Long before the Scottish missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone 'discovered' the Falls in 1855, the local Batonga people had named them Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders'.

Before Scottish explorer David Livingstone "discovered" and renamed the site after Queen Victoria in 1855, the falls were known to the local Kololo and Lozi people as Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to "The Smoke That Thunders." This indigenous name is a literal description of the massive columns of spray that rise over 400 meters into the air and the deafening roar produced by the Zambezi River plunging into the gorge. Even in 2026, the name Mosi-oa-Tunya remains an official name recognized by UNESCO and is used for the national park on the Zambian side of the border. Other local tribes, such as the Tonga, traditionally referred to the falls as Shungu Namutitima. The renaming by Livingstone was a hallmark of 19th-century colonial exploration, but modern efforts in Zimbabwe and Zambia emphasize the dual naming to honor both the colonial history and the much older indigenous heritage. For travelers, seeing the "smoke" (mist) from miles away makes it immediately clear why the original name was so fitting for this natural wonder.