Victoria Falls & Zambezi National Park Overview
The Victoria Falls
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most sought after and spectacular sights in Africa to visit. Whilst it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest based on its combined width of 1708 meters (5604 ft) and height of 108 meters (354 ft), resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 meters (1300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 48 kilometers (30 miles) away.
The bustling tourist town of Victoria Falls within Zimbabwe sits effectively in the epicenter of the Kavango Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), an area spread between the five countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. This comprises of 35 national parks, forestry estates and wildlife protected areas, stands as the largest, most diverse and most pristine wildlife areas on the planet. As a result, Victoria Falls is fast becoming the gateway to Southern Africa and tourist arrivals to the growing town are only expected to increase. In addition to this, it is thought to be one of the activity and adrenaline capitals within the Southern African region.
The town is shrouded in history; from it’s original indigenous Lozi language name, Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders), the early European discovery in 1855 by Scottish missionary and explorer, David Livingstone, the building of the Livingstone Bridge between 1904 and 1905, and on to the more recent developments.
For a considerable distance upstream from the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow valley bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river’s course is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys; only a flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometers in all directions. It is here on the upper Zambezi where Zambezi National Park is located.
Zambezi National Park
Located upstream from Victoria Falls and following the course of Zambezi River lies the Zambezi National Park. It was split off from Victoria Falls National Park in 1979 and is an estimated 56000 hectares in size. The park is bisected by a road to Kazungula, dividing it into a riverine side and the Chamabonda Vlei side. Today the Zambezi National Park stands as one of the most underrated National Parks in the country with a surprising amount of wildlife and birdlife habituating within its boundaries. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets are the norm along this river and the area is popular for both landscape and wildlife photography.
Most of the park is within the eco-region of Zambezian and Mopani woodlands, whilst a small portion in the south is within the Zambezian Baikiaea (Zambezi Teak) Woodlands. The park has a vast diversity of indigenous tree species, and its terrain varies between riverine woodland, dry river beds, rocky outcrops and spring-lines with a gradual escarpment leading towards the Kazangula road split. Soil types vary from alluvial and Kalahari sand, riverine sand and pockets of black cotton soil. The natural spring-lines which occur within this park are absolute hidden gems and regularly have an abundance of wildlife traversing through them.
When To Travel
The area enjoys warm to hot temperatures, with the warmest temperatures occuring between September and March. May through to August is generally known as the winter months, where temperatures remain warm during the day but drop significantly during the evenings and early mornings. The wet season is from November to March and is characterised by scattered afternoon showers amidst sunshine.
May to August
These are the coldest winter months with daytime temperatures averaging around 27°C, but night and early morning temperature dropping to around 8°C. Be sure to bring winter clothing for the mornings and evenings.
September and October
These are very dry and hot months in the Victoria Falls regions, with temperatures averaging 33°C. Rains generally start towards the end of October and early November but high temperatures remain until the rains have fully set in.
November to April
These are considered to be the rainy season months, although it very rarely rains for an entire day. Temperatures can still remain uncomfortably high due to the increased humidity and generally average around 30°C during the day cooling down to 19°C in the evenings.
Getting There
With the Victoria Falls International Airport now catering to long haul wide-bodied aircraft, access to the region has dramatically opened up and several airlines are now flying direct to Victoria Falls. There is a very good road network between Victoria Falls, Kazangula and Livingstone for those crossing into or from neighboring countries. In addition, tourism operators have been working on improving the road network and quality of the roads within the Zambezi National Park, making it easier for visitors to traverse the river road without any problems. During the rainy season, however, many of the roads within the Zambezi National Park become almost impassable and it is not recommended to attempt a drive in the park during these months unless you are an experienced 4 x 4 driver and have 4WD.
Species
Wildlife
The park is home to a variety of larger mammal species including lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and several antelope species such as eland, kudu, waterbuck, impala and Zimbabwe’s national animal, the majestic sable. Along the river, pods of hippo wallow during the day, emerging from their watery retreats at night to graze along the riverbanks. Crocodiles are regularly seen lurking along the rivers edge, waiting for antelope to come down to the banks to drink.
Birdlife
The Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park environs are thought to have an estimated 470 different species of birds and the area has been established as an International Birding Area (IBA) due to the variety it has to offer. Local specialties include the Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Skimmer, Collared Palm Thrush, Lanner Falcon, Goliath Heron, Kori Bustard, Half Collared Kingfisher, African Finfoot, Thick Billed Weaver, Rock Pratincole and Long-toed Lapwing.
The Victoria Falls
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most sought after and spectacular sights in Africa to visit. Whilst it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest based on its combined width of 1708 meters (5604 ft) and height of 108 meters (354 ft), resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 meters (1300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 48 kilometers (30 miles) away.
The bustling tourist town of Victoria Falls within Zimbabwe sits effectively in the epicenter of the Kavango Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), an area spread between the five countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. This comprises of 35 national parks, forestry estates and wildlife protected areas, stands as the largest, most diverse and most pristine wildlife areas on the planet. As a result, Victoria Falls is fast becoming the gateway to Southern Africa and tourist arrivals to the growing town are only expected to increase. In addition to this, it is thought to be one of the activity and adrenaline capitals within the Southern African region.
The town is shrouded in history; from it’s original indigenous Lozi language name, Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders), the early European discovery in 1855 by Scottish missionary and explorer, David Livingstone, the building of the Livingstone Bridge between 1904 and 1905, and on to the more recent developments.
For a considerable distance upstream from the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow valley bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river’s course is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys; only a flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometers in all directions. It is here on the upper Zambezi where Zambezi National Park is located.
Zambezi National Park
Located upstream from Victoria Falls and following the course of Zambezi River lies the Zambezi National Park. It was split off from Victoria Falls National Park in 1979 and is an estimated 56000 hectares in size. The park is bisected by a road to Kazungula, dividing it into a riverine side and the Chamabonda Vlei side. Today the Zambezi National Park stands as one of the most underrated National Parks in the country with a surprising amount of wildlife and birdlife habituating within its boundaries. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets are the norm along this river and the area is popular for both landscape and wildlife photography.
Most of the park is within the eco-region of Zambezian and Mopani woodlands, whilst a small portion in the south is within the Zambezian Baikiaea (Zambezi Teak) Woodlands. The park has a vast diversity of indigenous tree species, and its terrain varies between riverine woodland, dry river beds, rocky outcrops and spring-lines with a gradual escarpment leading towards the Kazangula road split. Soil types vary from alluvial and Kalahari sand, riverine sand and pockets of black cotton soil. The natural spring-lines which occur within this park are absolute hidden gems and regularly have an abundance of wildlife traversing through them.
The area enjoys warm to hot temperatures, with the warmest temperatures occuring between September and March. May through to August is generally known as the winter months, where temperatures remain warm during the day but drop significantly during the evenings and early mornings. The wet season is from November to March and is characterised by scattered afternoon showers amidst sunshine.
May to August
These are the coldest winter months with daytime temperatures averaging around 27°C, but night and early morning temperature dropping to around 8°C. Be sure to bring winter clothing for the mornings and evenings.
September and October
These are very dry and hot months in the Victoria Falls regions, with temperatures averaging 33°C. Rains generally start towards the end of October and early November but high temperatures remain until the rains have fully set in.
November to April
These are considered to be the rainy season months, although it very rarely rains for an entire day. Temperatures can still remain uncomfortably high due to the increased humidity and generally average around 30°C during the day cooling down to 19°C in the evenings.
With the Victoria Falls International Airport now catering to long haul wide-bodied aircraft, access to the region has dramatically opened up and several airlines are now flying direct to Victoria Falls. There is a very good road network between Victoria Falls, Kazangula and Livingstone for those crossing into or from neighboring countries. In addition, tourism operators have been working on improving the road network and quality of the roads within the Zambezi National Park, making it easier for visitors to traverse the river road without any problems. During the rainy season, however, many of the roads within the Zambezi National Park become almost impassable and it is not recommended to attempt a drive in the park during these months unless you are an experienced 4 x 4 driver and have 4WD.
Wildlife
The park is home to a variety of larger mammal species including lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and several antelope species such as eland, kudu, waterbuck, impala and Zimbabwe’s national animal, the majestic sable. Along the river, pods of hippo wallow during the day, emerging from their watery retreats at night to graze along the riverbanks. Crocodiles are regularly seen lurking along the rivers edge, waiting for antelope to come down to the banks to drink.
Birdlife
The Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park environs are thought to have an estimated 470 different species of birds and the area has been established as an International Birding Area (IBA) due to the variety it has to offer. Local specialties include the Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Skimmer, Collared Palm Thrush, Lanner Falcon, Goliath Heron, Kori Bustard, Half Collared Kingfisher, African Finfoot, Thick Billed Weaver, Rock Pratincole and Long-toed Lapwing.
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