The largest waterfall in Africa. Victoria Falls The most beautiful waterfall in Africa on which river

Oddly enough, but on the driest continent of our planet, there are also majestic waterfalls. Few have not heard of the famous Victoria Falls, but not many know that in Africa there is a Tugela Falls four times its height.

Tugela Falls, Tugela River (South Africa)

Tugela Falls is not the most famous African waterfall, but it is the second highest waterfall in the world. Although, strictly speaking, Tugela is more like five freely falling waterfalls, the total height of the water falling in which is 947 meters.

It is located in the Republic of South Africa, in the Drakensberg Mountains, which are part of the Royal Natal National Park grounds in KwaZulu. Tugela in Zulu means sudden. Drakensberg mountains are called Ukhahlamba in Zulu. They are the source of the Tugela - the largest river in this province, which gave rise to the largest African waterfall. The cliff from which the Tugela falls is often covered with snow during the winter months.

South Drakensberg is a landscape of forested river valleys flanked by majestic cliffs, hillside fields and vast wilderness areas. The park for tourists is provided as leisure- canoeing, mountaineering, mountain climbing cycling routes, hiking and more quiet rest - fishing, leisurely nature walks and scenic tours.

Tugela Falls is undoubtedly a key attraction on any trip to the Drakensberg Mountains. A beautiful mountain trail leads to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources, which starts from the nearest parking lot. A very gentle road leads to the top of the Amphitheater - Drakensberg cliff, with the exception of only one relatively short ascent. On two suspension bridges, you can freely walk to the top of the mountain. All the way to observation deck to the waterfall and back takes about 5 hours.

The second trail, at the foot of the Tugela Falls, begins at Royal Natal National Park. It is also a very simple 7 km climb. The trail along the Tugela gorge is laid through the pristine forest. At the final stage of the ascent to the Tugela waterfall, boulders have to be overcome, and then a suspension bridge is built, which leads to observation deck, from which you can see a waterfall rushing down from the Amphitheater, consisting of five successive cascades.

Kalambo Falls, Kalambo River (South Africa)

At 427 meters (772 feet), Kalambo Falls is one of the majestic falls on the Zambia-Tanzania border. The width of the waterfall is 3.6 - 18 m. This is the second highest continuous fall in Africa. The waterfall is located on the Kalambo river of the same name, which flows into Lake Tanganyika.

Downstream of the waterfall, the river flows through a 5 km long gorge about 1 km wide. and a depth of up to 300 m. before reaching the valley of Lake Tanganyika.

The waterfall was first discovered by Europeans only in 1913. Archaeologically, it is one of the most important places in Africa. In its vicinity, human activities can be traced for more than two hundred and fifty thousand years. For the first time, excavations around a small lake at the bottom of the falls in 1953 were led by John Desmond Clark.

There were found stone tools and hearths dating from around 300,000 BC. The hearths indicate to us that people even then systematically used fire.

Augrabis Falls, Orange River (South Africa)

Augrabies Fallsis is located on the Orange River, in national park South Africa. It ranks third in the height of water fall and is ahead of the next famous Victoria Falls. The local Hoykhoi tribe calls this waterfall Ankoerebis - "a place of great noise", and this is no coincidence, because powerful streams of water rush with a roar from a height of 146 meters into a rocky gorge with maximum depth about 200 meters and a length of 18 km.

Aughrabies got their name in 1778 from the Finn Hendrik Jakob Wikar. This name was adopted by the Boers who settled here later.

During the flood of 1988, 7800 cubic meters of water passed through the waterfall every second and 6800 cubic meters of water in 2006. This is three times the average flood discharge at Niagara Falls - 2,400 cubic meters per second and more than the maximum peak for the entire observation of Niagara Falls, which was 6800 cubic meters per second.

Victoria Falls, Zambezi River (Zambia and Zimbabwe)

Victoria Falls is undoubtedly one of the main attractions in South Africa. Victoria Falls listed World heritage UNESCO. It is located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the border of two national parks - Thundering Smoke Park (Mosi-oa-Tunya) in Zambia and Victoria Falls Park in Zimbabwe. The Scottish explorer David Livingston, who visited the waterfall in 1855, named it in honor of Queen Victoria. Local tribes gave him the name "Thundering Smoke".

Victoria is approximately 1800 meters wide and 108 meters high. Thanks to this, it is unique in the world. Victoria is almost twice as high Niagara falls and more than twice as wide as its main part - "Horseshoe". The mass of falling water breaking into splashes forms a fog that rises to a height of more than 400 meters, visible at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water pass through the waterfall per minute, and in 1958 the Zambezi experienced a record level of flow - more than 770 million liters per minute.

At the point of its fall, Victoria Falls are divided by the islands into four parts. At the right bank of the river, up to the 300-meter-high Boaruk Island, a 35-meter-wide stream of water, called "jumping water", rushes down, then there is the main waterfall, the width of which is about 460 meters. It is followed by Livingstone Island and a stream of water about 530 meters wide, and on the very left bank of the river is the eastern waterfall.

The Zambezi River falls about 120 meters deep in a rift in the earth's crust. Numerous islets on the ridge of the waterfall form channels and divide the waterfall depending on the seasons. Over time, the waterfall receded upstream of the Zambezi. At the same time, he gnawed the soil at the bottom of the crevice, currently forming a zigzag-like river bed with sheer walls.

The only outlet of the river from the cleft is a rather narrow channel, punctured by water in its wall at about 2/3 of the distance from the western end. Its width is only about 30 meters and its length is about 120 meters. Coming out of it, the Zambezi flows into a zigzag gorge that stretches for 80 km. After the zigzag closest to the waterfall, a deep reservoir about 150 m wide, called the "Boiling Cauldron", was formed.

During the rainy season, the water of the Zambezi flows through Victoria in a continuous stream, but during the dry season, the waterfall almost dries up. Splashes and fog above it are practically invisible and the water level in the gorge at the bottom of the waterfall decreases by almost 20 meters.

Below the "Boiling Cauldron, railroad bridge 250 meters long and 125 meters high above the river level. It was built in 1905 and is one of five existing bridges on the Zambezi River.

Blue Nile Falls, Blue Nile River (Ethiopia)

The Blue Nile Falls (Tis-Ysat, or Tis-Abbay) are located on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. In Amharic, they are called Tis Issat, which means "Fuming Water". They are located in the upper reaches of the Blue Nile River, about 30 km downstream of the city of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The Blue Nile Falls are considered one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ethiopia. It is estimated that four streams of water fall from a height of 37 to 45 meters, which change from small streams in the dry season to a stream more than 400 meters wide in the rainy season.

The entire Tis Abbay waterfall consists of a cascade of several small waterfalls located at the feet of the large upper waterfall.

In 2003, two hydroelectric power plants were put into operation at the waterfall. They receive part of the water from the Blue Nile through the artificial canals located above the waterfall. Thanks to this, the flow of water through the waterfall has become less, but this does not prevent the formation of a rainbow above it, to see which many tourists come here. The gorge into which the river falls is famous for the oldest stone bridge in Ethiopia, which was built by Portuguese missionaries back in 1626.

Namaqualand Falls (South Africa)

Namaqualand (Afrikaans: Namakwaland) waterfall in the arid region of Namibia. This region stretches over 970 km. along west coast and its total area is 440,000 km². The region is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two parts - Malaya Namaqualand in the south and Big Namaqualand in the north.

Namaqualand Falls is located on the Orange River a few miles north of Nieuwoudtville on the road to Loeriesfontein.

Berlin Falls, Blyde River (South Africa)

Berlin Falls is located in the province of Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa. It is 262 feet high. The Berlin Falls is part of the famous African Panorama Trail and is located north of Graskop and close to the Window of God in the Blyde River Canyon area.

Murchison Falls is located on the Nile River.In its upper part, Murchison made its way through rocks only 7 meters wide and 43 meters deep. In the west, the river flows into Lake Alberta.

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda. It covers 3,840 square kilometers. The park is home to the famous Murchison Falls, where cliffs squeeze the waters of the Nile into a narrow gorge just 7 meters away.Buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos inhabit this wilderness

For the first time in 1855, the famous explorer D. Livingston told about the waterfall. A wide flat area stretches in front of the waterfall, and suddenly, the Zambezi makes an incredible run and jumps into the abyss for 120 meters! Having made such a dizzying leap, the Zambezi again smoothly transitions to the plain and ends its journey in Lake Kariba.

You can admire Victoria from different angles: from the air - by taking a paragliding or helicopter flight, going on a cruise on water transport along the Zambezi River, and the most daring can take the jump, doing bungee jumping. Nai best view to Victoria opens from a small cliff in the middle of the Zambezi - Knife Point. On both sides of the waterfall, you can always see a rainbow. Once every ten years, the lucky ones can see a rare natural phenomenon - an extraordinary lunar rainbow, which chose the Victoria Falls from all places on the planet.

The tallest waterfall in the world

The Venezuelan name for the world's tallest waterfall is Angela, Kerepakupai Meru. This name was proposed in 2009 by the country's late president, eccentric Hugo Chavez, an opponent of everything American. Translated, it means "the waterfall of the deepest place."

The height of the famous waterfall is 979 meters, almost a kilometer! It is unrealistic to get to the waterfall on foot, because from all sides the approaches to it are closed by the impenetrable jungle. Due to the constant fog, it seems that geysers or volcanoes are located around the waterfall. The best view of the tallest waterfall in the world is from the air.

Despite the fact that the local Indian tribes knew about the existence of the waterfall long before the appearance of Europeans and Americans here, it became widely known only in the 30s of the 20th century. It's hard to believe, especially considering that Christopher Columbus discovered America in the 15th century. Nevertheless, the waterfall received its name - Angel, only in 1937, in honor of the pilot James Angel. This happened after a pilot from the United States, James Angel, along with passengers for a long 11 days made his way through the jungle from the top of the mountain that gives rise to the waterfall. The name of this mountain, Auyantepui, in contrast to the pilot's surname, which means "angel", is translated as "devil's mountain."

Read more about Angela in the article -

In 1855, Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingston sailed up the Zambezi River at the head of a flotilla of 33 boats and a crew of 160 Makololo natives. And so, when the expedition passed another channel, a majestic, incomparable riot of nature opened up in front of them. Before travelers appeared in all its power and beauty, the largest waterfall in Africa.

Livingston wrote that in England no one can imagine even for a minute all the splendor of this miracle of nature: “No one can imagine all the beauty of the waterfall. The eyes of a Briton, and indeed of any European, have never seen such a thing, but the sight so insanely beautiful was probably admired by the angels in heaven! " The traveler named it after the then Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Since ancient times, hunters of the Batoka tribes called the waterfall Mosi-o-Tunya - "Thundering smoke", and the Matabele tribe, from the other side, called it Chongue - "Place of the rainbow".

It is one of the largest and most stunning waterfalls in the world. Of course, Victoria Falls is a fantastic sight. It appears as if from nowhere. There are no mountains or hills in the landscape. In the basalt plateau, along which the Zambezi flows, a huge crevice is formed, into which the streams of a full-flowing river break down.

The waterfall is very wide, about 1800 meters, and the height from the top point of the water drop varies from 80 meters to 108 meters. The water forms fog and spray that rise above 350 meters and are visible up to 40 kilometers away. During the rainy season, more than 500 million liters of water per minute pass through the waterfall.

On the edge of the abyss there are four islands that are separated by streams of water. On the right bank there is a stream "Jumping water", 35 meters high. Behind the island of Boaruk, the "Main" waterfall is about 450 meters wide. Livingston Island separates the main channel from another "river in the river", and near the left coast the "Eastern" cascade breaks into the abyss.

The waterfall gradually recedes upstream, gnawing new channels in the basalt.

Depending on the season, the waterfall looks completely different. In the high season - March and April, it rages with all its might. But the spray and constant fog make it difficult to see its splendor. With a decrease in the amount of water, the view of the waterfall is improved. At the “waterless” point, in November and December, the waterfall pours in scanty streams, and in some places it dries up completely. During the dry season, the cliffs are clearly visible and you can see the abyss.

The waterfall is located on the border of two states and two national parks - Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Thundering Smoke in Zambia. The national parks protect the rich wildlife with settlements of elephants and giraffes. In the Zambezi, there is a large colony of hippos and crocodiles at the waterfall.

Before the construction of the railway to Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, in 1905, the waterfall was rarely visited by Europeans, today they want to quite freely, especially through Zambia, independently or according to the developed tourist routes can go to the waterfall.

On the electronic maps Victoria Falls is visible in all its grandeur. Be sure to take a look, you will not regret it!

Future scientist, explorer traveler, missionary and preacher. Already a mature man, Livingstone received missionary work in a number of African provinces in 1841. Following his tasks, the brave traveler traveled the length and breadth of the African continent, and in 1855 he set off on another missionary expedition in two weeks. the rivers, as if enraged, were carried away into the distance, and somewhere in front, already invisible, with a terrible roar fell down somewhere. It was the most big waterfall seen by a traveler in his entire life. He made a lasting impression!

David Linvingston became the first European to see the African large waterfall, Mozi-a-Tunya, or Thundering Smoke. Looking closely, the traveler was able to appreciate the full power of a natural phenomenon. The waterfall stretched out to the sides for a distance of about one and a half kilometers, and the height of the fall of the water was at least 120 meters.

The Scotsman was the discoverer of this miracle of nature, he used his pioneering right and named the waterfall in honor of the Tak na geographical maps another one appeared natural phenomenon- To this day, Victoria, as the largest waterfall, is the main attraction of the African continent, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit this miracle of nature. In 1905, a Railway, and the attraction has received the status of especially visited places. Directly at the edge of the cliff, a small depression has somehow formed in the rocky bottom of the river, about two meters deep and 50 meters across. The water in this depression boils only slightly, unlike the rest of the cliff, which thunders down millions of tons of boiling water.

This natural depression was immediately chosen by tourists and individual daredevils, feeling relatively safe, swam to the very edge and photographed the streams of water falling down. Victoria's staff strongly objected to such extreme entertainment, but without much success, since the curious cannot be deterred, and it is impossible to fence off the natural pool. There were several cases when an unwary tourist fell down, but even the death of someone's attempt does not stop the rest. The largest waterfall in Africa is not without sacrifice.

Near Victoria Falls there is a monument to Livingston, it is carved from solid stone to its full height. And a little further away there is an island named after the missionary. Once upon a time ritual ceremonies took place on it, sorcerers, magicians and shamans gathered. Nowadays, the island is quiet, it is a resting place for visitors. But on the Bridge of Dangers, built relatively recently for tourists and hanging over the waterfall, it is quite noisy due to the shrill squeal of the fairer sex, blocking even the sound of the water, although he would not mind taking a break from the noise.

For the most courageous in the forest, a special path has been laid above the waterfall, passing along which a person feels alone with the elements. True, women do not go there. And finally, there is a special squadron of several hang gliders and a helicopter, on which tourists are lifted into the air for a bird's eye view of Victoria. However, flying on a hang glider is somewhat unnerving for the passenger, and he has no time for inspection, but in the helicopter's cockpit - just right, you can calmly look around and see and appreciate the largest waterfall on the Zambezi River in all the details.

In addition to the powerful Victoria and the highest Tugela and Mtazari, Africa has such a miracle as the Lofoi waterfall in Zaire, in the Kundelungu National Park, in the Shaba province, in the very southeast of the country. The Lofoi River falls down with a water ram from a height of 340 meters.

Kalambo waterfall

At the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika, on the Kalambo River, which forms the border between Tanzania and Zambia, is the Kalambo Falls, 221 meters high. Like a water sword, he cuts through the sheer rock wall, plunging into a powerful stream into the abyss. The Kalambo waterfall has gained wide popularity since 1953, when archaeologists discovered one of the oldest African cities of the Paleolithic era in its area. The oldest iron objects on the continent, made by Africans, were also found there.

African Falls Augrabis.

V South Africa, in the desert part of the Kalahari, on the Orange River, there is the Augrabis waterfall with a height of 146 meters. Augrabis is located in a wild rocky area. At this point, the Orange River spreads between the heap of lifeless rocks and islands, forming a delta up to 7 km wide. The waters of the river along the main channel break through a narrow crevice and fly down into a deep gorge. In a gigantic cauldron, the depth of which is about 45 meters, the river rushes violently, swirls, raising waves of six meters high. A cloud of water dust rises a hundred meters, almost to the crest of the waterfall, and gives birth to a light rainbow. The roar of the waterfall echoes in the surroundings. Flood water consumption is hundreds of cubic meters per second. In the rainy season, it is generally impossible to approach Augrabis on foot; it can only be viewed from a helicopter. While Victoria Falls is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, the surrounding area of ​​Augrabis, especially in the dry season, looks harsh and gloomy. The waterfall was discovered in 1778.

African Cabareg waterfall in Uganda.

One of the wonders of the world is the Cabarega Falls on the Victoria Nile River in Uganda. At one time it was named after the outstanding English geographer, geologist and traveler of the nineteenth century R. Murchison. The waterfall is unique in that the waters of the Nile with great force break through here through a tiny crevasse, only 6 meters wide, and in giant waves at an angle of 50 ° roll down a series of ledges into a gorge 120 meters deep. From this spectacle emanates primitive power, and it leaves a lasting impression. A rainbow is constantly shining over the waterfall. The sun's rays dissolve into a sparkling cascade with the roar of rushing foam, and the waterfall appears to be a sparkling stream of precious stones. The waterfall was discovered by the Englishman S. Baker in 1864, and named after R. Murchison, who at that time was the chairman of the British Royal Geographical Society.

Calandula waterfall in Angola.

Kalandula Falls is the second widest after Victoria. It is located on the Lucala River, in Angola. It is a stunning sight. The river rushes down with a roar. Its width launch pad- about a kilometer. One hundred and five meters, it is in free flight, having lost its ground support. During this time, its greenish waters turn into a boiling white mass. Myriads of tiny sprays are born when Lukala meets Kalandula's stone bed. The multi-voiced organ roar of falling water creates a fabulous, festive mood. The unusual beauty of light and music is given to tourists by the Kalandula waterfall.

Waterfalls in Africa are small.

Calais waterfalls on the Samu River in Guinea, they look like an avalanche of water at least 600-700 meters wide, falling from a height of 50-60 meters.

In Ethiopia, on the Ganale Doria River, there is Barattieri waterfall height 140 meters. In the same country, the Blue Nile River forms the fourth widest waterfall africa(after Victoria, Kalandula, Kale) - Tiss Abbay... With a span of 300 meters, it has a height of 50 meters, and outward appearance resembles the American part of Niagara. A hydroelectric power plant was built at the Tiss-Abbay waterfall.

Waterfalls in Africa are numerous and very picturesque. Naturally, there are also lesser known ones. In the south of the continent, in the state of Lesotho, there are many mountain rivers. The country is located on a plateau up to 3 thousand meters high. This country is almost the only one on the continent where Africans wear "fur coats". In Lesotho, on one of the tributaries of the Orange River, there is Maletsunyane waterfall 192 meters high.

A very interesting waterfall in the upper reaches of the Comoe River, in the south West Africa- wide type, with subsequent cascades, spread out on stone slabs. Curious boilers Felu Falls in Upper Senegal. The Boyali multi-stage cascade near the capital of the Central African Republic is impressive. There are waterfalls 100 meters high on one of the left tributaries of the Rbia River in southern Morocco and southern Africa. Popular in South Africa albert falls on the Karkloof River - "a waterfall flowing into a bowl."

Rainbows shine over the waterfalls of Africa, whose peoples are still fighting colonialism and neo-colonialism. In the struggle for their daily bread, they naturally cannot always admire the wonders of nature. It should be noted that in most developing countries, naturally interesting areas of territories are declared reserves. A large waterfall is always an element of the national wealth of any country. It is in Africa, at the entrance to one of the reserves, there is an inscription: “Remember, we are not the owners natural resources, but only the trustees of the descendants! "