Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls from the air in late July, after the peak flood has passed, with the Zambezi spilling over the lip of the gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Seen this way you finally grasp the scale: a curtain about 1.7 km wide dropping 108 m into a narrow gorge. The local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means the Smoke that Thunders, and even in midyear the spray rising from the gorge explains it. For the full roar, go in the peak flood around March and April, and bring a rain jacket for the paths facing the falls. At its lowest, around November and December, the flow thins to little rivulets and the bare rock face shows.