Famous tourist sites inevitably fail to live up to the hype as travellers expectations reach such a level that are almost impossible to match.

Visiting Victoria Falls is not one of these occasions.

When the Falls were first ‘discovered’ by David Livingstone (in the sense that history only records lands discovered by white Europeans) he described it as a scene “so lovely it must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

One can accuse Scotland’s own David Livingstone of many things but in this regard hyperbole is not one  of them. The falls are quite simply the most incredible example of natural beauty I have ever cast eyes upon.

They are referred to by locals as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ which is roughly translated as ‘the smoke that thunders’ and the two things that first hit you as you visit the falls is the sight of all the steam from the falls and the incredible noise that it makes as it thunders down into the Zambezi river.

If the Eiffel Tower is the equivalent of a symphony orchestra then the Victoria Falls is a heavy metal concert and I know which one I prefer!

My first experience of this wonder of the world was on a microflight giving me a perfect aerial view of not only the falls but the various dried gorges that make up this remarkable sight.

I felt like one of the Wright brothers on a maiden voyage as I clambered on this 2-seater aircraft with a seat, 2 wings, a propeller and what seemed to be only 2 metal bars holding this device together!

As we set off along the stunning Zambezi river you could hear the falls well before you could see them – even an aircraft cannot cancel out the awe-inspiring noise of this waterfall!

I then went through the mist – nicknamed the ‘Angel’s kiss’ before you look down and see the falls in all their stunning glory.

The truth is that these words and photographs cannot possibly do justice to this moment when I gazed down at what might be the most remarkable sight on our planet.

I noticed on Facebook that a church volunteer I met on Zimbabwe described the beauty as proof of god’s existence as it’s beauty must be divine, I’m not convinced about that but I completely understand how it’s beauty is hard to comprehend as mortal!

That evening I went to the plush Royal Hotel where we were just far enough away from the Falls to be away from the roaring noise and watched the sunset over the river. The contrast could not have been any more stark having such a quaint evening after the witnessing the chaos of the Falls in full flow!

Actually walking into the national park to view the falls face to face was an attack on all the senses. As well as the lush greenery and booming noise what I wasn’t prepared for was how soaked I would get – literally every inch of me was drenched as Victoria displayed her impassioned anger!

In an attempt to dry off I walked down to the boiling pot. As I was hiking into the gorge clambering over various slippery rocks I was wondering if it was really worth risking a broken neck for seeing the foot of the falls.

Such foolish doubts evaporated as I reached the swirling waters of the boiling pot – so named as the two streams of the Zambezi meet creating a permanent whirlpool like a pot of boiling water. It’s a very different experience than the top of the falls but no less impressive.

I  find most scenery a bit underwhelming when compared to learning about the cultures and traditions of people in Africa but Victoria Falls is a sight of such unparalleled wonder that the moment when I first saw them from above will stay with me for the rest of my life.