Top

Travel | 19 Dec 2014 | By Sun International

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls | Photo by Sun International

When it comes to tourist attractions, the Victoria Falls is in a league of its own.

Quick question! Do you know what Victoria Falls has in common with Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon, Aurora Borealis, the Harbor of Rio and Mexico’s Paricutin?

Any guesses? Besides all being hugely popular bucket list destinations, these 7 global attractions are the official 7 Natural Wonders of the world. Impressive accolade, right? We’re not being biased or anything (ahem) but Victoria Falls, the only African wonder on the list, is by far the most jaw-dropping attraction of all.

If you need some convincing, check out this list of things you didn’t know about Victoria Falls and prepare to be amazed!\

5 things you (probably) didn’t know about Victoria Falls:

  1. You might already know that the powerful spray from Victoria Falls creates constant “rain” that falls gently on surrounding areas. The only place in the world with a guaranteed forecast of rain all-year around, it is a little-known fact that this “rain” has created a fertile environment for some of the most unique plants to survive. Spotted nowhere else in Zambia or Zimbabwe, the surrounding areas are home to a unique ecosystem of endemic plant species.
    Tip: Budding botanists should plan their holiday at the Royal Livingstone or Zambezi Sun in November if they want to see the spectacular “fireballs” or Haemanthus multiflorus bloom.
  2. One-and-a-half times wider and twice its height, Victoria Falls puts the Niagara Falls to shame!
  3. Forget about your average rainbow, Victoria Falls is proud to be one of the only places in the world where you can see a moonbow! Also known as a lunar rainbow, space rainbow, or spooky sounding “black rainbow”, the moonbow is as the name suggests. Appearing during the full moon, the moonbow can be seen through the spray at night.
  4. The mighty Victoria Falls flows from the Zambezi River. The 4th largest river in Africa, the Zambezi is the only river that flows into the Indian Ocean.
  5. Although Victoria Falls is a definite must-see, once in a lifetime destination, you’re kind of late to the party… archaeological sites surrounding Victoria Falls have revealed Homo habilis stone artifacts from 3 million years ago!

David Livingstone described his first sighting of Victoria Falls like this:

“No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."

Tell us: How would you describe your first time seeing Victoria Falls?