Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia is one of Africa’s top destinations for natural scenery. These dramatic water falls which are part of the mighty Zambezi river is definitely worth the trip if you find yourself in Southern Africa. The area is super green and trails are set up for you to walk around and take in the whole view. From Zimbabwe you can see the falls as they “pour out” of Zambia, and in Zambia you can literally stand on top of the falls and see the water flow all around you.
Seeing Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe and Zambia
In my opinion you should definitely see the falls from the Zimbabwean side, if not both. And it’s not like you walk up to a spot to look at the water for ten minutes and go
home. There is a whole network of trails and because the falls are very spread out you can easily spend an hour or two walking around watching the drama of the powerful water from several viewing points. Just remember that you will most likely get wet, if not soaked!
The Zambian side of the falls is best seen with a guide, as the tracks are not that obvious and you want to be careful not to get lost out there. Personally I never went out on the Zambian side of the falls, but from the Zimbabwean side we could see people walking all up to the edge and actually dive into a little pond located just below the top of the falls! It looked like the most adrenaline filled swim you could possibly experience. The Zambezi river is surrounding you in all directions, to your left, right, behind you, in front of you, above you and below you.
After spending a day taking in the majesty of the Victoria Falls, it might be time to learn a bit more about their history. Livingstone has a museum that probably will introduce to you the essential knowledge that is expected from you when you get back home. Personally I am of the disappointing kind that returned home without that knowledge, as I never managed to get my butt in the doors of that museum. And the most embarrassing part of that story is that I actually stayed at the backpackers right next door to the museum for almost a week!
Should I stay in Zimbabwe or Zambia?
Here is an interesting question. When you are visiting Victoria Falls you have two main options of places to stay. You can choose to stay in the town called Victoria Falls, “Vic Falls” amongst locals, in Zimbabwe, or you can stay in Livingstone in Zambia. I stayed in both, but due to the current tragic social situation in Zimbabwe it might be easier from a practical point of view to choose Zambia. From a social and responsible point of view the choice is not that obvious as Zimbabwe desperately needs your business! For more information and opinions about this you can check out the discussion “Would you travel to Zimbabwe at this time?” and the US guidelines for travel to Zimbabwe which “urges U.S. citizens to defer all travel to Zimbabwe at this time”. My own opinion is that if you stay in the area for more than two nights, you should spend at least one of them in Zimbabwe.
There are a few nice backpackers and resorts in Vic Falls and any descent guidebook (I used the Lonely Planet one and liked it) will help you find your kind of place. When it comes to Livingstone in Zambia there is one place that I will recommend over any other (even though I never tried any other): Jollyboys Backpackers was the greatest hostel I have ever stayed at. You get really good value and to make it fit your budget you can choose between cheap dorm beds or private single / double rooms. The “resort”, as I am tempted to call it, has a nice pool area, a couple of ping pong tables, nice lounge areas, a fun bar, a nice little garden, clean rooms, helpful staff and a lot of happy guests to hang out with.
Activities in Livingstone and Vic Falls
I should also mention that there are a whole variety of activities you can engage yourself in during your stay in Livingstone or Victoria Falls. The activities are definitely geared towards tourists and therefore pretty expensive. But if you have the budget you can do everything from bungee jumping over the Zambezi, Helicopter rides over the falls, fishing, rafting, boogie boarding(!), sunset cruises and more. The only one we tried was the least adrenaline filled (our excuse can be that we already had jumped the world’s highest bungee in South Africa); the sunset cruise. Essentially it is a little boat that takes you and 20 others out for the sunset and feed you with all the meet, beer and wine you can consume in two hours. You might also see a few hippos while your out there. In short: a good time.
Satellite Image of Victoria Falls
More travel information on Victoria Falls
You will also find loads of information (including all the historical stuff that I ignored here) about Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia here:
Lonely Planet:
- Zimbabwe Travel Information – Lonely Planet
- Zambia Travel Information – Lonely Planet
- Livingstone and Victoria Falls – Lonely Planet
Zambia Tourism:
Victoria Falls Travel Guide
Photo diary from my visit to Vic Falls..
.. is now available by clicking here: Photo Diary: Seeing Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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