The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage site. In the local Kololo or Lizi language it means ‘The Smoke Which Thunders’ and is globally better known as the Victoria Falls on the Zambesi River. The river is shared by two countries and forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The park is the ‘twin’ to the Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwean side.
The national park covers 66 km2 from the Songwe Gorge below the falls in a north-west arc along 20 kms of the Zambian river bank and forms the boundary of Livingstone. It has two entrances: a wildlife park to its north-west and a land-adjacent to the Victoria Falls.
The park hosts a large variety of wildlife, such as giraffe, zebra, warthog, buffalo, impala and other antelope as well as a large number of different bird species. Elephants are sometimes observed crossing the river in the dry season. Hippos and crocodiles can be seen from the river bank, and vervet monkeys and baboons are common across the whole country.
During the rainy season the Victoria Falls become the world’s largest water curtain. The rain forest section on the cliff opposite the eastern cataract is sustained by spray from the falls. It contains rare plants, from the ivory palm over ebony to pod mahagony.
A knife-edge bridge, erected in the 1960’s enables visitors access on foot to the cliffs overlooking the Rainbow Falls as well as the first gorge’s exit to the Boiling Pot in the second gorge. A steep footpath leads town to the Boiling Pot, offering views to the second gorge and Victoria Falls bridge.
The deep gorges below the falls can be reached on foot by walking tracks or by road through the park.