Livingstone is named after the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. The main street of this quaint colonial town is the important Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, sections of which are lined with classic colonial buildings. These Victorian tin roofed houses with wooden verandas, many of which are decaying, are a typical example of the English settler architecture. The spectacular Victoria Falls Bridge, which is close by was completed in 1905 and settlers moved in to the higher ground at Livingstone to try and escape Malaria. Livingstone became the capital of Northern Rhodesia in 1911, but the capital was moved to Lusaka in 1935. Livingstone then returned to being a lazy, quiet little town with much charm.

The name Victoria Falls was originally coined by explorer and missionary David Livingstone. But the local people, both in Zimbabwe and Zambia, refer to Victoria Falls as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” which means “The Smoke that Thunders”. Due to the relentless mist above the Falls created by the downwards plummet of millions of gallons of water a small rainforest has actually developed. Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as 546 million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge. The wide basalt cliff, over which the falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi from a wide placid river to a ferocious torrent cutting through a series of dramatic gorges.

Facing the Falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height and capped by mist-soaked rain forest. A path along the edge of the forest provides those prepared to brave the tremendous spray with an unparalleled series of views of the Falls. One special vantage point is across the Knife edge bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls as well as the Boiling Pot where the river turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge. Other vantage points include the Falls bridge and the Lookout Tree which commands a panoramic view across the Main Falls.

Contact United Vacations 1-800-417-9246