“Moon-bow” at Victoria Falls
“Moon-bow” or Lunar Rainbow at Victoria Falls
Romancing the Falls!
A visit to Victoria Falls is a romantic extension to a safari, but if you plan it carefully you can go when the moon is full and witness one of Africa’s most romantic sights, a midnight moon-bow over the Falls.
A moonbow is created in the same way a rainbow is, water refracting through water droplets, but the effect is completely different: this is nature’s Yin to the rainbow’s Yang, a soft and gentle light and simply the most romantic thing!
The “Flight of the Angels” over Victoria Falls (Helicopter, microlight of Cesna)
Lunar Calendar for the moonbow over Victoria Falls
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
| Jan-20 | 10-Jan-20 | |
| Jan/Feb | 24-Jan-20 | 09-Feb-20 |
| Feb/Mar | 23-Feb-20 | 9-Mar-20 |
| Mar/Apr | 24-Mar-20 | 8-Apr-20 |
| Apr/May | 23-Apr-20 | 7-May-20 |
| Apr/May | 22-May-20 | 5-Jun-20 |
| May/Jun | 03-Jun-19 | 17-Jun-19 |
| Jun/Jul | 21-Jun-20 | 5-Jul-20 |
| Jul/Aug | 20-Jul-20 | 3-Aug-20 |
| Aug/Sep | 19-Aug-20 | 2-Sep-20 |
| Sep/Oct | 17-Sep-20 | 1-Oct-20 |
| Oct | 16-Oct-20 | 31-Oct-20 |
| Nov | 15-Nov-20 | 30-Nov-20 |
| Dec | 14-Dec-20 | 30-Dec-20 |
N.B. Special permission is required to enter Victoria Falls National Park after sunset, please contact us for further details.
Water Levels at the Falls
Water story. The water that flows over the Falls begins life as rain falling on the DRC / Zambia border. The river then travels into Angola before returning to Zambia. It is joined along the way by several other rivers and eventually becomes the largest river in Africa that flows into the Indian Ocean.
Map showing the flow of the River Zambezi from source to Indian Ocean
High Water: March, April and May.
Don’t bother with an umbrella, swimming togs are what’s required at this time of year because there is so much spray that you’ll get soaked! In fact, gravity is defied and the “rain” falls upwards, away from Earth! From ground-level the view is obscured but the roar and thunder is invigorating! This is the ideal time to take “The Flight of the Angels” and view the Falls from a couple of hundred feet above. The white-water rafting is BIG during this season.
Life on the edge!
Mid-season flow: Jan & Feb; June, July & Aug.
These months are the best viewing months because there’s still plenty of water, but the spray doesn’t obliterate the view! The gorge is one mile wide and during these months you can look over the rim and see the bottom … guaranteed to make you dizzy! These five months are probably the best time to see a moonbow. Please note Jan, Feb and March are rainy season at Victoria Falls: temps and humidity rise and tropical downpours are pretty common.
View into the gorge from the Zambia side
Low flow: Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec
The river is the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The water on the Zambia side of the river is diverted off to an hydro-electric station, so during the low flow season the Zambia side is actually just about dry. Great if you want to walk out across the rim and fish, but not so good for viewing. The Zimbabwe side, and Devil’s Cataract in particular, remains good during this season. Perversely the white water rafting is at its best now! Less water means the river twists and turns more and the rapids aren’t ironed out by huge volumes of water: every rapid and eddy is felt, all the way down! Please note Oct is the hottest and driest month of the year (temps up to 40°C)
Local fisher-ladies
So what’s the answer? When to go?
May to Sept are the best months for game viewing: not too hot, water in waterholes is becoming more scarce (which means the animals congregate around waterholes that retain some water) and the Falls are pretty good.
View from the bottom in June (mid-season)
