Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”, Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world: a curtain of water about 1.7 km wide plunging into a narrow gorge on the Zambezi River. It sits on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia and is easy to combine with a safari in Botswana or South Africa.
Zimbabwe or Zambia?
The Zimbabwe side (the town of Victoria Falls) has the most viewpoints, with a path along the gorge facing the main falls. The Zambia side (Livingstone) lets you get closer to the edge, walk the Knife-Edge Bridge and, in low-water season, swim at Devil’s Pool on Livingstone Island. Both sides are worth seeing, and you can cross the bridge between them easily.
High water or low water?
From about February to May the falls are at their fullest. The roar is deafening and the spray rises hundreds of metres, but it can be so thick that it hides the view, and you will get soaked. From about September to December the flow drops: you see the rock face clearly, the Zambian side can be partly dry, and Devil’s Pool opens. June to August is a good balance of strong flow and clear views.
Top things to do
- A helicopter “Flight of Angels” over the falls and gorges
- A sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi, with hippos and elephants
- White-water rafting in the gorges below the falls (best at low water)
- The bungee jump or gorge swing from the Victoria Falls Bridge
- A traditional high tea at the historic Victoria Falls Hotel
Add a safari
Chobe National Park in Botswana, famous for its elephant herds, is about an hour and a half by road from Victoria Falls, so a day trip or a few nights there is easy. For a short add-on, the 4-day all-inclusive Chobe safari at Ngoma Safari Lodge starts from nearby Kasane. Hwange in Zimbabwe is another excellent option. Many travellers combine the falls with Kruger or Cape Town. See the 6-day Victoria Falls and Chobe safari, the 7-day Kruger and Victoria Falls combo.
Getting there
Fly into Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe or Harry Mwanga Nkumbula Airport in Livingstone, Zambia. Both have regular flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. Short stays are easy with the 3-day Victoria Falls fly-in safari.
Visit Victoria Falls
These packages include lodges, transfers and game drives, tailored to your dates.
- 3-day Victoria Falls fly-in at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
- 4-day all-inclusive Victoria Falls safari at The Elephant Camp
- 7-day Kruger and Victoria Falls combo (Kruger Shalati and The Wallow)
- 7-day Kapama and Victoria Falls safari
- 11-day Cape Town, Kruger (Hoyo Hoyo) and Victoria Falls safari
- 6-day Victoria Falls and Chobe safari
- 10-day Victoria Falls, Hwange and Chobe safari at the Victoria Falls Hotel
