float even with full river spills. This is the island of Boaruk and Livingston Island.

Waterfall Victoria in the rainy season.

Rain season on r. Zambezi begins in November and ends in April. The rest of the year is a dry season. Peak floods falls for April. At this time, the spray from the waterfall rises to a height of 400 meters and are visible by almost 50 km.

In the dry season of the island become numerous. And from September to January, it is generally visible dry bottom.

Opening a waterfall

Victoria's waterfall was opened by Europeans and the name received from the discoverer.
The first European, who saw this miracle of nature on Zambezi, was the Scottish researcher David Livingston in 1855, standing on the island, which is now called Livingston Island. Waterfall he called in honor of the British Queen - Victoria.


In the language of local tribes, the name of the waterfall sounds like Mosi-Oa-Tunia, which is translated as "rattle smoke." In 2013, UNESCO admitted both names official. Therefore, and "Waterfall Victoria", and "Radiant Smoke" - the correct names of the waterfall.

Bridge near the waterfall

Next to the waterfall built a bridge. It turns into the water at an angle of 45 degrees. Length of the bridge 250 meters. The bridge is located at an altitude of 125 meters above the river. The bridge can pass transport.

Tourists

From the late 90s of the last century, 300 thousand tourists visit Victoria. And the increase in the number of wishes to see falling water on the zambezi continues.

Devil's pool

The most interesting place is the devil pool. It is located on Livingston Island. The flow of water in this place is on the same level from September to December. This allows desperate brand to swim next to the precipice.