Soar Above One of the Most Awe-Inspiring Waterfalls on Earth

While it looks as if these visitors to Victoria Falls are flirting with disaster, swimming in the Devil's Pool is not quite as dangerous as it looks, thanks to an underwater lip. Located on the Zambia side of the falls, the pool is only accessible during the dry season from August to January.

"Scenes so lovely they must be gazed upon by angels in their flight," remarked Scottish explorer David Livingstone when he first glimpsed the falls in 1855, the first Westerner to do so. He named the falls after his queen, and there is a bronze statue of him gazing upon the falls on the Zambian side.

The lower the water levels in the Zambezi, the more thrilling the ride for white-water rafters. As the river's levels get lower from August to December, the closer the rocks get to the surface, churning up some very fast rapids.

Victoria Falls straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, with the dividing line between the countries in the middle of the Zambezi River. The mists from the falls support a rain-forest-like ecosystem on the adjacent cliffs.

African elephants are one of many species native to the national parks on either side of Victoria Falls. Hippopotamuses and crocodiles patrol the waters; lions, leopards, and cheetahs stalk antelope and zebra; and more than 35 raptor species can be spotted in the air.