Victoria Falls is a pretty cool place!
And I’m sure you want the low down on how to have a seamless trip, so I’ve put together some of the most common things as far as best tips for a visit to Victoria Falls go.
Victoria Falls itself is a buzzing town with so much activity going on all day, from helicopters to cruises, with tourists bustling around moving to their next adventure, helicopters ‘thwacking’ through the skies, and others taking 5 minutes to catch their breath at one of the local eating spots.
And the Falls themselves?
What can I say? There is just so.much.water! (And by the way, they’re also called Victoria Falls).
I’m lucky enough to have been there three times, and every time I still find it amazing.
Did you know that Victoria Falls is nearly twice the height of Niagra Falls?
Did you also know that the locals refer to Vic Falls (aka Victoria Falls) as Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke that Thunders. This is what they call the ‘smoke’ which is actually the spray that rises up from the canyon once the levels of the falling water is strong enough.
Where in Africa are the Victoria Falls?
The Victoria Falls are on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe along the Zambezi River. They stretch a massive 1.7 kilometers wide, making it the largest curtain of falling water in the world.
When you stand on one side and look down the 1.7 km length, you cannot see the end as the mist rising up blocks your view.
How Do you Get to Victoria Falls?
For adventurers who enjoy overlanding, you can of course drive, but the easiest way to reach Vic Falls is to fly.
If you’ve just ended off a safari in Botswana, you can also take a road transfer from Kasane (in Botswana) down to either Victoria Falls town, or Livingstone town. Depending on the border crossing, this usually takes around 1.5 – 2 hours.
Getting to Victoria Falls Through Zimbabwe
You can fly into Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe (airport code: VFA) which is an international airport. There are currently 10 airports around the world that have direct flights to Victoria Falls, spread around 10 cities in 5 countries.
- From South Africa: Airlink, FastJet, CemAir, and SAA (South African Airways)
- From Kenya: Kenya Airways
- From Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airways
- From Botswana: Air Botswana
If you are going to combine a visit to Victoria Falls with your vacation in South Africa, there are daily flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa making it easy to combine a trip between these countries.
Getting to Victoria Falls Through Zambia
Or you can fly into Livingstone in Zambia; the airport you will use there is Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport (airport code: LVI).
If you are going to be crossing between Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone (Zambia) you need to check your visa requirements.
Check with the Zimbabwean or Zambian consulate before you leave home – the onus is on YOU to make sure you have the most up-to-date information.
In all honesty though, there isn’t really a reason for you to cross the border as the activities available in one country are also available in the other country. UNLESS you are travelling during low water season and want to view the Falls from both the Zambian side AND the Zimbabwean side.
Getting to Victoria Falls through Botswana
If you are booking a safari in Botswana, it’s a good idea to visit Victoria Falls before or after your safari.
And it’s pretty easy to do this.
- From your final camp in Botswana, you will fly to Kasane Airport, Botswana
Kasane is still in Botswana, but its the point where you will then enter either Zambia or Zimbabwe from.
- From Kasane, you can either fly in a small plane to Victoria Falls Airport (20 minute flight)
- Or, you can fly in a small plane to Livingstone Airport (20 minute flight)
- Or, you can book a road transfer to either Victoria Falls town or Livingstone
NOTE: If you are going to the Zambian side, you will depart the Kazangula border post, be driven to the Zambezi River, and board a ferry that will take you into Zambia. From there, a transfer vehicle will be waiting for you in Zambia and will take you to your lodge or hotel. (about 1.5 hours and this has to be pre-booked).
If you are going to Zimbabwe, there isn’t a river crossing and you will travel from Kazangula border the whole way by road.
Don’t forget you will be clearing customs again when crossing from Botswana into both Zimbabwe or Zambia, so keep your passport easily accessible. And get ready to purchase your visa for Zimbabwe, if you need to.
The small planes I mentioned above can be booked with your agent who books your Botswana safari.
Visa Requirements for a Trip to Victoria Falls
Don’t make the mistake of assuming you can get a visa on arrival, but some nationalities can’t.
Have a look online for visa requirements for Zimbabwe and if you are planning to go to Zambia, you need to check if you need a visa for Zambia aswell.
Do this before you travel.
Some nationalities have to get a visa before they travel, some nationalities can get a visa on arrival.
However, one tip I can give to you. If you are going to be crossing between Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana, it will save you a lot of money and time, if you ask them for the Kaza visa.
Kaza Visa
The KAZA UNIVISA is available for USD 50 and this one single visa will let you cross over between the two countries (Zimbabwe & Zambia) multiple times.
This visa is valid for up to 30 days within any 12-month period, provided the traveler stays within these two countries. Additionally, it extends to day trips into Botswana via the Kazungula border (check before you travel incase this information has changed).
If you are going to do this, then request, or apply, for the Kaza Visa; you might be able to get this on arrival into the country (again, check before you leave home).
And TELL the immigration person that this is the visa that you want, and have your $50 in cash ready, otherwise they will issue you with a single entry visa for $30 and then if you do want to cross over and back into Zim, you will have to pay again, and again, and again.
How Can You View the Victoria Falls?
Have you ever heard the sounds of a waterfall before you’ve seen it? That is what it is like at Victoria Falls. A walking tour through the rainforest (guided or unguided) is the best way to get up-close-and-personal with amazing photographic moments waiting for you to pull out that camera or phone and ‘click.’
Another way to see the Falls is from the air. Helicopter flights (also called Flight of the Angels’) are awesome – you can see The Falls, the Zambezi River, Zambia and Zimbabwe and understand how this all comes together. The scenic helicopter flights should be pre-booked and last for around 12 minutes or 25 minutes; it depends on which one you book.
Another way from the air, which is much more thrilling, is from the seat of a microlight flight. Your pilot will take you up into the air, free as a bird (but not as quiet) and you’ll have a heart-thumping time doing this. I would also suggest pre-booking this if it’s something on your bucket list.
Do You Have to Book a Guided Tour of the Falls?
No, you actually don’t.
You can head over to the National Park on your own (book a transfer with the hotel or guest house where you’re staying), pay your entrance fee, and stroll around on your own.
It is safe, the paths are well-maintained and there are loads of helpful sign-posts, and there are other tourists and tour guides around if you do get lost.
Just a tip, if the water levels are getting higher and there is a lot of spray, you can hire a rain jacket for about $1 – $2 as you enter. If you don’t want your clothes drenched from the misty air, I highly recommend you do this!
If you do want a guided tour – which is super interesting as you learn things the signboards don’t tell you – then you have two options:
Scheduled guided tour
This means that you will be on a tour, with a tour guide, and other people who you may, or may not know. The scheduled tours run at set times on a daily basis.
It’s not just about someone showing you where to go, but they do share loads of interesting info with their group.
Private guided tour
This is just you and your own private guide. You have your guide entirely to yourself, and you can ask a million questions if you want to.
You walk through the same areas and see the same things, but if you prefer privacy and want to enjoy things at your own pace, then I would recommend going with the private option.
For both options you will usually be collected from your hotel and dropped off again afterwards.
Your guide will take you to the Falls, show you the highlights and various viewing points, explain how low water levels and high-water levels affect the Falls differently, and they’ll take you to other interesting areas around the rainforest.
For example, this pic below is one I took when we were James who was our own private guide. If he hadn’t shown us this area, we probably would have never found it.
But these weird rocks on the edge of the Zambezi River are not really there keep people out of the river, but rather to deter hippos from coming onto the land.
Right here you are at the top of the Falls, about 10 meters from the precipice where the fresh water drops 108 meters (354 feet) into the ravine below. There are railings, but still, be careful.
Another good reason to have a guide is they can show you other areas of interest. For example, if you’re into history, they can take you to significant landmarks around Victoria Falls, share insights into the local culture, and explain the stories behind the Falls’ discovery.
In a very basic nutshell, we’re talking World War I, and of course, Dr Livingstone.
When is the Best Time to Go and See Victoria Falls?
A quick nature lesson here.
The water at Victoria Falls all comes from the massive Zambezi River, which flows through six countries before cascading over the falls.
This river is the lifeblood of Victoria Falls, and its flow changes with the seasons. You need to know this because it does affect some of the acivities.
For example, if you want to take a dip into the Devil’s Pool and get that famous Insta pic , it’s only open during low water season. You know the one… it’s where people are in the natural rock pool, looking over the edge over the Falls…
1. High Water Season (March to May)
At different times of the year, you experience varying water levels.
During the rainy season (from February to May), the water levels are at their peak. It is so loud and the spray which forms a dense mist, can be seen from miles away is incredible. This period is known as the high-water season, when the Falls are at their most powerful.
When it’s in full flow, its estimated that in its peak, 650 MILLION litres of water flow over the Falls PER MINUTE.
That’s HUGE!!
2. Low Water Season (September to December)
In contrast, during the dry season (from August to November), the water levels drop significantly, particularly on the Zambian side, exposing rock formations and allowing better views and more adventurous activities like swimming in the Devil’s Pool, or sipping on high tea on Livingstone Island.
This is the low-water season, when you can see the full height of the falls without as much mist, and river activities like rafting also change.
One reason for there being no water on the Zambia side, is because the Zambian people are smart.
They have built channels diverting the water from the Zambezi River BEFORE it goes over The Falls, into their own hydroelectric plants.
During high water levels this diversion of water is hardly noticeable, but during low water levels, the water is diverted into these channels, leaving a ‘trickle’ to flow over the lip.
So if you are travelling to this area during low water levels, get yourself a Kaza visa and go and view the Falls from both countries – the difference is amazing.
| Top Tip: The Royal Livingstone Hotel on the Zambian side includes a visit to the Falls for free. Many of the lodges along the Zambezi River on the Zambian side, also include this for free as one of their activities. |
The transitions between high and low water typically occur between June and August (water levels decrease) and January to February (water levels rise again).
What Should You Wear When You Visit Victoria Falls?
Wear whatever you are comfortable in.
If the spray from The Falls is high, you can hire rain jackets just inside the gate for $1 or $2 each.
Wear your normal trainers or sandals, but if you are wearing sandals I would just recommend that they don’t have slippery soles.
If the spray is high, take a dry pair of shoes with you for afterwards, especially if you’re going on another activity or going for lunch. Also take a protective cover for your camera.
The Rainforest
As you walk along the damp paths inside the National Park, you are surrounded by the most gorgeous green plants, kept lush and damp from the spray of the Falls.
In actual fact, this isn’t a normal rainforest as some of the vegetation here has developed its own unique ecosystem that you most likely won’t find anywhere else in the world.
And the plant life is amazing.
From Wonderbooms, to fig trees and towering African ebonies, to creeping vines, shrubs and twisted creepers.
There are stories about how some of the trees ended up here and are growing really well, but they are not naturally found in this area. And okay, written like that it might not sound interesting, but when you’re standing in front of a tree that is hundreds of years old, knowing its not from this area at all, and has massive roots sprawling out through other vegetation while its living its best life, its quite a thing.
The Market
Across the road from the entrance to the Falls, is a market with some pretty cool guys selling curios.
They are up for a laugh and a chat, and of course, a haggle, so don’t take the first price they give you. They expect bartering and it’s part of the fun of being here.
You can get anything from African-influenced clothing, magnets, jewelry, carvings, statues, spoons, decor and a lot more.
Other Activities in Victoria Falls
In my opinion, there are two tours or activities that you have HAVE to book when you’re in Vic Falls, and those are:
1. A sunset cruise
2. A tour of the Falls
A Zambezi River sunset cruise is the perfect way to end your day and just chill out, while the captain navigates the Zambezi, and you enjoy a cocktail or beer, listening to the sounds of the honking hippos.
And then you can sprinkle other tours during the rest of the time you have available. But there is so much more to do than just that; especially if you are an adrenalin junkie or even travelling with your kids.
Plan ahead and see what is available. You can got from one activity to the next and then stop in the town for a bite to eat before heading out on your next adventure.
Do You Have to Pre-Book a Visit to The Falls?
Some people just wing it and book it when they arrive at their hotel or at the entrance gate to the Falls.
It’s not the type of activity that you have to prebook as there isn’t really a limit to the amount of people that can enter at the same time.
However, if you do want to book a scheduled tour or a private tour around The Falls, it is better to book in advance so that you know there will be a guide available for you.
How to Include a Tour of Victoria Falls in Your Itinerary
This depends on how long you are staying in Victoria Falls or Livingstone.
If you are really, really limited on time, perhaps you are only staying there for one night, there are a couple of things to consider:
> Depending on what time you arrive in Victoria Falls town/ Livingstone town, it might be best to plan to visit The Falls en route to your hotel.
> BUT, if you are arriving later in the day, then rather book a sunset cruise for your day of arrival as this departs at either 15h30 winter, or 16h30 in summer. And then book your Tour of the Falls early the following morning.
If you want, you can have a very early start to your day and visit on your way to the airport at about 06h30 or 07h00.
If you are staying two nights or longer, then it’s a lot more flexible of course.
| TOP TIP: Try and book the activities that you really want to do before you travel. Some activities have limited availability, for example, the bunjee jumping only has one rope, which means only one person can do this at a time. |
But, Victoria Falls isn’t just famous for being a waterfall, it is actually one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.
If you are in this part of Africa, and want to add another stamp to your passport, tick off another country on your bucketlist, or just enjoy exploring, I would highly recommend a couple of nights here.
I strongly suggest that you read some of my other posts about Victoria Falls to help max out your time in the best way – but also giving yourself the chance to take a breath and enjoy some downtime too. Enjoy 🏞️
