How To Visit Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls are one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s easy to see why. These are among the largest waterfalls in the world, located on the Zambezi River and forming a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Here is our guide on how to visit Victoria Falls.

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Facts About The Falls

The Falls are 1,737 m in length, and drop around 107m into a narrow chasm, actually one of eight chasms that have formed over the millennia. The chasms form a zig-zag pattern of gorges as the Zambezi flows along them.

The average volume of water that flows is a mighty 1,100 cubic metres per second.

The missionary David Livingstone came upon the falls in 1855 and named them after Queen Victoria. A much more evocative name is Mosi-oa-Tunya, in the local Lozi language. It means, ‘The Smoke That Thunders’, which is very appropriate as the spray from the Falls can be seen from up to 30 km away.

Many grand waterfalls claim to be the largest, longest or highest, so in all honesty it’s difficult to make a claim without being very specific about which statistic you’re quoting. To compare Victoria Falls with other waterfalls:

But whatever the statistics, the Victoria Falls are nothing short of breathtaking.

When To Visit Victoria Falls

The Falls are at their most spectacular during the rainy summer season, which runs from November to May (Zambia/Zimbabwe being in the southern hemisphere). The water level will be at its peak from February to May. It’s also worth noting that with such a large volume of water, the spray may obstruct the view during this time. The dry winter season will result in less water flow but a clearer view. We visited in April and enjoyed the falls at their most magnificent – and wettest!

If you choose to visit during the dry season, the falls will likely look less dramatic but you may be able to enjoy other activities, such as swimming in the Devil’s Pool right at the top of the falls.

How To Get To Victoria Falls

If you are flying into Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls International Airport is located about 20 km from Victoria Falls town. Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Zambia is around 6 km from Livingstone.

Where To Stay in Victoria Falls

You can stay in either Livingstone on the Zambia side or Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. Both countries have super-expensive hotels close to the Falls – a rule of thumb is that the further away your accommodation is from the waterfall, the cheaper it is likely to be.

We stayed in Zimbabwe as we planned to visit Botswana later in our trip, so most of our commentary here is associated with this country. Victoria Falls the town is not a typical Zimbabwean town, it is very much set up to receive visitors and the waterfall is the prime attraction.

Note – US dollars are accepted in Victoria Falls. We didn’t need to change any money. Credit cards are also widely accepted. The prices we quote here are in USD.

There are a whole bunch of lodges located around 5km from the Falls. We stayed at the Bayete Guest Lodge, which was an excellent lodge with plenty of facilities, and one of the cheaper options. There are some accommodation options very close to the waterfalls such as the The Victoria Falls hotel or the Ilala Lodge hotel and these are much more luxurious.

It is possible to walk to the Falls from the lodges but taxis are more convenient. It will cost around $5 for a taxi into the town and $7-10 to get a taxi to the Falls.

How To Visit Victoria Falls

The Falls are located within the Victoria Falls National Park and, as with all popular visitor attractions, you can’t just roll up with your camera, you have to pay an entry fee. Prices are cheaper for local and resident visitors. Also, the cost is for a single entry, so if you leave the park and want to go back in again, you have to pay again.

The Falls on the Zimbabwe Side

Park opens from 6am to 6pm daily. Tourist cost to visit: $50

The entrance to the falls is some distance from the town centre. There are plentiful taxis which will take you there, and will volunteer to pick you up after your visit. They’ll either arrange a pickup time or you can phone them when you are ready.

The Zimbabwean side is about 1km in length and affords some really great views of the falls. About 75% of the falls are visible here. There is a trail to follow and it has multiple viewpoints along the length of the Falls.

We recommend spending at least two to three hours on this side. The rainbows in the spray are at their best in the afternoon, between 2pm and 4pm. Make sure you enter the park before 4pm because it closes at 6pm and it is a fair walk from the far end of the Falls to the exit.

It is possible to buy a lunar ticket each month, at a cost of $100, to visit the falls at night. This is because you can sometimes see a lunar rainbow effect. You will need to visit during the wet season, when there is plenty of spray, and also around the time of the full moon.

The Falls on the Zambia Side

Park opens from 6am to 6pm daily. Tourist cost to visit: $20

Although the distance on the Zambian side is shorter, and you can only see around 25%, we still recommend a couple of hours here as well. It can be argued that the views are better from the Zimbabwean side but there are some nice walking trails here. You can cross the Knife Edge Bridge (and get a thorough soaking) to visit a small island.

There are plenty of viewpoints of the Falls.

There is a trail down to the Boiling Pot, a swirling pool at the base of the falls. This trek is more challenging with a steep footpath to negotiate.

It is also possible to walk up to the top of the falls which gives another perspective as you see the water tumbling relentlessly over the rocks. Don’t go too near though!

In the low water season, one of the attractions is a swim in the Devil’s Pool on Livingstone Island. It’s probably the most dramatic infinity pool in the world!

Crossing the Border

If you wish to visit both sides of the falls, you will walk the bridge that crosses the Zambezi river, marking the border between the two countries.

Whether you are staying on the Zimbabwe side or the Zambia side, you will need to do a border crossing, so make sure you have your passport with you.

There are checkpoints on both sides and you will need to get your passport stamped out and in. There are customs cabins on either side of the bridge. It’s a fair walk to get to the bridge and across it – although the views of the Falls from the bridge are lovely.

If you are just popping across the border to visit the Zambian falls from Zimbabwe you can do this on a single entry visa, but you would need a double entry visa if you go further into Zambia. However, there is a nifty visa solution.

Visas

Depending on your nationality you may need a visa to enter Zimbabwe or Zambia. You can apply for a Zimbabwe e-visa or a Zambia e-visa online, or you can get one on arrival. Depending on your travel plans consider whether you will need a single or double entry visa. But there is an alternative visa solution which we recommend.

A KAZA UniVisa costs $50 and is valid for 30 days. It is ideal for visiting not just the Falls in both countries, it has an added advantage of allowing entry for a short trip Botswana. So you can visit three countries for the price of one – actually, less than the price of one in some instances, because the Zimbabwe visa costs more on its own than the KAZA UniVisa.

Some Excursions Around Victoria Falls

Every hotel and all the travel agencies in the town will be able to offer a number of excursions connected with the Falls. These range from sedate guided tours to adventurous bungee jumps or white-water rafting but availability may depend on the season and water flow.

We found that the prices for all the excursions were pretty much the same, whether booked through the hotel or an agency. Most operators offer a pickup from your accommodation. Pre-booking is a good idea if you are visiting during the busy season to make sure that your activity is available.

We chose the option of a 20-minute helicopter flight above the Falls.

It was a splurge but we felt it was worth the cost, and the experience of flying in a helicopter and seeing the Falls from above was truly magnificent – the best way to appreciate the full scale of this wonder of nature.

You can see how the Falls are described as ‘The Smoke That Thunders’. The picture below also shows the zig-zag chasms that have been carved through the rock over the millennia.

What To Bring To The Falls

The weather is warm all year round, with a maximum average temperature of around 27degC in October and 17degC in June.

The walks along both sets of falls aren’t particularly challenging but if you are travelling during the high-water season there is a strong possibility of getting very wet.

We recommend bringing waterproofs – ponchos are ideal – or you can just wear clothes that you don’t mind getting wet. However, some of the trails can get slippery, so we suggest bringing waterproof shoes, which have a good solid grip on the soles.

Waterproof bags. Make sure you protect your photographic equipment and phone. Our camera got so wet that it stopped functioning and we had to dry it out with a hairdryer at the lodge. (Fortunately we got it going again, much to our relief, as we were going onwards to a safari in Botswana – and there was no camera shop in sight.)

Also, if you are crossing the border, keep your passport in a sealed plastic bag – you really don’t want a soggy passport.

Victoria Falls For Foodies

The lodges offer meals and the town has a plethora of restaurants. Many of these cater to tourist tastes, so you can get steaks, pizza and burgers everywhere. We were keen to try local specialties and there are indeed some places where you can try typically Zimbabwean food.

Sadza is a maize porridge and is very much a local comfort food. It is served as a carb with many dishes.

The Social Kitchen is a friendly café, located out of town in the residential area, on Manyika Rd, which offered sadza and nyama. Nyama is a hearty meat-based stew (vegan versions are available) which is  full of flavour. Beans and greens accompany the dish.

Zulu Bistro in the town centre, on the main road to the Falls, has an extensive menu showcasing a range of local foods. They offer a platter of local specialties as a starter. Mopane worms, actually a type of caterpillar, look a bit challenging but are surprisingly delicious  – meaty and juicy. Air dried biltong, dried meat which is popular snack across the whole region, including Botswana and Namibia, is delicious. The closest equivalent is jerky, but it isn’t sweet and highly processed. It is much more flavoursome, that is, it’s actually really good. Karpenta are teeny fish, eaten whole, a bit like whitebait.

Slow-cooked cow head with sadza (left), and roadrunner (a poultry bird like a scrawny chicken) with peanut butter rice (right) were our mains of choice.

They also have a ‘safe’ menu for the less culinarily adventurous. We loved the food here but didn’t really enjoy a performance from local singers mid-meal, especially as we were the only customers, so it all felt a bit awkward.

Final Thoughts

We knew that the Falls would be impressive but our expectations truly were exceeded. They are utterly magnificent. We found Victoria Falls, the town, to be very touristy and surprisingly expensive. Spending $140 to view the Falls (total cost for both of us to visit both sides) was a bit of a shock, so it’s worth being aware of the costs.

It felt as though many things in the town were designed to extract maximum value from visitors – whether you need transportation, excursions or even sun cream. It’s fair enough – the Falls are a big attraction and tourists can make a contribution to the local economy. There are souvenir stalls aplenty and your experiences may be photographed/videoed and edited rapidly for you to purchase an expensive USB stick so that you have a memory of your time there. We felt that $50 for a memory stick showing photos of our helicopter ride was too much, so the price was immediately reduced to $30. Still too expensive, so we passed.

But, overall, the experience of seeing the sheer size and might of the Victoria Falls up close and from above – and getting utterly drenched – was absolutely worth it.