It is necessary to get acquainted with the personalities of the famous Scottish missionary Livingstone, whose name the cascade system of free fall of water still bears to this day, and the English explorer Stanley, before considering the famous waterfalls of Africa. Two travelers passionately in love with an exotic continent once made a joint expedition on the lake, after which they parted forever.
History of the opening of the cascade
Surprisingly, having explored the headwaters of the Congo - the deepest river in the world - the Scot has never been to the downstream cascade, named "Livingston Falls" only thanks to Stanley. He opened this vast stretch of 32 picturesque drains 4 years after the death of the first European to cross Africa in the hope of opening it up to Christian preachers.
The English researcher immortalized the name of his colleague as a token of deep respect. By the way, now resumed forfans of tickling nerves very risky tourist route in Africa, passing in the footsteps of the Stanley expedition.
Wild River Congo
Considered the largest in terms of water flow in 1 second, Livingston's waterfalls, stretching for 350 kilometers along the Congo River, end in the village of Matadi. The powerful river, which has been officially named Zaire for more than 30 years, has always delighted and terrified with its wild appearance. She was once vividly described as a ruthless force that turns a vengeful gaze on everyone.
The mountainous relief of the Congo River is sometimes replaced by a flat one, because of this it often overflows, forming an almost 20-kilometer valley. A stream of amazing strength flows into the Atlantic Ocean, passing through one of Livingston's waterfalls - the Devil's Cauldron.
Object of strategic purpose
Belonging to a group of cascades located on the Congo River, the captivating beauty of the 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: electricity is generated there for the whole country. An unusually powerful waterfall has always been of interest to the government of the republic. The Congo has long been busy preparing the construction of a unique strategic project on the rapids of Inga - the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.
Livingston Falls: unforgettable routes
Fantastic tourist routes are organized here, like hiking, repeating part of the Stanley expedition,as well as helicopter rides over an extraordinary natural creation, which leave an unforgettable experience. The amazing sight of water falling freely from an impressive height, breaking into small splashes, and a roaring noise make you experience unusual emotions.
And those who want to test themselves go through steep seething rapids on kayaks or rafts, however, this requires excellent physical shape and special equipment.
A natural wonder named after the Queen of England
Speaking of the Livingston Falls, which are only named after the great traveler, while he himself did not visit this most picturesque virgin corner, it is worth mentioning the legendary landmark, 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 never seen a sight more beautiful than this.
For the whole world, located on the Zambezi River, a miracle of nature was discovered in the middle of the 19th century by David Livingston. Victoria Falls, named after the British Queen, surprises with its special grandeur, and even 30 kilometers from the natural landmark, rising clouds of steam from crashing sprays, resembling thick smoke, can be seen. The vast area of the waterfall, protected by UNESCO, is best viewed from a bird's eye view.
Amazing and unusual effects
Only at the Victoria Falls there is an incredible natural phenomenon - a lunar rainbow. This rare occurrence occursquite often, but it is especially beautiful during the moments of high water of the Zambezi River, which happens twice a year.
Visitors to the local landmark note the magnificence of water dust, sparkling in the rays of the sun leaving the horizon. Its rays paint a huge cloud of tiny splashes in golden-pink hues, 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 crash into an incredibly narrow and bottomless abyss, stuns every traveler. No wonder the missionary admitted that only angels flying over Victoria had previously admired such picturesque views.
By the way, Livingston's brother, who followed the path of a famous relative and visited Victoria, described the monstrously huge waterfalls of Africa, the water splashes of which he compared with miniature comets, whose streaming tails leave a snow-white foam trail. And he poetically called the drops of water flowing down sliding beads, reminiscent of mercury balls …
Missionary obstacle
An amazing fact, but the missionary, shocked by the spectacle of raging water, was not at all happy. Thinking first of all about the conversion of the inhabitants of the country to the Christian faith, Livingston saw in the smoking and roaring wall a real obstacle for preachers, preventing them from moving to the very heart of the mainland. But, despite his annoyance, the Scot admitted the stunningthe beauty of one of the world's greatest natural wonders.
Tourism: from prosperity to calm
Located on the border between two states - Zambia and Zimbabwe - the vast system of Victoria Falls was little known to foreign tourists until the beginning of the 20th century. And only after the construction of the railway, the flow of travelers began to increase, and in our turbulent times, the ongoing unrest within states significantly reduced the number of visits to this amazingly beautiful corner of the planet.
Dangerous recreations
People come here not only to enjoy the beautiful views, but also to take part in extreme activities, jumping down from the bridge separating the countries, surfing and rafting on a very dangerous stretch of drains and rapids.
And at the very edge of the Victoria Falls is a kind of "armchair", called the Devil's Pool. There they bathe dangerously close to the very point, after which the rapid water flows fall into a terrible abyss. And here the lives of several daredevils were interrupted, who were carried down by the raging current. This impressive site can only be visited from the Zambian side, and then only during the safe autumn months when water levels are at their lowest.
Modern problems of waterfalls
Zimbabwe authorities 2 years ago decided to rename 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 because of the excessive commercialization of the Zambian authorities, who raised the price fora night in a hotel up to $600 and above, the status of the waterfall, included in the UNESCO heritage list, may soon be canceled. In addition, there are serious problems with waste disposal, which causes understandable concern.
