Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

About this place

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Zambia, holding the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. Its name means «the smoke that thunders» in Lozi, an exact description of the cloud of spray you see from far off. It covers 66 square kilometres and forms the south-western boundary of Livingstone city. The falls are 1,708 metres wide and 108 metres high, making the world's largest sheet of falling water. David Livingstone was the first European recorded to see them, on 16 November 1855, from the island near the Zambian shore that now bears his name, and he named them for Queen Victoria. Local people had known them long before, and the local name is still in common use. The park has two sections, each with its own entrance. In the falls section, paths through the trees end at the edge of the gorge, where spray rises and rainbows form, and you may see Victoria Falls Bridge across the chasm. The wildlife section has riverine forest, giraffe, zebra and antelope, along with a small guarded group of white rhinos that you visit on a guided walk. The falls entrance is about 9 km from central Livingstone in a straight line and about 1 km from the bridge. Water is heaviest from about February to May, but the spray then hides the view and soaks everything, so bring a waterproof and a cover for your phone. The Zambian side can run very low late in the dry season. Watch out for monkeys near food.