Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for April 11, 2024. This week we’re featuring a tiny park that is home to the largest waterfall in the world.
Victoria Falls National Park
Location
Northwestern Zimbabwe, Africa
Claim to fame
Victoria Falls National Park is about 23 square kilometers (9 sq miles) of rainforest, river, and the largest waterfall on Earth. Victoria Falls is actually five falls fed by the Zambezi River, which delineates the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Not the highest or widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is considered the largest based on its combined width and height, making it the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The falls are famed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reason to visit
The archaeological record shows that visitors have been coming to view the spectacular power and beauty of Victoria Falls long before the modern era. In the Sotho language the falls are called “The Smoke That Thunders” or Mosi-oa-Tunya. In English they were named for Queen Victoria by explorer David Livingstone in 1855.
While the falls are the main feature and reason to visit, this national park is also home to rainforest flora and fauna. Baboons, warthogs, and monkeys are common, while leopards are a rare treat. The park also boasts several outdoor adventure activities, like rafting or bungee jumping.
Wild Fact
Victoria Falls National Park is only one of two national parks protecting the falls, the other being Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the Zambian side of the border. These two parks make up only a small fraction of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, a five-nation park network that constitutes the second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in the world.
At 520,000 square kilometers (200,000 sq miles) KAZA TFCA, as it is known, is more than double the size of the United Kingdom. It protects some of Africa’s most important natural treasures, like the largest population of African Elephants in the world, the massive Okavango Delta, and Victoria Falls. KAZA TFCA helps consolidate funding, research, and management practices for some of the world’s most precious natural wonders.
Thanks for reading. Each Thursday, we send out an image and description of a unique natural or cultural treasure like the one above. Learn new things, explore special places, and find your inspiration: sign up for the free newsletter today.