The Best Waterfalls in Africa

Africa is the second-largest continent with that where it has 30 million square kilometers.

It stands tall as one of the most wonderful continents in the world with promising demographics but mostly because of its strategic location full of natural scenery. Some of the outstanding features are natural waterfalls that many tourists from across the world visit to explore.

Here is a list of the major waterfalls that tourists come to see each year.

Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is one of the biggest waterfalls in the world with a size of 5,604 feet. It is found in the picturesque location of the Zambia and Zimbabwe border and it was named by Dr. Livingstone which he named after Britain Queen Victoria. The waterfall traverses across the Zambezi River for about 355feet. The area around has been made a National park cum World Heritage site thus making it one of the most remarkable tourist destinations in Africa. The margin of the falls divides into various depressions, islands and a cape edge that creates the largest water pool that locals have christened ‘Moi-O-Tunya’ which means ‘the smoke that thunders’. As a result, Victoria’s fall continues to attract a lot of tourists all over the world. Additionally, from a distance, the falls are created by sandstone hills that extend for 80 meters away. However, two islands contain much water: Boaruka island around the western bank and Livingstone Island near where Dr. Livingstone observed the falls.

The other large waterfall is Thomson’s falls in Nyahururu, Central Kenya. It is managed by the county government of Laikipia and it attracts both international and domestic tourists.

This impressive waterfall has 72 Meters in width and is full of wildlife animals and beautiful birds. The waterfall was named after the Scottish geologist Joseph Thomson who was the first European to visit Lake Victoria and the waterfall in 1880. Thomson falls across the Ewaso Narok River toward Aberdares Ranges. According to Thomson, he stated that he was greatly inspired by the phenomenal fall of waters from the waterfall and the cool breeze that is created by natural plants around it. Another recognizable factor about Thomson’s waterfalls is that it is the only falls that is very close to the equator. In 1988, the Thomson Waterfalls appeared in the famous movie ‘The man in the Brown Suit-movie’.

Moreover, another best waterfall which tourists visit is the Kalambo falls in Tanzania. It has 235 m and is located along the border of Tanzania and Zambia. In fact, Kalambo falls is the second tallest in Africa after Tugela falls in South Africa. At the center of the falls is Kalambo Gorge that has 5km depth until it connects to Lake Tanganyika. It was discovered by Enid Gordon-Gallien in 1913. Furthermore, Kalambo falls is also one of the archaeological sites in East Africa with human remains dating over 250, 000 years ago where they used to live from Early Stone Age up to modern-day. This was supported by studies from excavations that were obtained in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1953 by Grahame Clark. Another factor that made Kalambo Falls be recognized in Africa is that Zambia gazetted the site as a national monument in 1964 and also it was added in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.  To wrap up, there are various waterfalls in Africa but Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Thomson’s fall in Kenya and Kalambo hills in the border of Tanzania and Zambia stand out. This is because of their large size, historical significance and the magnificent natural scenery that makes them continue attracting local and international tourists every year.