20 things you may not know about Victoria Falls

This year marks the 20th Birthday of Africa Albida Tourism’s flagship property, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, one of Zimbabwe’s most iconic hotels. Famous for the wide, expansive vistas and its on-site waterhole, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has developed into an internationally acclaimed, award-winning hotel.

Kicking off the countdown for Victoria Falls Safari Lodge’s 20th birthday celebrations in December 2014, here are 20 things you may not know about Victoria Falls:

• Devil’s Cataract, on the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls, has a drop of 60m, making it the lowest of the five Falls. Re-opened in August 2013, the Devil’s Cataract view point is a great vantage point from which to view the Falls. Be careful though, the steps are often wet and slippery!

• Because of the spray from the falls, the Rain Forest at Victoria Falls is the only place on earth where it rains 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making it well and truly a ‘rainforest’.

• During a full moon, if the conditions are ideal, one can see a ‘moonbow’ also known as a lunar rainbow at Victoria Falls. Seen through the spray at night instead of during the day as a solar rainbow, the colour scheme and the shape of the curvature of the moonbow, are exactly the same as the beautiful rainbow seen in the day time.

• One can take a walk in the Zambezi National Park with the Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit (VFAPU), and support efforts to protect the wildlife and environment of Victoria Falls. Charles Brightman, a local safari operator and conservationist, together with the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, established the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU), in January 1999. VFAPU has worked in close co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to achieve many successes.

• Described as an unforgettable African experience infused with mouth watering local cuisine, spirited dance performances and traditional storytelling. Baxton Mashuku and Joseph Nyangani, have been selling curios at the Boma since 2001. Caught wood-poaching by the VFAPU scouts in 2001, the gentlemen were offered the option of sourcing their wood sustainably and in exchange, would be able to sell their hand-crafted curios at The Boma - Place of Eating. They have been legally and sustainably selling curios for the past twelve years! These gentlemen are an amazing example of creating sustainable solutions that benefit the environment and the local community. You can find them every evening, come rain or shine at The Boma – Place of Eating.

• For the next 15 years, powered by Telecel, one of 1,8 million different colour possibilities will illuminate the Victoria Falls Bridge each night – it truly is a spectacle to behold!

• Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Spanning all corners of the Earth, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, the Polar Aurora and the Paricutin volcano make up the remaining 6.

• In 1989, Victoria Falls was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. This means that Victoria Falls, as a World Heritage site, belongs to all peoples of the world.

• Taita falcons, one of the world’s rarest raptors, have been recorded nesting in the Victoria Falls gorge. Victoria Falls is home to other threatened bird species such as African Skimmers, rock pratincole, grey-headed parrot, Lilian's Llvebird, lappet-faced, hooded and white-backed vultures – so keep an eye-out and you may spot one of these threatened species.

• Stone artefacts from the hominin Homo habilis have been identified near the Falls and show that early humans may have lived here two million years ago.

• Victoria Falls Airport will be able to accommodate wide-body jets by mid 2014, thanks to the new 4 km runway currently being built. Catch sight of it as you come in for landing!

• Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Safari Club and the new Victoria Falls Safari Suites are all western facing, allowing guests the opportunity to enjoy splendid vistas of African sunsets.

• Victoria Falls hosts the annual Jameson Victoria Falls Carnival in December, the tough but inspiring, Econet Victoria Falls Marathon and 3 day Mountain Bike Challenge in June.

• The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa, after the Nile, Congo, and Niger Rivers.

• The Zambezi River flows through six countries, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

• Victoria Falls lies almost half way along the Zambezi River in its 1677 mile stretch from its source to the Indian Ocean.

• The Africa Albida Tourism properties are the only properties in the area to have a no-fly zone above them.

• Victoria Falls is one and a half times wider and twice as high as Niagara.

• The Victoria Falls Bridge, completed in 1905 measures 650 feet in total length and stands 400 feet above the river, nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. Constructed by building anchored cantilevers from the edges of the gorge toward the centre, the bridge was considered a feat of engineering in its day.

• Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has recently been voted in the Top 25 Resorts and Safari Camps in Africa by Conde’ Nast Traveler – the only Zimbabwean property to be listed in this category.

>The Africa Albida Tourism collection also includes the chic, butler service Victoria Falls Safari Club, the RCI Gold Crown Resort, Lokuthula Lodges, the luxury Ngoma Safari Lodge in Chobe, Botswana, the a la carte MaKuwa-Kuwa restaurant and the enthralling Boma- Place of Eating. A new addition to the Africa Albida Tourism portfolio in December 2013, are the spacious Victoria Falls Safari Suites.

Congratulations and Happy 20th Birthday Victoria Falls Safari Lodge!

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge