Kalambo Falls Kalambo Falls is said to be Africa's second tallest free-leaping or single-drop waterfall (second to one of the tiers of Tugela Falls in South Africa) at 221m. Moreover, it is also Zambia's other cross-border waterfall (Victoria Falls shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe being the more famous one) as it's shared with Tanzania. As a matter of fact, the Kalambo River defines the Tanzania-Zambia border all the way into the vast Lake Tanganyika. You're going to have to earn your sighting of the falls as it involves a minimum of a 2- to 3-hour walk each way with a steep, relentless climb up a dry canyon. Given how hot the area tends to be, this is not for the faint-hearted. Bring lots of water. Boat rides from Mpulungu or any of the resorts along the lake to the village at the start of the trail (the way we did it) as well as an all-day all-land approach from the town of Mbala are the accesses to the trail. You're going to need the help of a guide though once you're on the trail.
Kalambo Falls is in high flow in the May/June timeframe. But this depends on how much rainfall the region gets during its rainy season from January through April. The flow diminishes as the year progresses. Come around October or November and the falls probably won't look impressive. However, under these conditions, you might be able to stand atop the falls with one foot in Tanzania and one foot in Zambia as some locals have said to have done. The falls faces west so the best light is in the early afternoon (shadows creep in later in the afternoon). Thus, you'll be looking somewhat against the sun in the morning. Unfortunately, you'll have to weigh the tradeoff between good lighting conditions and an early start to try to minimize the impact of the heat on your hike. Needless to say, we chose to beat the heat, which is why you see the falls in shadow in our pictures. Tell us about your experience with this waterfall. [Back to top] [Go to previous waterfall (Zambia): Victoria Falls] [Go to next waterfall (Zambia): Lumangwe Falls] [Go to the Zambia Waterfalls Page] [Go to the Africa Page] [Return from Kalambo Falls to the World of Waterfalls Home Page]
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Once you're at the end of the trail, you'll be at one of the viewpoints (it's up to the guide which one) right at the edge of a Rift Valley escarpment with a look-but-don't-touch view of the impressive falls. Be careful at these viewpoints because it's a long way down and you're not likely to survive a fall over the edge.
The falls as seen in late morning in high flow
Looking downstream towards Tanzania and the Kalambo River with jungle beneath