Zimbabwe - Event

The Victoria Falls are known locally as Mosi-Oa-Tunya , "the Smoke that Thunders". The mighty Zambezi River takes a suicidal dive over a precipice over two kilometres wide, plunging 100m at a rate of 120 million gallons/minute into the gorge below.

The spray often contains giant rainbows and a mini rainforest is sustained by the perpetual mist. Livingstone - the first white man to set eyes on the falls - said that "angels in flight would have paused to marvel". He named this world heritage site and natural wonder of the world after Queen Victoria in 1855, but it has signs of settlement dating earlier than 1500AD.

You never get tired of looking at the Falls, and the view can be enjoyed in many different ways. Take an ultralight or a six-seater plane for an unbeatable aerial view or wind your way through the many paths in the tropical forest leading you out to numerous viewpoints. At night, by the light of a full moon, you can see moonbows in the spray. There are paths on both the Zambian and the Zimbabwean sides of the river. If you want to avoid the crowds then the Zambian side is the place to visit. Walking down the path to the "Boiling Pot" gives you an interesting perspective of the falls from base-level.

The more intrepid (or more foolhardy) can white-water raft the great river downstream from the falls as it divides Zambia and Zimbabwe. This particular adventure is known to be one of the most terrifying in the world. Not impressed? Then increase the fear factor in one short sharp shock by bungee jumping all 111 metres from the Victoria Falls Bridge.

There are plenty of hotels where you can prolong your stay, so take a few days to soak up the spray and explore the surrounding area. The town of Livingstone across the border in Zambia is geared towards the adventurous traveller. Check out migrating wildebeest in Zambia's Liuwa Plain National Park - lesser known but as great as the Serengeti.