Seeing the mighty Victoria Falls with our own eyes is one of the experience which will exceed every expectation you ever had, it is mind-bowing and one of the most magnificent sights you will ever have in a life time.
A trip to Victoria Falls is a life time experience a few get a chance to experience and is listed among the favorite safari experience on the Southern Africa Trip.
Victoria Falls
While planning your trip to Victoria Falls, it can get had gathering all the information you need for this incredible adventure. So this blog is put together to provide you with all the essential information you need to help plan your Victoria Falls trip. From getting around, money and safety to where to stay and what activities to do in the Victoria Falls Area.
Most importantly, this blog offers an expert view on whether to stay on the Zambian side or the Zimbabwean side.
Victoria Falls Background
In 1855, the British Explorer and Missionary – David Livingstone discovered one of the most famous sights in Africa. He descried his experience in his diary by noting as “No-once can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never seen before by European eye; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angles in their fight”
Obviously, David Livingstone was not the first person to ever the see the Falls, but he was the first European. The local people of the Zambezi Valley known as the Tonga People, had lived around the Falls for centuries. They called the falls the “Mosi Oa Tunya” which translates as “the smoke that thunders”. The Tonga people have their own folklore about the falls, they believe that a giant creature dwells in the Zambezi River and is called Nyami-nyami.
David Livingstone renamed the falls Victoria Falls, after Queen Victoria – the monarch at the time in England. Today, the falls are known by both names, with the park on the Zambia side now called Mosi Oa Tunya National Park.
The Victoria Falls are not the tallest waterfalls in the world, nor are they are the widest. But they do hold the record for the largest single sheet waterfall in the world. The full expanse of the falls stretches about a mile – the entire width of the Zambezi River at its widest point, and they are about double the height of the Niagara Falls. The sheer force at which the waterfalls causes a mist to rise high into the sky and a mist that will soak you to the skin that if you visit in the rainy season.
Getting to Victoria Falls
It is recommended to fly into the airport on the side of the Victoria Falls you plan to staying in (Livingstone Airport in Zambia and Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe). Travelling from one side to the other from an airport means needing three taxis: one from airport to the border, one across the bridge and one from the other border to your accommodation.
The easiest and main way to get to Victoria Falls is by plane, either to Livingstone Airport in Zambia (Code: LVI) or to Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe (Code: VFA). It is important to know that Livingstone airport is also known as Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport.
There are several airlines that connect to Livingstone airport including South African and British Airways (from Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa), Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, Kenya Airlines from Nairobi and internally to Lusaka on preflight Zambia.
From Livingstone airport to the town centre or most hotels and lodges, a taxi is the main form of transport and takes only 10-15 minutes. The taxis charge around USD $ 10.
Victoria Falls has the same above flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Nairobi as well as also to Windhoek on Air Namibia and internally to Harare on Air Zimbabwe.
From Victoria Falls Airport to the town center, a taxi is the best way to travel taking around 20-25 minutes and the journey costs about US$ 15.
Other ways to get there
You can use a bus to get around, there are several companies connecting other Southern African cities with Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Livingstone in Zambia.
- Lusaka to Livingstone bus on Mazhandu Bus Company which takes 5-6 hours
- Harare to Victoria Falls with Intercape Pathfinder bus company which takes around 12 hours
- Windhoek in Namibia to Livingstone with Intercape Pathfinder which can take up to 20 hours
Using a train is another option to get to Victoria Falls, this is a slower but more scenic way to travel to Victoria Falls. One route is to arrive in Zimbabwe side from Pretoria in South Africa on the Luxury Rovos Rail which takes three days.
Alternative, you can travel from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe by train to Victoria Falls (approximately 12 hours), or Lusaka to Livingstone. This is one way to have a real adventure.
If you are coming from Botswana, you need to head to Kasane, a border town that is also very close to Chobe National Park. Here you can easily jump in a shared taxi to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, the drive is just over an hour.
Best time to visit The Victoria Falls
At Victoria Falls the water levels fluctuate depending on the season, but whether you go in the rainy season, you are guaranteed to have an amazing experience. However, each season has its pros and cons.
The rainy season at Victoria Falls runs from November to April, therefore visiting in early January onwards means seeing the falls at their fullest capacity and therefore, at their most spectacular.
In these months the spray from the tumbling waters can be so extreme that you cannot get your camera out.
July to November is the dry season, the falls can be completely dry during this time of the year especially on the Zambian side. However, this is the best time to visit if you are planning on swimming in the Devil’s Pool and visiting Livingstone Island as the water levels are far safer and therefore the pool is open.
If you visit in the peak of the rainy season, the Devil’s Pool will be closed as the water levels are too high and it is far too dangerous to swim in.
Entry visas for Victoria Falls
Both Zambia and Zimbabwe require nearly all foreign nationalities to have a visa to enter, there is the option of a single entry visa to either country, the visa costs approximately USD $30 – 50 depending on nationality, but you can also get the KAZA Visa also known as a Univsa. This visa enables you to freely travel between Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as Botswana through the Kazungula border, it is valid for 30 days and allows unlimited border crossings.
It is highly recommended getting this visa on arrival at the following points of entry – Victoria Falls airport, Livingstone airport, Harare airport, Lusaka airport or at the Kazungula land border at Botswana.
Zambia or Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls?
When planning a trip to the Victoria Falls, the very first thing to do is to decide which side of the falls to visit. The falls straddle both Zimbabwe and Zambia, most visit can head to both the sides of the falls dependent on the Visa, and you will need to choose one side to start from.
Zambia
Livingstone is the nearest largest town to the Victoria Falls in Zambia, this town is named after David Livingstone – a British explorer. Here, visitors can head to the Mosi Oa Tunya National Park which is about 10km from the centre of the town and very close to the Zambia/Zimbabwe border.
Pros and Cons of visiting the Victoria Falls from the Zambia side
- Mosi Oa Tunya National Park is a less visited park than the Zimbabwe side and the entry cost to the park is so less (just US$ 20)
- There are several hiking routes to follow within the park, all of which are clearly marked and you can also pay for the service of a local guide too.
- These routes all offer the chance to see the Falls from several different angles, including right from the bottom and at the side. If you visit the Zambian side of Victoria Falls in the rainy season, you can get completely drenched.
- Livingstone, the nearest major town is a nice place to spend a couple of days with some great dining spots and accommodation options.
- In Zambia, the currency is generally more stable than in Zimbabwe
- The Devil’s Pool and Livingstone Island are the most popular excursions and are found on the Zambia side, so visiting this more straightforward and doesn’t require crossing the border and taking your passport etc.
As the Zambian side has only a quarter of the falls, it could be said that the viewpoints this side are less spectacular than on the Zambabwe side.
Zimbabwe
On the Zimbabwe side, you can walk from Victoria Falls Town centre to the entrance to the falls in a couple of minutes.
Zimbabwe is home to the Victoria Falls National Park which is more organized and structured than on the Zambia side, Zimbabwe has the more impressive viewing opportunities of the falls and the waters flows year-round. The most spectacular views can be seen at Devil’s Cataract, Danger Point and the show-stopping Main Falls – which is the largest single sheet of water in the world.
Entry to the Victoria Falls National Park costs US $30 per person and a full visit to Zimbabwe side takes around 2-4 hours.
Pros of visiting the Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side
- The Victoria Falls Town Center is situated a few minutes’ walk to the gate of the park, so it is much closer than the Zambian side
- No matter which season you visit, you are guaranteed to see Victoria Falls flowing
- The Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls has 75% of the Falls within its park
- There are clearly marked hiking routes and scenic vantage points dotted around the park, thee give greater perspective of the falls, rather than the close up immersive and drenching experience of the Zambian side particularly in the rainy season.
- The park on the Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls has a restaurant and toilets.
- The Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe is one of the viewpoints.
Getting around and travelling between Zambia and Zimbabwe
Luckily, it is really simple to travel between Zambia and Zimbabwe if you have a KAZA Visa (ZimZam Visa). The easiest way is to walk from one side to the other, including bridge crossing on foot as the views are spectacular.
On the both sides, the walk from each entry point to the respective national parks to the actual passport-stamping border crossing is around 10 minutes or so. Then you will need another 15 minutes to walk the length of the bridge.
The bridge is also shared with cargo too, so as you approach the bridge in either direction, you will see a long line of trucks and lorries waiting to cross. Fortunate, there is a separate path marked out for pedestrians so you cant get run over.
There are specific opening hours, which are
- Winter: 6.30am – 6pm
- Summer: 6am – 6pm
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