Zambia, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls

WHS Score 4.48
rate
Votes 59 Average 4.74
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Votes for Victoria Falls

3.0

  • kelseyyurek

3.5

  • SamTheTraveler

4.0

  • Csaba Nováczky
  • Els Slots
  • Eric PK
  • Joyce van Soest
  • Koen Vliegenthart
  • Sophie

4.5

  • 2Flow2
  • Alikander99
  • Dorejd
  • Jeanne OGrady
  • Jon Opol
  • Lucio Gorla
  • Mikko
  • Sachin
  • Solivagant
  • Svein Elias
  • tony0001
  • Zoë Sheng

5.0

  • Adrian Turtschi
  • ALS
  • Ammon Watkins
  • Can SARICA
  • Carlos Garrido
  • chapnis
  • Christoph
  • cosaflora
  • Deffra
  • Dennis Nicklaus
  • Dolemite92
  • Eric
  • Eric Lurio
  • Gary Arndt
  • giulio25
  • GZ
  • HaraldOest
  • hivander385
  • Ingatastic
  • Jack Sherman
  • Jean Lecaillon
  • João Aender
  • Krijn
  • Leslieisthebest
  • Ludvan
  • Monica66
  • MoPython
  • Philipp Leu
  • Randi Thomsen
  • Richardleesa
  • Richard Stone
  • Rich Forrest
  • roxfts
  • Stewie
  • Tinamu
  • Vicente B. Avanzado Jr.
  • Waters88
  • Wojciech Fedoruk
  • Wolfgang Sander

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls are the largest waterfalls in the world, measured by a combination of their height (108m) and width (1,708m).

The Zambezi River system comprises eight steep gorges and several islands that attract migratory bird species. A riverine 'rainforest' within the spray from the waterfall has also developed. The site spans a contiguous area across the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park (Zambia), Victoria Falls National Park (Zimbabwe) and Zambezi National Park (Zimbabwe).

Community Perspective: it is recommend visiting them from all 3 sides – the Zimbabwean, the Zambian, AND from the air with a helicopter ride.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (ID: 509)
Countries
Zambia Zimbabwe
Status
Inscribed 1989 Site history
History of Victoria Falls
1989: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Natural
Criteria
  • vii
  • viii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Dec. 6, 2019 metro.co.uk — World famous Victoria Falls all but dries up in devastating drought
  • Nov. 12, 2017 lusakatimes.com — Two European Tourists trampled to death by an Elephant at Maramba River Lodge
  • Aug. 28, 2013 ibtimes.com — Zimbabwe Plans $300M Theme Park At Victoria Falls
  • Dec. 1, 2007 allafrica.com — Victoria Falls residents have successfully resisted plans by the government and the town council to build a football stadium in a game reserve.
  • Nov. 19, 2006 allafrica.com — Victoria Falls Risks Losing World Heritage Status
  • Sept. 23, 2006 newzimbabwe.com — Victoria Falls faces World Heritage site KO

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Rivers, Wetlands and Lakes
  • Human activity: Agriculture
  • Cultural Landscape: Continuing
Travel Information
Transboundary sites
Transboundary sites
Zambia + Zimbabwe
High entrance fees
High entrance fees
50 USD (2023) (Zimbabwe side, Zambia side is cheaper at 20 USD)
Recent Connections
View all (44) .
Connections of Victoria Falls
Individual People
  • David Livingstone
    "Though known to some European geographers before the 19th century, Scottish missionary David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855, providing the English colonial name of Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria." (wiki)
  • Elias Burton Holmes
  • Cecil John Rhodes
    The Railway bridge was the brainchild of Cecil Rhodes, part of his grand and unfulfilled Cape to Cairo railway scheme, even though he never visited the falls and died before construction of the bridge began. Rhodes is recorded as instructing the engineers to "build the bridge across the Zambezi where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls"
Geography
  • Zambezi basin
    "A riverine strip of the Zambezi National Park extending 9 km west along the right bank of the Zambezi and islands in the river are all within the Park" (OUV)
  • Canyons
    "eight steep sided gorges" (OUV)
Trivia
Ecology
  • Ratites
    common ostrich
  • Big Waterfalls
    "the largest curtain of falling water in the world" (OUV)
  • Rainforests
    "riverine 'rainforest' within the waterfall splash zone is a fragile ecosystem of discontinuous forest on sandy alluvium, dependent upon maintenance of abundant water and high humidity resulting from the spray plume" (OUV)
  • Elephants
    In Zambezi National Park

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Bovines
    African savanna buffalo
  • Crocodiles
    Nile crocodile
  • Strepsirrhini
    Mohol bushbaby
  • High-Biodiversity Wilderness Area
    Mopane: "Mopane woodlands has developed in valleys where the underlying basalt has been exposed." (AB Ev.)
  • Rhino habitat
    Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park has several (reintroduced) white rhinos

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Visual effects of Cloud, Fog and Mist
    crit vii "resulting from the spray plume of about 500 m (at maximum height) that can be seen from a distance"
  • Notable Trees
    Big Tree at Victoria Falls: "Unusually for a baobab it has both an impressive girth and is very tall. It measures 22.40 metres in girth (2004) and is 24 metres tall (1985)."

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Eagles
    Black Eagle (Official description)
  • Lions
    In Zambezi NP: rare

    See www.lonelyplanet.com

  • Hippos
    "Victoria Falls is situated on the mighty Zambezi River, which is home to a great number of river hippopotamus. It would be almost impossible to go on a river cruise without seeing several herds of these interesting animals." (see link)

    See www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Damaged
World Heritage Process
Constructions
  • Cenotaph
    Remembering the fallen in this region at the end of World War I

    See www.flickr.com

  • Notable Bridges
    The Victoria Falls Bridge is a steel bridge from 1905, built over the Second Gorge of the falls. It is on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

    See en.wikipedia.org

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Early Pleistocene
    "Since the upliftiing of the Makdadikgadi Pan area some 2 mya the Zambesi.... has been cutting through the basalt .... and forming a series of retreating gorges" (AB)
Science and Technology
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
  • Named after individual people
    British Queen Victoria
  • Named after Queen Victoria
    Inscribed in 1989 as Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya. Named after Queen Victoria by David Livingstone during his 1852-6 journey from the Upper Zambezi to its mouth. As of Oct 2009 the park in Zimbabwe within which the falls are isutated is still called "Victoria Falls NP" altohugh the equivalent park on the Zambian side is called "Mosi-oa-Tunya NP".
  • Dual WHS names
    Mosi-oa-Tunya in Lozi means "Thundering Smoke", while the falls were named after Queen Victoria in English.

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Name changes
    A reseqencing of a bilingual name - "Mosi-oa-tunya/Victoria Falls" was "Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya" in the documentation and WHC minutes of 1989.
18
News
metro.co.uk 12/06/2019
World famous Victoria Falls all bu…
lusakatimes.com 11/12/2017
Two European Tourists trampled to …
ibtimes.com 08/28/2013
Zimbabwe Plans $300M Theme Park At…
Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Victoria Falls
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 24/06/22.

Eric Pk

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Inscribed)

Victoria Falls by Els Slots

I was there in early June 2022. I visited the Zimbabwean side both walking and helicopter.

First thing to know is that the falls vary dramatically depending on the rain. June was right after the end of the rainy season and there was a LOT of water in the falls. There are about 15 view points, numbered from the east (farthest from Zambia) and only the first 4 or 5 were usable to see the magnificent falls. The others were a mix of fog & rain where you can't see much. From the pictures at the entrance of the park, there are much less water in September / October. 

I also took a 15 minutes helicopter tour ($150+10% tax) which focused on the falls, longer tours seem to also fly above the game park to see wildlife. Views from above were surprisingly nice an clear. All the fog is actually on the side opposite of the falls where people walk but not much fog on the side of the falls. The pilot goes around twice: right & left side of the helicopter so all the passengers would enjoy the view.

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First published: 29/05/19.

Els Slots

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Inscribed)

Victoria Falls by Els Slots

Victoria Falls is an easy add-on to a Botswana trip because of its proximity to Kasane, the starting point or endpoint of most safari tours throughout the country. From Kasane, I was swiftly delivered in about an hour to Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe. I saw the smoke and heard the thunder already the day before I visited the Falls itself – at the Ilalla Lodge where I was staying there is a constant noise as if there was an airport nearby. But it is that huge waterfall making itself heard 24x7. 

My 'official' visit to the Falls started on the Zimbabwean side. I walked there in less than 10 minutes, that is how close they are to the town of Victoria Falls. Here you walk down a path with 19 vantage points. You hike for a bit, then make a small detour to a lookout point and then you continue on the original path. Due to a large amount of water falling down and the spray that creates, it was especially hard to see anything in the central part of the Falls. The best photos can be taken from the side, at viewpoint #2 for example. At viewpoint #12, it gets really wet.

On the following day, I did a 'breakfast cruise' on the Zambezi river. There has been little rain this year and the Zambezi - although still very wide - is not exactly a roaring river. We navigated to approximately 2 km from the Falls. …

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First published: 01/05/19.

Randi Thomsen

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Inscribed)

Victoria Falls by Randi Thomsen

We visited Victoria Falls on a day trip, organized transfer, from Kasane Botswana. There is a transfer time of 1,5 hour including borderpassing and that gave us only five hours to do the full experience (which you should do according to Solivagents review). We startet out with a helicopter tour, 13-14 minutes over the falls. Fantastic! Worth every dollar (150 per person). Then shuttle to the park entrance. The entrance is 30$ for single entry (still).

It’s late april and average amount of water for the season they say. But never the less, we got soaked at some of the view points. A raincoat might be a good idea, but in 30 degrees you dry up quickly in the sun. The views of the falls are magnificent, some places it was all misty and foggy others were clear. The falls are truly stunning. We haven’t been to Iguazu falls yet, but this is far the greatest waterfalls we have seen. 
To get to the Zambian side, there is a two km walk through the border zone. The view from the boarder bridge is also great. We were tempted to do the bungy jump from the bridge. No lines there, but no time (luckily ☺️).

The Zambian Park is smaller but still worth seeing. The views are different. We had finally dried up when we passed the Knife Edge bridge, but then we got totally soaked again. They are renting out raincoates along the pathway, but were are norwegians! …

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First published: 22/10/17.

Anonymous

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Inscribed)

Victoria Falls by Els Slots

I just did the Falls in September and love it. I actually found that although the best views are on the Zimbabwe side, the Zambia side has some spectacular views as well. Plus the hike is more intense and much better.

Seeing the Falls from the bottom and spotting Devil's Pool from the Zimbabwe side is also good to see.

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First published: 01/05/05.

Solivagant

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls (Inscribed)

Victoria Falls by Solivagant

It is a bit surprising to discover that, as of May 2005, Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls have still not been reviewed – so I will “put that right”!

One reason possibly is that the site is self evidently “world class” and needs no introduction or explanation. I still debate with myself whether or not it surpasses Iguassu and generally conclude that the latter offers a fuller “visiting experience” with generally more to see over a longer time with more “surprises” and with more associated interest of flora and fauna. But as a “waterfall” per se Victoria Falls is “right up there” as a full-on experience however much the Zimbawean government makes life difficult for tourists.

Both of our visits took place before the recent collapse of the Zimbabwian economy, currency and socio-political framework and some of our experiences may not now be achievable or relevant (we visited in 1988 & 97 - the 'copter flight during the first visit). We travelled around Zimbabwe “self drive” with petrol easy to obtain. We stopped off in Hwange park on the way from Bulawayo (excellent road at that time) and already found that to be a disappointment in comparison with other African wildlife parks. Time and poaching are not likely to have improved matters!

The town of Victoria Falls was totally atypical of others in Zimbabwe – a tourist ghetto offering all sorts of “non African” thrills and experiences – bungee jumping, white water rafting etc etc. It is what I term …

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