Victoria Falls

Rainbow Falls

Main Falls

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) are arguably the most spectacular falls in the world.  They are twice the height of Niagara Falls and twice the width of the Horseshoe Falls.  They lie between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River and the whole width of the river plunges suddenly in a single drop into  a gorge.  This produces the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

The two lower cards show two of the four streams that are created by small islands when the river isn't at full flood.  These two date from the 1970s while the top card is dated 2006.  The political situation in this part of Africa has affected tourism at the Falls.  Although both Zambia and Zimbabwe both allow tourists visas to make day trips across, in the past most visitors came from the Zimbabwean side.  As a result of the political situation numbers have dropped since 2000 while the numbers from Zambia have risen dramatically.  The card at the top was posted from Zambia.

The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, both for the Falls themselves and for the ecological significance of the area.