Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is a town on the southern bank of the Zambezi River at the western end of Victoria Falls.
The settlement began in 1901 when the possibility of using the waterfall for hydro-electric power was explored, and expanded when
the railway from Bulawayo reached the town shortly before the Victoria Falls Bridge was opened in April 1905, connecting Southern
Rhodesia (later Rhodesia; now Zimbabwe) to Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia).
It became the principal tourism centre for the Falls, experiencing economic booms from the 1930s to the 1960s and in the 1980s and
early 1990s.
The Big Tree
This is not the biggest old baobab you will see in the country, but its significane lies in its history.
Opposite the old river crossing to Old Drift, this was a meeting place and caming spot for early pioneers and traders
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Victoria Falls are considered to be one of the world's largest waterfalls due to its width of 1,708 metres and height
of 108 metres.
David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European to view Victoria Falls
on 16 November 1855, from what is now known as Livingstone Island, one of two land masses in the middle of the river, immediately
upstream from the falls near the Zambian shore.
The 4.000 hectare Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve was established in 1996 and is recognised as an Intensive Protection Zone
(IPZ) for Black Rhino and since implementing a black rhino breeding programme the population has flourished to the point that they
have been able to supply black rhino to other intensive protection Zones for restocking.
See my
pictures
for other wildlife in the park
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