Victoria Falls is one of the wonders of the natural world. It is called "Mosi-oa-Tunya", meaning, in the local language, "the smoke that thunders", which describes the spray and the roar as the Zambezi River drops over 300 feet into the narrow gorge below. The Falls have fascinated travellers since David Livingstone was the first European explorer to see them in 1855. Sighting the Falls from his dugout canoe in November 1855, Livingstone could hardly believe his eyes at such a spectacle. He named the Falls for his queen, Victoria. The Falls are 1.7 kilometres wide and dump an average of 545 million litres of water over the edge every minute. Victoria Falls are one of Africa's major tourist attractions, and are a Unesco World Heritage Site. The Zambezi River and the Victoria Falls form the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Each country has a national park and a town: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and Livingstone in Zambia, and Victoria Falls National Park and the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The viewing of the Falls is better from the Zimbabwe side from October to March when the Falls are at their lowest.
Located in northern Zimbabwe, the life-giving power of the Zambezi River makes Mana Pools National Park one of Zimbabwe’s most lush and flourishing regions. Characterised by a diversity of landscapes including floodplains, forests, and baobab trees, the park has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural beauty; providing a fantastic destination for photographers. It is an Important Bird Area and is also one of the continent’s premier game-viewing locations, known for its good chances of seeing elephants, wild dogs, lions, and leopards. Visitors can look forward to an array of activities such as canoe trips, guided walks, game drives, river cruises, nature walks, bird watching, and catch-and-release fishing.