Ngonye Falls

Ngonye Falls, also called Sioma Falls, drop the Zambezi over a broad basalt horseshoe in the west of the country, and while the drop is far shorter than Victoria Falls, the volume is substantial and the shape spreads it across a wide front broken into channels by rock. Almost nobody visits. A community trust manages access and boatmen take people across to the rock platforms where the falls can be seen from close range. The setting is bush with no development.

Background

The falls lie on the Zambezi near the town of Sioma, in the southern part of Barotseland, a few hundred kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls and a day's drive from Lusaka. They formed where the river wore away a layer of hard sandstone. The drop is only 10-25 meters, yet the falls spread wide in a crescent broken by rocky outcrops. Above them the river runs broad and shallow over the Kalahari sands, while below it is held in gorges cut into sandstone, with long stretches of white water rapids. The Ngonye Falls Community Partnership Park covers the site.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ngonye Falls"

Highlights

• The horseshoe - a broad curve of falls broken into channels by basalt.
• The volume - the full upper Zambezi coming over a wide front.
• The rock platforms - the vantage points reached by boat across the channel.
• The quiet - a major Zambezi waterfall with almost no visitors.

When to go

April to June has the highest water after the rains. September to November drops the volume considerably. The road is rough in the wet season.

What to expect

The road in is rough and slow, and the last stretch needs care in the wet. Facilities amount to a campsite and community guides. Boat crossings depend on water level and the boatmen being there.

Nearby

Mongu is north, and the Barotse Floodplain is beyond it.

Key facts