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Philip has travelled through Zambia several times and is the author of more than 20 guidebooks to various African destinations.
Philip is the Zambia expert for SafariBookings and author of more than 20 guidebooks to Africa.
Philip is our Zambia expert and author of more than 20 guidebooks to Africa.
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park has two parts: the Victoria Falls World Heritage National Monument Site and Mosi-oa-Tunya Game Park. The falls are deservedly one of Africa’s top attractions. The game park is a small wildlife sanctuary and might be worth a visit if you have a few hours to spare.
The tiny park offers a good introduction to Zambia's wildlife. There are elephant, buffalo, giraffe and zebra, as well as many of the common antelope species. Some white rhino have been re-introduced and started breeding successfully. Guided walks to see them are available. There are no large predators.
The park is situated along the bank of the upper Zambezi – one of Africa's most impressive rivers. It includes the Victoria Falls and stretches to 12km upstream above the falls. The scenic highlight is obviously the waterfall itself. The drive along the river offers stunning views of this mighty waterway, especially in the early morning, when a thick carpet of mist hangs above the water.
Weather & Climate
Temperatures in Mosi-oa-Tunya plunge in the middle of the Dry season (May to October). Wrap yourself in your warmest clothing on early-morning game drives. The mercury goes the other way in October, when the heat rockets up with the expectation of the Wet season’s (November to April) first rains. Outside these times, the drier months are consistently warm, while the wetter months are consistently hot.
Mosi-oa-Tunya’s diminutive size makes it less vulnerable to changes in the climate, which means you can see wildlife here at any time of year. That said, conditions are far more comfortable in the drier months (May to October), and it’s easier to see animals as the vegetation has receded. This is also when the flow of the Zambezi River is at its greatest, making Victoria Falls that much more spectacular.
Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
The Smoke That Thunders
4/5
Named after the local name for Victoria Falls – Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning ‘the Smoke That Thunders’ – this small park is a fixture on almost all safari itineraries through Zambia since it protects the Zambian half of the waterfall that...