There is so much to do in Livingstone (and by extension Victoria Falls), that a three day planned visit has turned into a seven-plus day stay.

Mosi-Ao-Tunya is the local term for “the smoke that thunders”, and it describes the incredible natural phenomenon of the mist that rises above the falls.

The mist is created by the amount of water that is coming over the falls. The volume of water displaces the air in the gorge forcing the air (and the mist in the air) to shoot above the gorge. When the water is very high, the mist can rise over 4,000 feet above the top edge of the gorge.

Per Wikipedia: “While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls.”

We walked into the main park and explored a number of trails that wind around a point that sticks into a bend in the river (and thus the gorge). Once we came into view of the falls, I was awestruck. There’s a reason this beauty has been classified as a World Heritage Site.

It’s nearly impossible to stay dry when walking around the national park, given the amount of mist that is shot into the air. The dynamics are amazing – you can stand there looking at the falls and see water droplets suspended in the air, neither going up or down.

We crossed a pedestrian bridge and were met by a baboon coming in our direction. The only thing was, she was balancing on the hand rail, a hundred feet above the river below.

I went with three mates that I had met while at the backpacker hostel. Fantastic people. Marit is from Amsterdam, Matt from England and Malcolm from Malta. We had a great time on this day and for a few days afterward.

We then hiked down to the “Boiling Pot”, an area where the Zambezi River comes shooting down a straight and then hits a sharp 300 degree angle. The Boiling Pot is formed by the river hitting the rock wall straight ahead and then eats away the rock before moving on to that hard right turn. The resulting  water features whirlpools and eddies, thus the name the “Boiling Pots”.

The Boiling Pots has a great view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, a very high structure that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe. Marit was kind enough to join me in a picture of the bridge:

The bridge also features high-adventure experiences, including bungee jumping. We saw someone bungee jump while we were down at the water’s edge:

After seeing that person jump, I thought, “Adrenaline is a great rush….”