The fourth-longest river in Africa, famous for plunging over the thundering Victoria Falls.
Length
2,574 km
Source
Wetlands of north-west Zambia
Mouth
Indian Ocean (Mozambique)
Continent
Africa
Countries
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique & more
Did you know?
At Victoria Falls the Zambezi drops into a gorge to form the largest sheet of falling water in the world.
Little-known fact
Local people call the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders' — the spray can be seen from 50 km away.
Highlights
- Home of Victoria Falls
- Largest curtain of falling water on Earth
- Spray visible from 50 km away
Life in the Zambezi
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Hippopotamus
Africa’s river giant spends its days submerged and is, pound for pound, among the continent’s most dangerous animals.
Nile crocodile
Africa’s largest crocodile and a patient ambush hunter little changed since the age of dinosaurs.
Waterbirds
African fish eagle
The ringing call of this black-white-and-chestnut raptor is the iconic “voice of Africa” by the water.
Greater flamingo
A tall, rose-tinted wader that filters tiny shrimp and algae from shallow salt and soda lakes.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here