It is necessary to get acquainted with the personalities of the famous Scottish missionary Livingston, whose name is still cascaded by the system of free fall of water, and the English explorer Stanley, before looking at the famous waterfalls in Africa. Two travelers passionately in love with the exotic continent once made a joint expedition on the lake, after which they parted forever.
The history of the discovery of the cascade
Surprisingly, having studied the upper reaches of the Congo - the deepest river on the globe - the Scot never visited the cascade located in the lower reaches, called “Livingston Falls” only thanks to Stanley. He discovered this vast stretch of 32 picturesque gutters, 4 years after the death of the first European who crossed Africa in the hope of opening it to Christian preachers.
The English researcher immortalized the name of his colleague as a sign of deep respect. By the way, now they have renewed for fans of tickling nerves a very risky tourist route in Africa, following the trail of the Stanley expedition.
Wild Congo River
Livingstone's waterfalls, considered the largest in terms of water consumption in 1 second, stretching 350 kilometers along the Congo River, end in the village of Matadi. The powerful river, officially known as Zaire for more than 30 years, has always fascinated and terrified its wild appearance. It was once vividly described as a ruthless force that turns a vengeful gaze to everyone.
The mountainous relief of the Congo River is sometimes replaced by a plain, because of this it often spreads, forming an almost 20-km valley. An amazing stream flows into the Atlantic Ocean, passing through one of Livingston's waterfalls - Devil's Cauldron.
Strategic Objective
Included in the group of cascades located on the Congo River, the enchanting beauty of Inga Falls is considered one of the largest in the world. This is not the highest natural creation, but it is extremely important for the economy of the African state: it produces electricity for the whole country. An unusually powerful waterfall, lurking huge potential, has always been of interest to the government of the republic. Congo has long been busy preparing construction on the doorsteps of Inga for a unique strategic project - the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.
Livingston Waterfalls: Unforgettable Trails
Here, fascinating tourist routes are organized, both walking, repeating part of the Stanley expedition, and helicopter rides over an unusual natural creation, which leave an unforgettable experience. An amazing sight freely falling from an impressive height of water, breaking into small splashes, and a roaring noise make you experience unusual emotions.
And those who want to test themselves pass steep raging rapids on kayaks or rafts, however, this requires excellent physical shape and special equipment.
A natural miracle named after the Queen of England
Speaking about the waterfalls of Livingston, which are only named after the great traveler, while he himself did not visit this picturesque virgin corner, you should definitely mention the legendary attraction, which is included in the list of natural wonders of the world, which was discovered by a Scottish explorer. He later wrote in his diaries that he had not seen a spectacle more beautiful than that.
For the whole world, the miracle of nature located on the Zambezi River was discovered in the middle of the 19th century by David Livingstone. Victoria Falls, named after the British Queen, is surprising in its particular greatness, and even 30 kilometers from a natural attraction, rising clouds of steam from breaking splashes resembling dense smoke are visible. The vast territory of the waterfall, protected by UNESCO, is best viewed from a bird's eye view.
Amazing and unusual effects.
Only at Victoria Falls there is an incredible natural phenomenon - the moon rainbow. This rare occurrence occurs quite often, but it is especially beautiful at the time of the Zambezi River’s full flood, which happens twice a year.
Visitors to a local attraction note the splendor of water dust, sparkling in the rays of the sun going beyond the horizon. Its rays paint a huge cloud, consisting of the smallest splashes, in golden pink shades, and then huge bright torches flash over the water, striking the audience with a unique and fantastic view.
Beautiful view worthy of angels
The amazing power of the waterfall, in which 500 million liters of water collapses with an enormous thunder into an incredibly narrow and bottomless abyss, stuns every traveler. No wonder the missionary admitted that only angels flying over Victoria admired such picturesque views.
By the way, Livingstone’s brother, who traveled the path of a famous relative and visited Victoria, described the monstrously huge waterfalls of Africa, the water splashes of which were compared to miniature comets, whose flowing tails leave a snow-white foamy mark. And he poetically called the droplets of water flowing down a sliding bead resembling mercury balls ...
Obstacle for Missionaries
An amazing fact, but shocked by the spectacle of raging water, the missionary was not at all happy. Thinking primarily about the conversion of the country's inhabitants to the Christian faith, Livingston saw in the smoking and roaring wall a real obstacle for the preachers, which did not allow moving to the heart of the mainland. But, despite the annoyance, the Scot recognized the stunning beauty of one of the greatest natural wonders of the globe.
Tourism: from prosperity to calm
Located on the border between two states - Zambia and Zimbabwe - the extensive Victoria Falls system until the beginning of the 20th century was little known to foreign tourists. It was only after the construction of the railway that the flow of travelers began to increase, and in our turbulent times, the unrest within the state at times reduced the number of visits to an amazingly beautiful corner of the planet.
Dangerous activities
People come here not only to enjoy beautiful views, but also to take part in extreme types of recreation, jumping down from the bridge separating the country, doing surfing and rafting on a very dangerous stretch of gutters and rapids.
And at the very edge of Victoria Falls is a kind of “armchair” called the Devil's Pool. There they bathe in dangerously close to the very point after which swift water flows fall into a terrible abyss. And here the life of several brave souls was interrupted, which was blown down by a raging current. You can visit this impressive place only from the side of Zambia, and then only in the safe autumn months, when the water level is minimal.
Modern problems of waterfalls
The Zimbabwean authorities 2 years ago decided to rename the Victoria Falls to Mosi-oa-tunya - the name given to it by the locals, and this was done in order to ban the glorification of colonialism.
And due to the excessive commercialization of the Zambian authorities, which raised the price of a hotel night to $ 600 and above, the status of a waterfall included in UNESCO’s heritage lists may soon be canceled. In addition, there are serious problems with waste disposal, which causes understandable concern.