Moreover, most of them are concentrated in South Africa (the Kingdom alone boasts 3,000 waterfalls).
Victoria Falls
Those who come here (Victoria has a height of more than 100, and a width of about 1800 m), will be able to jump on a rubber rope from the highest point of the waterfall or canoe or kayak on the Zambezi, go on a walking or auto safari in the national park, and also visit museum (exhibits will "tell" about the history of the waterfall).
Those who wish will be able to admire Victoria on a helicopter tour over the waterfall, during a cruise on the Zambezi River, from the railway bridge or after lifting any of the numerous observation decks equipped in national park VictoriaFalls (entrance costs $ 10).
Location - on the border and. The visit will cost $ 20.
Tugela waterfall
It is represented by a 5-step cascade (maximum height - more than 400 m, width - 15 m), and you can get here by choosing one of 2 trails: the path along the first route will take 5 hours, and along the second - the whole day. In any case, the journey will be accompanied by spectacular views and climbing steep mountains (metal stairs are provided for climbing).
The address: national park Natal,.
Kongu Falls
Kongu - beautiful waterfalls Central Africa: their waters fall from a height of 56 meters, and the total width of successively located cascades reaches 3 km. They are located at a distance from tourist routes, so it will be possible to go on an excursion to them from Makoku, where hotels for tourists are open.
Address: Congu National Park, Gabon.
Blue Nile Falls
They are represented by several small cascades, which are located at the foot of a large waterfall (its width ranges from 100-400 m, and its height - 37-45 m).
Ethiopia, near the village of Tis Abbay; visit cost - 20 birr.
Boyoma Falls
In terms of water consumption (17,000 cubic meters / sec), they are included in the Guinness Book of Records. The waterfalls have 7 rapids (they are separated by stretches) and stretch for 150 km.
In 1855, Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingston sailed up the Zambezi River at the head of a flotilla of 33 boats and a crew of 160 Makololo natives. And so, when the expedition passed another channel, a majestic, incomparable riot of nature opened up in front of them. Before travelers appeared in all its power and beauty, the largest waterfall in Africa.
Livingston wrote that in England no one can imagine even for a minute all the splendor of this miracle of nature: “No one can imagine all the beauty of the waterfall. The eyes of a Briton, and indeed of any European, have never seen such a thing, but the sight so insanely beautiful was probably admired by the angels in heaven! " The traveler named it after the then Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Since ancient times, hunters of the Batoka tribes called the waterfall Mosi-o-Tunya - "Thundering smoke", and the Matabele tribe, from the other side, called it Chongue - "Place of the rainbow".
It is one of the largest and most stunning waterfalls in the world. Of course, Victoria Falls is a fantastic sight. It appears as if from nowhere. There are no mountains or hills in the landscape. In the basalt plateau, along which the Zambezi flows, a huge crevice is formed, into which the streams of a full-flowing river break down.
The waterfall is very wide, about 1800 meters, and the height from the top point of the water drop varies from 80 meters to 108 meters. The water forms fog and spray that rise above 350 meters and are visible up to 40 kilometers away. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water per minute pass through the waterfall.
On the edge of the abyss there are four islands that are separated by streams of water. On the right bank there is a stream "Jumping water", 35 meters high. Behind the island of Boaruk, the "Main" waterfall is about 450 meters wide. Livingston Island separates the main channel from another "river in the river", and near the left coast the "Eastern" cascade breaks into the abyss.
The waterfall gradually recedes upstream, gnawing new channels in the basalt.
Depending on the season, the waterfall looks completely different. In the high season - March and April, it rages with all its might. But the spray and constant fog make it difficult to see its splendor. With a decrease in the amount of water, the view of the waterfall is improved. At the “waterless” point, in November and December, the waterfall pours in scanty streams, and in some places it dries up completely. During the dry season, the cliffs are clearly visible and you can see the abyss.
The waterfall is located on the border of two states and two national parks- Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Thundering Smoke in Zambia. The national parks are rich in wildlife with settlements of elephants and giraffes. In the Zambezi, there is a large colony of hippos and crocodiles at the waterfall.
Before built in 1905 railroad to Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, the waterfall was rarely visited by Europeans, today those who want to quite freely, especially through Zambia, independently or along the developed tourist routes, can go to the waterfall.
On electronic maps, Victoria Falls is visible in all its glory. Be sure to take a look, you will not regret it!
Victoria Falls is famous all over the world and constantly attracts a huge number of tourists from all over the world. It is the largest waterfall in Africa. Locals his name is "Mosi-oa-Tunya", which means "Thundering smoke." Victoria is one of the most significant and unique sights on the African continent.
The territory of the waterfall belongs to two countries at the same time - Zambia and Zimbabwe. To understand where Victoria Falls is, you need to look at where the border between the two states lies. It divides the countries directly along the channel of the Zambezi River, passing through the territory of the waterfall.
The history of the name of Victoria Falls
This waterfall got its name thanks to the English discoverer and traveler David Livingston. He was also the first white person to see the incredible sight of a waterfall in 1885. The locals took the explorer to the highest waterfall in Africa. David Livingston was so fascinated and amazed by the view that he immediately christened the waterfall in honor of the Queen of England.
Victoria Falls geographyIn fact, Victoria Falls is not the tallest waterfall in the world. The laurels of the highest water flow went to the waterfall (979 m). But the fact that the wall of water stretches for almost two kilometers makes this waterfall the widest continuous stream in the world. Victoria Falls are almost twice the height. This figure varies from 80 to 108 meters at different points in the stream. Splashes from the rapidly falling masses of water scatter across the entire territory of the natural basin formed by the waterfall, and are able to rise to a height of 400 m. The fog they create and the roar of a stormy stream are visible and audible even at a distance of 50 km.
Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River approximately in the middle of its course. A water avalanche breaks off a cliff in the place where a wide river abruptly flows into a relatively narrow mountain crevice, which is 120 m wide.
Entertainment at Victoria FallsIn autumn, when the rainy season recedes, the water level in the river decreases markedly. During this period of time, you can take walks along a certain part of the waterfall. For the rest of the time, the waterfall is an endless, powerful stream that throws 546 million liters of water every minute.
The dry season attracts many tourists to the waterfall also because it is during this period of the year that you can swim in the unique natural pool, which is called the devil's. And this is not surprising, because the "Devil's Font" at Victoria Falls is located on the very cliff. While swimming in it, you can watch the seething water streams break down from the mountain at a distance of just a few meters. This small ten-meter pool is separated from the waterfall only by a narrow cofferdam. However, when the water in the Zambezi resides again, the "Devil's Font" is closed because visiting it could pose a threat to the lives of tourists.
Also among extreme lovers popular species the entertainment is "bungee jumping". This is nothing more than zip jumping straight to the seething waters of Victoria Falls in Africa. Bungee jumping is carried out from a bridge located in the immediate vicinity of the waterfall. A person who wants to take a risk is put on special elastic cables and invited to step into the abyss. After free flight, almost at the very surface of the water, the cables spring and soon stop. And the fearless tourist gets a lot of new and incomparable sensations.
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Oddly enough, but on the driest continent of our planet, there are also majestic waterfalls. Few have not heard of the famous Victoria Falls, but not many know that in Africa there is a Tugela Falls four times its height.
Tugela Falls, Tugela River (South Africa)
Tugela Falls is not the most famous African waterfall, but it is the second highest waterfall in the world. Although, strictly speaking, Tugela is more like five freely falling waterfalls, the total height of the water falling in which is 947 meters.
It is located in the Republic of South Africa, in the Drakensberg Mountains, which are part of the Royal Natal National Park grounds in KwaZulu. Tugela in Zulu means sudden. Drakensberg mountains are called Ukhahlamba in Zulu. They are the source of the Tugela - the largest river in this province, which gave rise to the largest African waterfall. The cliff from which the Tugela falls is often covered with snow during the winter months.
South Drakensberg is a landscape of forested river valleys flanked by majestic cliffs, hillside fields and vast wilderness areas. The park for tourists is provided as leisure- canoeing, mountaineering, mountain biking, hiking, and more relaxed recreation - fishing, leisurely walks in nature and scenic tours.
Tugela Falls is undoubtedly a key attraction on any trip to the Drakensberg Mountains. A beautiful mountain trail leads to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources, which starts from the nearest parking lot. A very gentle road leads to the top of the Amphitheater - Drakensberg cliff, with the exception of only one relatively short ascent. On two suspension bridges, you can freely walk to the top of the mountain. All the way to observation deck to the waterfall and back takes about 5 hours.
The second trail, at the foot of the Tugela Falls, begins at Royal Natal National Park. It is also a very simple 7 km climb. The trail along the Tugela gorge is laid through the pristine forest. At the final stage of the ascent to the Tugela waterfall, you have to overcome the boulders, and then a suspension bridge is built, which leads to the observation deck, from which you can see the waterfall rushing down from the Amphitheater, consisting of five successive cascades.
Kalambo Falls, Kalambo River (South Africa)
At 427 meters (772 feet), Kalambo Falls is one of the majestic falls on the Zambia-Tanzania border. The width of the waterfall is 3.6 - 18 m. This is the second highest continuous fall in Africa. The waterfall is located on the Kalambo river of the same name, which flows into Lake Tanganyika.
Downstream of the waterfall, the river flows through a 5 km long gorge about 1 km wide. and a depth of up to 300 m. before reaching the valley of Lake Tanganyika.
The waterfall was first discovered by Europeans only in 1913. Archaeologically, it is one of the most important sites in Africa. In its vicinity, human activities can be traced for more than two hundred and fifty thousand years. For the first time, excavations around a small lake at the bottom of the falls in 1953 were led by John Desmond Clark.
There were found stone tools and hearths dating from around 300,000 BC. The hearths indicate to us that people even then systematically used fire.
Augrabis Falls, Orange River (South Africa)
Augrabies Fallsis is located on the Orange River, in the national park South Africa... It ranks third in the height of water fall and is ahead of the next famous Victoria Falls. The local Hoykhoi tribe calls this waterfall Ankoerebis - "a place of great noise", and this is no coincidence, because powerful streams of water rush with a roar from a height of 146 meters into a rocky gorge with maximum depth about 200 meters and a length of 18 km.
Aughrabies got their name in 1778 from the Finn Hendrik Jakob Wikar. This name was adopted by the Boers who settled here later.
During the flood of 1988, 7800 cubic meters of water passed through the waterfall every second and 6800 cubic meters of water in 2006. This is three times the average flood discharge at Niagara Falls - 2,400 cubic meters per second and more than the maximum peak for the entire observation of Niagara Falls, which was 6800 cubic meters per second.
Victoria Falls, Zambezi River (Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Victoria Falls is undoubtedly one of the main attractions in South Africa. Victoria Falls listed World heritage UNESCO. It is located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the border of two national parks - Thundering Smoke Park (Mosi-oa-Tunya) in Zambia and Victoria Falls Park in Zimbabwe. The Scottish explorer David Livingston, who visited the waterfall in 1855, named it in honor of Queen Victoria. Local tribes gave him the name "Thundering Smoke".
Victoria is approximately 1800 meters wide and 108 meters high. Thanks to this, it is unique in the world. Victoria is almost twice as high Niagara falls and more than twice as wide as its main part - "Horseshoe". The mass of falling water breaking into splashes forms a fog that rises to a height of more than 400 meters, visible at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water pass through the waterfall per minute, and in 1958 the Zambezi experienced a record level of flow - more than 770 million liters per minute.
At the point of its fall, Victoria Falls are divided by the islands into four parts. At the right bank of the river, up to the 300-meter-high Boaruk Island, a 35-meter-wide stream of water, called "jumping water", rushes down, then there is the main waterfall, the width of which is about 460 meters. It is followed by Livingstone Island and a stream of water about 530 meters wide, and on the very left bank of the river is the eastern waterfall.
The Zambezi River falls into a roughly 120 meter deep rift crust... Numerous islets on the ridge of the waterfall form channels and divide the waterfall depending on the seasons. Over time, the waterfall receded upstream of the Zambezi. At the same time, he gnawed the soil at the bottom of the crevice, currently forming a zigzag-like river bed with sheer walls.
The only outlet of the river from the cleft is a rather narrow channel, punctured by water in its wall at about 2/3 of the distance from the western end. Its width is only about 30 meters and its length is about 120 meters. Coming out of it, the Zambezi flows into a zigzag gorge that stretches for 80 km. After the zigzag closest to the waterfall, a deep reservoir about 150 m wide, called the "Boiling Cauldron", was formed.
During the rainy season, the water of the Zambezi flows through Victoria in a continuous stream, but during the dry season, the waterfall almost dries up. Splashes and fog above it are practically invisible and the water level in the gorge at the bottom of the waterfall decreases by almost 20 meters.
Below the "Boiling Cauldron" across the gorge is a railway bridge 250 meters long and 125 meters high above the river level. It was built in 1905 and is one of five existing bridges on the Zambezi River.
Blue Nile Falls, Blue Nile River (Ethiopia)
The Blue Nile Falls (Tis-Ysat, or Tis-Abbay) are located on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. In Amharic, they are called Tis Issat, which means "Fuming Water". They are located in the upper reaches of the Blue Nile River, about 30 km downstream of the city of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The Blue Nile Falls are considered one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ethiopia. It is estimated that four streams of water fall from a height of 37 to 45 meters, which change from small streams in the dry season to a stream more than 400 meters wide in the rainy season.
The entire Tis Abbay waterfall consists of a cascade of several small waterfalls located at the feet of the large upper waterfall.
In 2003, two hydroelectric power plants were put into operation at the waterfall. They receive part of the water from the Blue Nile through the artificial canals located above the waterfall. Thanks to this, the flow of water through the waterfall has become less, but this does not prevent the formation of a rainbow above it, to see which many tourists come here. The gorge into which the river falls is famous for the oldest stone bridge in Ethiopia, which was built by Portuguese missionaries back in 1626.
Namaqualand Falls (South Africa)
Namaqualand (Afrikaans: Namakwaland) waterfall in the arid region of Namibia. This region stretches over 970 km. along west coast and its total area is 440,000 km². The region is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two parts - Malaya Namaqualand in the south and Big Namaqualand in the north.
Namaqualand Falls is located on the Orange River a few miles north of Nieuwoudtville on the road to Loeriesfontein.
Berlin Falls, Blyde River (South Africa)
Berlin Falls is located in the province of Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa. It is 262 feet high. The Berlin Falls is part of the famous African Panorama Trail and is located north of Graskop and close to the Window of God in the Blyde River Canyon area.
Murchison Falls is located on the Nile River.In its upper part, Murchison made its way through rocks only 7 meters wide and 43 meters deep. In the west, the river flows into Lake Alberta.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda. It covers 3,840 square kilometers. The park is home to the famous Murchison Falls, where cliffs squeeze the waters of the Nile into a narrow gorge just 7 meters away.Buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos inhabit this wilderness
? The fourth longest river in Africa, the Zambezi, is the mother of the largest waterfall on the continent, Victoria. Due to its area, the African waterfall is considered the largest in the world: its width is 1708 meters and its height is 120 meters. About 500 million liters of water falls down every minute! The hum of Victoria can be heard for many tens of kilometers.For the first time in 1855, the famous explorer D. Livingston told about the waterfall. A wide flat area stretches in front of the waterfall, and suddenly, the Zambezi makes an incredible run and jumps into the abyss for 120 meters! Having made such a dizzying leap, the Zambezi again smoothly transitions to the plain and ends its journey in Lake Kariba.
You can admire Victoria from different angles: from the air - by taking a paragliding or helicopter flight, going on a cruise on water transport along the Zambezi River, and the most daring can take the jump, doing bungee jumping. The best view of Victoria is from a small cliff in the middle of the Zambezi - Knife Point. On both sides of the waterfall, you can always see a rainbow. Once every ten years, the lucky ones can see the rarest a natural phenomenon- an extraordinary lunar rainbow that chose Victoria Falls from all places on the planet.
The tallest waterfall in the world
The Venezuelan name for the world's tallest waterfall is Angela, Kerepakupai Meru. This name was proposed in 2009 by the country's late president, eccentric Hugo Chavez, an opponent of everything American. Translated, it means "the waterfall of the deepest place."
The height of the famous waterfall is 979 meters, almost a kilometer! It is unrealistic to get to the waterfall on foot, because from all sides the approaches to it are closed by the impenetrable jungle. Due to the constant fog, it seems that geysers or volcanoes are located around the waterfall. The best view of the tallest waterfall in the world is from the air.
Despite the fact that the local Indian tribes knew about the existence of the waterfall long before the appearance of Europeans and Americans here, it became widely known only in the 30s of the 20th century. It's hard to believe, especially considering that Christopher Columbus discovered America in the 15th century. Nevertheless, the waterfall received its name - Angel, only in 1937, in honor of the pilot James Angel. This happened after a pilot from the United States, James Angel, along with passengers for a long 11 days made his way through the jungle from the top of the mountain that gives rise to the waterfall. The name of this mountain, Auyantepui, in contrast to the pilot's surname, which means "angel", is translated as "devil's mountain."
Read more about Angela in the article -
