Creatures and Plants of the Victoria Falls Rainforest

Did you know that the enclosed rainforest at Victoria Falls that we know today used to be open so that animals and people would roam freely in and out of the rainforest?

A painting of buffaloes at the edge of the rainforest by Thomas Baines
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

In 1950, the park was fenced to control access by people and animals such as elephants, buffalos and predators that would freely roam the lush vegetation which thrives from the spray of the Victoria Falls. Today, you can still find a few resident animals within the rainforest such as monkeys, baboons, bushbuck and warthog.

Baboons in the rainforest
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Warthog stops to have a look
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Vervet monkey on the walkway
(image from trekearth.com)

Bushbuck grazing in the thick grass
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Other creatures of the rainforest that are rare to see but have been spotted include reptiles, numerous insect species and birds.

Additional images from:

carnivoraforum.com

bobmcgee.wordpress.com

natureart.cz

discoverafrica.com.au

The vegetation in the rainforest ranges from various flowers and vines to palms and tall ebony trees. The fencing of the rainforest has limited overgrazing and damage which elephants (for example) are known for, so that the plants in the rainforest have flourished over the years.

The walkway inside the rainforest
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Fireballs popping up in the thicket
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Waterboom (Syzyguim cordatum)
www.zimbabweflora.co.zw

Lianes vines in the rainforest
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

The Flame Lily - Zimbabwe's national flower
www.victoriafalls-guide.net

Wild Gentian
www.zimbabweflora.co.zw

Other flora include species of ferns, moss, orchids, forest flame creepers, about four species of fig trees, olive and mahogany trees. A lot of the plants found in the park are seasonal and depend on the rains which come at the late part of the year.

We highly recommend that your next tour of the Falls be a leisurely one, so that you catch at least some of these creatures and plants of the Victoria Falls rainforest. You will find that there is so much more that makes the area a true World Heritage site.