"Mosi-oa-Tunya": The Smoke that Thunders

During this flight, we visit parts of the Zambezi River with a stunning finale at Victoria Falls.

The Zambezi is a vital source of water for agriculture, supplying fertile alluvial soils to floodplains and supporting fishing communities along its banks. It also provides drinking water for millions of people. The river is also a major source of renewable energy. The Kariba Dam, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, creates one of the world's largest man-made lakes, Lake Kariba, and provides a substantial amount of hydroelectric power for both nations. This power is crucial for industry, infrastructure, and urban centers.

The falls are deeply embedded in the history and folklore of local communities, such as the Tonga and Lozi people, who revere the site as a sacred place. The mist is believed to hold spiritual significance, and the area has been a site of human activity for thousands of years. Therefore, the Tonga people call the Falls Mosi-oa-Tuny, the smoke that Thunders. Victoria Falls is the centerpiece of a thriving tourism industry. It attracts millions of visitors annually, boosting the economies of both Zimbabwe and Zambia. The towns of Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone (Zambia) serve as gateways to the falls, offering accommodation, restaurants, and a range of activities.

We will fly the first part of this flight in a fixed-wing aircraft and later switch to a helicopter. We depart from Lusaka (FLLC), the capital and largest city of Zambia. Lusaka is the center of both commerce and government in Zambia and connects to the country's four main highways heading north, south, east, and west. Lusaka lost some of its status to Salisbury (now Harare in Zimbabwe) when the latter became the capital of the merged Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1953, but regained it when it was named the capital of newly independent Zambia in 1964. A large-scale building program in the city followed, including government buildings, the University of Zambia, and a new airport.

We head towards Lake Kariba and land at Stakota(FLGW). We stay on the northern shore of the lake and land at Maamba (FLMB), Zambia. Maamba is the home to the largest Coal Plant in Zambia at 300MW, operated by Maamba Collieries Limited (MCL), which, as of 2010, is 100% owned by Nava Bharat Ventures Limited (NVBL) of India. We cross the lake and land at Mlibizi (FVML), Zimbabwe. Mlibizi is a popular fishing resort among the white community and is the terminal for the Kariba Ferries, which offer car and passenger ferry services to Kariba. We stay in Zimbabwe and fly to Deka (FVDE), our next landing. From here, we follow the Zambesi River to take a first look at the winding river and the attractions. There is no need to dive deep into the canyon; we will return in helicopters for a better view. We finish the fixed-wing part of the flight at Kazungula (ZW54), home to MJAir Helicopters.

Here we switch into helicopters and head back to the river. Our first quick stop is at the Masuwe Heliport (ZW57). After departure, we follow the track to WP1 and WP2 before reaching the river again. Now we follow the river at a slow speed to the various attractions of the scenery: ZM15 is the top of the cable car that runs down to the river; ZM19 is a boat ramp; ZM17 is the lodge, and ZM10 marks the Batoka Gorge, which offers world-class rapids, often considered some of the most challenging in the world. Then we reach the famous bridge, where we land. We explore the falls up and down and make a break at the Baobab Camp Heliport (ZM41). We need to be very careful, as the Helicopter and microlight flights, known as the "Flight of Angels," offer aerial tours with a breathtaking perspective of the falls and the zigzagging gorges carved by the river. They could be everywhere.

We return to the river for more spectacular views before finishing this flight at Elephant Hill Heliport (ZW55). After the flight, we can visit the two surrounding National Parks and enjoy a variety of wildlife.   

The fixed-wing flight is 262 miles long with four landings. We want to cruise at about 150 knots. I will be in the Caribou.

The helicopter flight is 27 miles long. Feel free to land anywhere you like, not only at the marked landing spots. I will be in the HPG H145.

Please fly what you like.

Flight plans are here. Please note that the GTN flight plans finish at ZW54 as our destination heliport is not in the GTN database.

Additional scenery:

The flight can be flown without the payware “Victoria Falls Scenery Pack” from //42, but you will miss the eye candy and the excellent rendition of the falls. It is available at //42 or via ORBX.

The freeware Africa to Go offers improvements for Lusaka, Stakota, and Maamba.

For takeoff, set the simulator for a 9:00 am local departure.
We prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, October 4, 2025. 1800 UTC
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!
 

Victoria Falls: The Dark Majesty (15:52). Several snippets of David Attenborough’s observations on how the eternal battle between rock and water is now shaped by human kind. On a more jovial note: Jumping into the Devil’s Pool.