Mosi-oa-Tunya, the "Smoke That Thunders"

Victoria Falls truly are a wonder of the natural world. Even though we visited at the height of the dry season, the falls thundered and the mists rose above the cliffs.

Look how small the people are in this photo on the left! During the rainy season, the cliffs on the right are a curtain of water and people walking along the viewing paths have to wear rain slickers so they don't get completely soaked. I'm sure the roar of the falls must be deafening then.

 

This bridge over the gorge to the left of the falls is actually in Zimbabwe. Since the US does not have diplomatic relations with that country, we were warned that we should stay on the Zambian side of the border.

In the morning our tour group took a bus to the falls, but in the afternoon Mark and I followed the pathway from our hotel past its sister hotel and into the falls area. It was a pleasant walk with wildlife along the way.

 

It's hard to believe that this peaceful river flowing past our hotel tumbles over huge cliffs in spectacular falls just a short distance away. Visiting Mosi-oa-Tunya was definitely a highlight of our trip to Africa. It is impossible to capture the true grandeur and majesty of Victoria Falls in photographs.