Victoria Falls thundering towards record levels in 2021 Posted on 9 March 2021 Tags:Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe Higher than average rains means an incredible amount of water is flowing over the Falls, and it’s going to increase. By Zimasa Katamzi and Anton Crone The rainy season in the Zambezi River catchment area begins around November and lasts until March. During this time and beyond, the Zambezi experiences high water levels and an intense curtain of water barreling into the 100m chasm of Victoria Falls. The 2020/21 season has been extraordinary. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vusa Sibanda (@vusasibanda2002) In February, Vusa Sibanda, a local travel guide said: “Never have I seen Victoria Falls this full during this time of the year”. He explained that waters from the big catchment area in Angola haven’t even arrived yet. “I just can’t imagine how will they look then.” Sibanda has guided tourists to the Falls for the past 20 years. The rainy season in Zimbabwe begins in December, but local rains do not have the biggest impact because they aren’t as heavy as the upper Zambezi River catchment in Angola. This water usually only reaches Victoria Falls in March, April and May. With current levels it may reach one of its highest volumes in history when the big waters flow in. Victoria Falls water flow from February 28 – March 8 2021: Source: Zambezi River Authority At present the flow is almost triple the amount recorded last season. At peak between February and April, an average of 500 million litres cascades over the falls every minute. This season will prove dramatically higher. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Travel Wild Africa (@travelwildafrica) What does it mean for tourism? Nigel Frost, COO at Africa Albida Tourism which owns the iconic Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and Boma restaurant said: “The Falls is probably at its most magnificent. Certainly more beautiful than I’ve ever seen.” Frost added that he anticipates the surge in water to mimic the surge in tourism as the vaccine roll-outs start kicking in and the world begins to travel again. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dulce Vanasse (@dulce_vanasse) We’ll keep an eye on things and let you know what the coming months bring! Picture: Screenshot from Instagram video Related Posts 12 sensational Western Cape campsites 30 May 2023 Love camping? So do we. These are some of our favourite Western Cape campsites, our... read more Rewilding Mozambique: Sábiè Game Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Sábiè Game Park, which is setting the pace for... read more Rewilding Mozambique: Zinave National Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Zinave National Park, Inhambane Province, which is setting the... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
12 sensational Western Cape campsites 30 May 2023 Love camping? So do we. These are some of our favourite Western Cape campsites, our... read more
Rewilding Mozambique: Sábiè Game Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Sábiè Game Park, which is setting the pace for... read more
Rewilding Mozambique: Zinave National Park 25 May 2023 We went on a recce to Zinave National Park, Inhambane Province, which is setting the... read more