Kalambo Falls

The Kalambo river drops about two hundred and thirty metres in a single uninterrupted fall into a gorge that runs down to Lake Tanganyika, which puts it among the highest unbroken waterfalls in Africa and makes it the highest in both Tanzania and Zambia; the gorge below is about a kilometre wide and up to 300 metres deep. The archaeological deposits at the lip are as important as the fall itself: excavation from the 1950s found a sequence of occupation running back hundreds of thousands of years, with preserved wood, including worked timbers that have been dated to around half a million years.

What you'll find

• The single drop - about two hundred and thirty metres in one uninterrupted fall.
• The gorge - the ravine running down towards Lake Tanganyika below the falls.
• The archaeological deposits - occupation layers with preserved worked wood.
• The marabou colony - storks nesting on the cliffs beside the fall.

When to go

April to June has the strongest flow after the rains. May to October is easier for the roads. In the late dry season the flow drops considerably.

What to expect

The road in is rough and needs high clearance, and it can be impassable in the wet season. There are no facilities, barriers or marked paths at the top. The site is remote and a long way from any town.

Nearby

Lake Tanganyika is west, and Sumbawanga is east.

Key facts