Kathemerinosatos

This is one of many series to follow on some of the magnificent places to visit in Zimbabwe. I was chosen Victoria falls as my first of the series and I will write a couple of them on each of the chosen tourist destination. When there is political crisis in a country it is easy to forget about the positive things to get in that country as news will be focused on the crisis and this is exactly true with the story of Zimbabwe.

Where is Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe in Africa in the Southern part of the continent. It shares the boaders with: Mozambique (East); Zambia (North); Botswana (West), Partly Nambia (West) and Zambia (North). Therefore it is a landlocked country.

THE LOCATION OF VICTORIA FALLS.

Zimbabwe has a tea-pot shaped map and it is divided into ten administrative provinces as indicated below. Harare and Bulawayo are both cities and provinces.

WHERE IS VICTORIA FALLS IN THOSE TEN PROVINCES ?

Victoria Falls is located in the Matabeleland North Province at the boarder with Zambia. The falls is shared by both Zambia and Zimbabwe but the widest and clearest view is on the Zimbabwean side. The falls is located the Zambezi River which is Zimbabwe´s biggest river.

WHAT IS IN THE NAME VICTORIA FALLS?

David Livingstone who was the Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and explorer in Central Africa is said to be the first western person to discover the Victoria Falls for the Western World. He named it Victoria Falls after Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

IS THERE A LOCAL NAME FOR THE FALLS?

Obviously the locals new the falls before anybody from the other parts of the world and they had their own local name which is officially the politically recognized name. The name Victoria Falls is the most popular one hence it is maintained for tourism purposes but the local name is: MOSI-A-TUNYA. This is a Sotho name meaning, ” the SMOKE THAT THUNDERS”

FACTS ABOUT VICTORIA FALLS

1. Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World
2. It is considered the largest fall in the world though that is a disputed fact
3. it is the 7th widest fall in the world with a width of 1708.009 meters
4. It has a height of 108 meters and it does not qualify to be among the tallest falls in the world.
5. However, if you combine its height and width it becomes one of the world biggest falls.

HOW DOES ONE GETS TO VICTORIA FALLS?

ROAD

Victoria Falls is easily accessible by road and the road is nicely built though in many parts it is not a dual carriage road.

1. Harare-Victoria Falls- 711.2 km
2. Bulawayo-Victoria Falls-435. 2km
3. Beitbridge -Victoria Falls-757.2km
4. Plumtree-Victoria Falls-537.3km
5. Livingstone, Zambia-Victoria Falls-16.2km

AIR

1. Harare International Airport

This is the country´s biggest airport connecting flights from international destinations such as; Doha, Qatar and Dubai, UAE. The airport also connects with regional flights from; Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa; Lusaka, Zambia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Gaborone, Botswana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Windhoek, Namibia; Kigali, Rwanda and Nairobi, Kenya. The airport also connects domestic flights to Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Mutare, Masvingo and Kariba. Those visiting from abroad can make use of these flights

2. Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport-Bulawayo

This is another International Airport located in the Country´s second largest city. It connects flights from the following regional destination: Johannesburg, South Africa; Gaborone, Botswana and Domestic flights to Harare and Victoria Falls.

3. Victoria Falls International Airport

This is another International Airport that connects regional flights from: Cape Town & Johannesburg, South Africa and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It then connects with domestic flights from Harare and Bulawayo.

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT VICTORIA FALLS

Victoria Falls is characterized by Hot and wet summers from September to April but rains come in mid November. So September and October are hot and dry. Then dry winter from mid May to early August. Winters are not as extream as in the northern hemisphere. Winters in Victoria Falls are like summers in coldest places like in Countries like Canada. The best time to visit Victoria Falls is mid February to August because the water levels willbe very high and water splashes can go near a kilometer from the falls. Besides the visiting the waterfalls what are other activities in Victoria Falls? Watch out for the next blog.