Kigali to Johannesburg Then To Victoria Falls

Did You Know? - Victoria Falls is a town in western Zimbabwe and a gateway to the massive waterfall of the same name. Here, the Zambezi River plummets over a cliff and into the Boiling Pot before flowing through a series of gorges. The Devil’s Pool, a natural infinity pool, is on the edge of a sheer drop. Spanning the river is 1905 Victoria Falls Bridge. The surrounding Zambezi National Park is home to white rhinos and elephants.

Did You Know? - Below are a couple of facts about the water fall to get you started.

1. The spray from the falls make the River Zambezi Rain Forest the only place that receives rainfall 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. What is a Moonbow? Any ideas? Well, it is the rainbow formed by the reflection of moonlight on the water. At night, you will see the light from the moon forming a beautiful rainbow on the waters of the Victoria Waterfalls. (I actually saw one on Molokai in Hawaii. It was a full moon and was raining - just amazing)

3. During the months of September to December, tourists enjoy 'toying with danger' on the edge of the waterfalls at the naturally formed Devil's Swimming Pool.

4. River Zambezi, the river that forms the Victoria Water Falls is the fourth largest African River after River Nile, River Congo and River Niger.

5 Although the most famous stretches of River Zambezi are in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the river traverses a whopping six countries that include; Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

6. The Victoria Waterfalls seems to dissect the River Zambezi almost by two. It sits halfway the 1677 miles from the source to the sea.

8. After all the factors are put into place; the Victoria Waterfalls are the largest in the world. They measure 5577 feet wide and varies in height from 262- 304 feet.

9. The first European to see the waterfalls was David Livingstone. In order to see the majestic waterfalls, he stood on a small outcrop christened the Livingstone Island that is on the edge of the waterfalls.

Did You Know? - Have you ever seen a Moonbow? During a full moon you can see a moonbow also known as a Lunar rainbow at Victoria Falls. This can been seen through the spray at night instead of during the day as a solar rainbow. The day light rainbow is exactly the same as the full moonlight rainbow: the colour scheme and the shape of the curvature are the same.

Did You Know?

• The Victoria Falls Bridge was the dream and brainchild of Cecil John Rhodes, but he died before the bridge was completed.

• Queen Elizabeth the Queen of England visited the Victoria Falls in 1947… and stayed at the famous Victoria Falls Hotel in the royal suite.

• The falling water crashing into the bottom of the falls is eroding all the time. So the falls height is more than the reported 110m.

• In 1910 two people named Mrs Moss and Mr Orchard’s bodies were found in the second gorge of Victoria Falls. They had been swept over the falls after their two canoes were capsized by a hippo at Long Island above the falls

• During the high water level in April of 2013, four elephants trying to swim across the Zambezi River were swept by the currents down the river and over the falls.

Did You Know? - Victoria Falls also known as "Mosi oa-Tunya" ("the smoke that thunders") is positioned almost exactly half way along the mighty Zambezi River's 2700 km journey from it's source to the sea.

Did You Know? - In November 1855, Dr David Livingstone was transported in a canoe by the local Makalolo people to the very edge of these falls.

The sensitive Scotsman was so overwhelmed by his first sight of these spectacular falls, that he momentarily abandoned his scientific observations and recorded.

"It has never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so wonderful must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight".

Loyally the good missionary, whose heart lies buried in Africa, named this great wonder of the world after Victoria, his British queen.

Did You Know? - He travelled down the Zambezi River on foot and spent the night on Kalai Island a few kilometres upstream of the Falls. The next morning he set off in a dug out canoe guided by the locals who knew the river well. As they approached the falls they could see the columns of spray appearing in the sky and could hear the roar of the waterfall.

This indeed appeared exactly like smoke rising from the ground. They took him to an island that was in the middle of the river on the lip of the waterfall (now known as Livingstone Island) as he viewed this magnificent scene he recorded the moment as follows; -

“The whole scene was extremely beautiful; the banks and islands dotted over the river are adorned with sylvan vegetation of great variety of colour and form…no one can imagine the beauty of the view from any thing witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

Did You Know? -The most popular activity in Victoria Falls is Zambezi Sunset cruise on the Zambezi River above the Water Fall. This part of the river is characterized by a multitude of small and large islands, clad with lush tropical vegetation and is an area of scenic beauty. The river is part of the National Parks so you can expect to see Hippo, Crocodile and Bushbuck as well as a host of smaller species and an abundant variety of bird life. All this is viewed from comfortable chairs on a shaded deck near a well stocked bar.

Safety procedure briefing will be done before you embark on a cruise. The cruise takes approximately 2 hours. Guest will be returned to their hotels around 7pm.

Did You Know? - The hippo’s yawn is not a sign of sleepiness or boredom but is actually a threat gesture, displaying long, thick, razor-sharp canine teeth, or tusks, with which it is capable of biting a small boat in half. Being fearlessly protective of their turf and young, hippos have killed hundreds of people in Africa – more than any other wild animal.

Hippopotamus amphibius means “river horse.” The hippo, weighing 1 800 kg (4,000 pounds) and more, lives in Africa, south of the Sahara and along the length of the Nile river, although its range once included Asia and large parts of Europe.

18% of of a hippo’s weight is made up by its 5 cm (2 in) skin. Interestingly, beneath the hide is a relatively thin layer of fat.

Hippos prefer rivers with deep water and nearby reed beds and grasslands, but are also found in salt-water areas near river mouths, and in lakes in Central Africa. They are hoofed vegetarians, feeding on grass, fallen fruit, and occasionally on cultivated crops such as sugar cane or corn during the night. They spend most of the day in the water.