The Smoke That Thunders

Of all the places that I have visited in the world, the Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), better known as the Victoria Falls, is the most wondrous. "Real Africa" has become a bit of a cliché but this area of the mighty Zambezi, the 4th longest river in Africa, is just that- real Africa, wild and magnificent.

The spray from the Falls rises out of the African bush

Zambia September 1969

This month I visited the Falls for the 7th time, and the experience never palls. Barbara and I first passed through here in 1969, en route to the Zambian Copperbelt from Cape Town (posting of 25 November 2010), but in all our subsequent visits we have been based on the Zimbabwean side of the river. This time we spent a week on the Zambian bank, thanks to the SAIMM Copper - Cobalt Conference at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort near the town of Livingstone and situated in the heart of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. The Zambezi forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, so the falls are shared by the two countries, and the park is 'twin' to the Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwean side.

Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of Niagara, but while it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water.

To appreciate the full grandeur of the Falls you must take to the air, so we took a short helicopter tour to view the full width of the Zambezi plunging into the awesome crevice in the relatively flat plateau.

Geologically Victoria Falls is the result of soft sandstone that fills huge cracks in the hard basalt rock of the plateau. As the Upper Zambezi flowed across the plateau in ancient times, it found the cracks and started wearing away the softer rock, eventually creating a series of deep gorges. Geologists estimate that the river has been falling into these gorges for at least the last 100,000 years. As the rock wears away, the cataract follows these gigantic cracks and moves further upriver across the plateau.

The first of the series of gorges

The Victoria Falls bridge from the Boiling Pot

From the first gorge the river takes a zigzag course through the gorges. When it travels through the second gorge, it passes along a pool known as the "Boiling Pot." During high water this part of the river is filled with heavy turbulence and whirlpools. It is often at this location that objects, animals, and sometimes people, are deposited along the edge of the water after they have been unlucky enough to have been swept over the falls.

A short walk down to river level in the boiling pot is definitely worth the effort and always a good place to relax and talk to local people as the river races towards the Victoria Falls bridge which spans Zambia and Zimbabwe, and also the location of one of the world's most famous bungee jumps.

Meeting friendly locals by the Boiling Pot

The river continues zigzagging through a total of six gorges, which range from 400 to 800 feet (120-240m) deep, before settling into a steep-walled chasm known as the Batoka Gorge which is filled with wild rapids, providing one of the world's most spectacular white water trips. In the distant past, each of these gorges has been the location of an earlier version of Victoria Falls which has moved further upstream as the river has eroded away the sandstone. After travelling a further 120 miles (200km) the river empties into the man-made Lake Kariba, and then on into Mozambique and the Indian Ocean.

From the Zambian bank of the river the well maintained trail begins at the Eastern Cataract and leads to the Knife Edge bridge, which often provides a drenching due to the close proximity of the falling water, and then on to the view across the second gorge and Danger Point in Zimbabwe.

The Eastern Cataract

The Victoria Falls and Knife-Edge bridges

Crossing the Knife-Edge Bridge

The Falls viewed from the second gorge

Looking across the second gorge to Danger Point in Zimbabwe

No visit to the Falls is complete without viewing from the Zimbabwean side, and we walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge into that beautiful country, like Zambia populated by friendly people, despite its economy and tourist industry being ruined by its despotic leader. But things are obviously improving, and Victoria Falls town was vibrant with many street cafes, and new luxury lodges have sprung up since our last visits, such as the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, where we stopped for coffee and from the decking watched shy kudu drinking from a small waterhole, watched with interest by vultures in a nearby tree.
Victoria Falls Hotel is one of the great hotels of Africa. We first stayed there in 1970, and expected faded Victorian elegance this time, but were pleasantly surprised to see it in pristine condition, and had an excellent lunch on the terrace with the Mosi-oa-Tunya in the distance.

The magnificent Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

Then along the track from the hotel to the Rain Forest, to pay our US$30 entrance fee to view the Falls!

The Devil's Cataract

The Main Falls

Approaching Livingstone Island

Sitting in the middle of the river on the very edge of the abyss is Livingstone Island. It was here that the Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone was taken by dug-out canoe, and became the first European to view the Falls on 16 November 1855. As was the tradition in those times, he named them after his Queen. In his diary he wrote: “....scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” We visited the island for High Tea and a wet and muddy tour to view the Falls from only a metre or so from the 350 ft plunge, the highlight being a rather scary, but unforgettable, dip in one of the deep pools by the long drop.

An extreme close-up view of the Falls from the Livingstone Island rock pool

A view of the rock pool from the Rain Forest

From only a short distance upriver it is hard to imagine that the river will soon take its precipitous plunge into the giant crack in the surrounding plateau, and a cruise on the Zambezi is a wonderful way to enjoy an evening sundowner, watching hippos in the tranquil waters while Africa provides one of its spectacular sunsets.

Cruising the tranquil Zambezi

Further upriver the Chobe River in nearby Botswana empties itself into the Zambezi, and we spent a day across the Botswanan border in Chobe National Park, famed for its teeming wildlife, particularly the greatest concentration of elephants anywhere in the world (see also posting of 22nd July).

By the Chobe River, Botswana

This was a short break that I would recommend to anyone. A very relaxing way to see "real Africa" without the long demanding drives that we have experienced in East Africa, Limpopo and Namibia. However, be aware that what you see at Victoria Falls is very seasonal, due to the distinct rainy and dry seasons in this part of Africa. The minimum flow, which occurs in November, is around a tenth of the April figure; this variation in flow being greater than that of other major falls. July is usually an ideal time for visiting this area. Although it is easily accessible from Cape Town if you are attending an MEI Conference, there is a fair chance that after a November conference, at the end of the dry season, the Falls may be less than spectacular, as the photo below shows, taken during my visit in September 1995.

The "Falls" in September 1995

I can guarantee, however, that if you visit after a March or April conference you will be rewarded by an awesome spectacle of the Falls in full flood, although this is not a great time for photography, or for keeping yourself and your camera dry!

"Viewing" the Falls in full flood

More on Zambia

Copper Cobalt Africa 2015

The African Copper Belt has experienced a huge resurgence of activity in recent years following many years of political and economic instability. Today, a significant proportion of capital spending, project development, operational expansions, and metal value production in the Southern African mining industry are occurring in this region. The geology and mineralogy of the ores are significantly different from those in other major copper-producing regions of the world, often having very high grades as well as the presence of cobalt. Both mining and metallurgy present some unique challenges, not only in the technical arena, but also with respect to logistics and supply chain, human capital, community engagement, and legislative issues.

So the choice of Zambia as a venue for the 8th Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) Base Metals Conference was highly appropriate. MEI has been proud to be a media sponsor for this and the previous two Base Metals conferences in Phalaborwa and White River. Jointly hosted by the mining and metallurgy technical committees of SAIMM the conference, held from July 6-8, was attended by 184 delegates from 16 countries. It was held in the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in the magnificent Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, on the banks of the Zambezi River and a short walk to the Eastern Cataract of the wonderful Victoria Falls, the world's largest sheet of falling water (see also posting of 16th July).

Victoria Falls Eastern Cataract

Barbara and I decided in advance that we would take full advantage of the venue and treat this week as a holiday, so I will not be reporting on technical papers, only providing photos of what makes a conference tick- the people who attend.

And what a wonderful way to start, with a welcoming cocktail party, sponsored by Sibelco Australia, on the evening of Sunday July 5th, on the the Sundeck of the adjacent Royal Livingstone Hotel, where a spectacular African sunset over the Zambezi provided the perfect backdrop (see also posting of 5th July).

Rodney, Kathy and Jackson

The conference was opened the following morning by Conference Chairperson Dr. Kathy Sole, followed by an official welcome from the President-Elect of the SAIMM, Dr. Rodney Jones, of Mintek. Jackson Sikamo, President of the Zambian Chamber of Mines and General Manager of Chibuluma Mines then gave an interesting overview of copper mining in Zambia, its history and future.


The small exhibition provided a perfect focus for delegates to chat over coffee, and it was good to see so many familiar faces, regulars at SAIMM and MEI conferences.

After the coffee break the conference then split into several parallel sessions over the two and a half days, with sessions on mining, leaching, general mineral processing, solvent extraction, electrowinning, operations and projects. The papers from the conference are available in hard copy or on CD (ISBN 978-1-920410-71-1) from the SAIMM.
The beautiful hotel grounds provided an ideal setting to relax and encounter some of the wildlife in the Park, and a 5 minute stroll from the conference centre took us to one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Delegates from Germany and Austria relax by the Eastern Cataract

The excellent lunches served by the hotel pool also gave us the chance to meet new people.

The highlight of the week was a Tuesday evening sundowner on the Zambezi. It was hard to believe that as we enjoyed drinks and cruised serenely on the tranquil waters, a few hundred yards downstream the river took its precipitous plunge 340 ft down the huge crack in the plateau and into the first of its series of gorges.

Arriving back to the jetty just after sunset we were then treated to a braai (BBQ) with local entertainment, sponsored by Trefimet, at the Avani's Boma restaurant.

Local entertainers at the Boma braai

The conference closed at lunchtime on the following day which gave delegates time to appreciate the true beauty of this area via the many tours on offer, such as short helicopter tours of the Falls, walks across the road bridge to view the Falls in their full majesty in Zimbabwe, or, as we did, an unforgettable visit to Livingstone Island in the middle of the river. It was from here, on the very edge of the long drop, that the explorer and missionary David Livingstone became the first European to view the Falls in November 1855. We were joined for High Tea on Livingstone Island by Outotec's Ian Townsend, and Corby Anderson of Colorado School of Mines. Ian retires in November, and felt that he had to attend the conference to "close the loop", as like me his career in the minerals industry began on the Zambian Copperbelt. Livingstone Island was particularly memorable for our dip in one of the rock pools only a metre or so from the plunge into the gorge (posting of 8th July).

A close up view of the Falls with Ian and Corby on Livingstone Island

As I mentioned earlier, outstanding conferences, of which this was definitely one, are dependent on people, not only those who attend, but also on those that organise. I know from experience that small is beautiful when it comes to organisation, so a special thanks must be given to the small SAIMM team, led by Raymond van der Berg, ably assisted by manager Sam Moolla and coordinator Yolanda Ramokgadi, and to Kathy Sole, Camielah Jardine, Nazli Mamdoo and Anna Panana. They provided a truly memorable event.


Sam, Raymond and Yolanda

We look forward to the 9th Base Metals conference. Zambia will be a difficult act to follow, and I am sure that if put to the vote many of the delegates would opt for this venue again; I certainly would.

MEI verdict: as good as it gets. If you attended, what did you think?