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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, August 23, 2015: Victoria Falls - “The Smoke That Thunders”, Zimbabwe

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At Victoria Falls, the mighty Zambezi River disappears in the 108 meter deep narrow gorge. This makes it among the biggest waterfalls on this planet. It’s not only deep but also narrow, thus explaining the tremendous spray.

 

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“Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”, Livingstone is quoted saying when he first set eye on what the local Makololo people called „Mosi Oa Tunya“ or “The Smoke That Thunders”. Could he really guess in 1855 that one day thundering helicopters would take tourists high up in the sky to get that angel’s view? Livingstone, who was taken there in a dugout canoe, was lucky to arrive in November. During peak flow from March to May, the falls are completely obscured by the massive spray…

 

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The gorge is actually extremely narrow, and it is only from the air that you get a full perspective of the Falls, as you have too much mist to have a full grasp of the whole.
Yes, I took an helicopter, and it was an amazing flight.
From Zambia, you can also take an Ultra Light Flight, which must be even more amazing. I didn't cross into Zambia and regretted it afterwards. I would also have loved to jump in the Devil's Pool on the Zambian side, but I think there was too much water at that time of the year to do it safely.
 
Cheers, Gilles
 
Originally Posted by Travel Luver:

The aerial images give an amazing perspective!  I didn't know how narrow that gorge was.  Was this a special helicopter overflight or were you lucky enough to get these shots from the window of your airplane?

 

Originally Posted by Mac:

That certainly brings back memories! Sometime in the late 1970's my wife and I were lucky enough to travel to Zambia and drove down to the falls from Lusaka staying at a hotel close by. The  next morning we decided to follow the foot path that went down to the bottom of the falls, through the bush, well watered by the spray of the falls.  It was only on arrival at the bottom that we were greeted by a large notice saying "Beware of snakes" at which we beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel! 

Mac, maybe this hike you took was down to the "Boiling Pots".  There is a trail that takes you to this swimming hole from the top of the gorge to the banks of the Zimbabwe River on the Zambian side.

 

I guess your making haste to avoid the snakes helped you miss the "Beware of crocodiles" sign.  There's some monsters down in the gorge! Wonder if they got that large feasting on tourists? 

Twitter: @DrFumblefinger

"We do not take a trip, a trip takes us".  John Steinbeck, from Travels with Charlie

I didn't know you could walk to the bottom of the falls...
Must have been an incredible sight (and quite a wet experience as well...)
 
Cheers, Gilles
 
Originally Posted by Mac:

That certainly brings back memories! Sometime in the late 1970's my wife and I were lucky enough to travel to Zambia and drove down to the falls from Lusaka staying at a hotel close by. The  next morning we decided to follow the foot path that went down to the bottom of the falls, through the bush, well watered by the spray of the falls.  It was only on arrival at the bottom that we were greeted by a large notice saying "Beware of snakes" at which we beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel! 

 

That certainly brings back memories! Sometime in the late 1970's my wife and I were lucky enough to travel to Zambia and drove down to the falls from Lusaka staying at a hotel close by. The  next morning we decided to follow the foot path that went down to the bottom of the falls, through the bush, well watered by the spray of the falls.  It was only on arrival at the bottom that we were greeted by a large notice saying "Beware of snakes" at which we beat a hasty retreat back to the hotel! 

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  Henry Miller

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