Victoria Falls Safari Vacations
Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world! It has an astounding width of 1,708m and an impressive height of 108m and is a fantastic year-round destination.
When to go to Victoria Falls
Best Time to Go
The best time to visit Victoria Falls depends on the activities you want to take part in.
The largest waterfall in the world
Wildlife at Victoria Falls National Park
Superb destination for watersports and activities
Excellent mix of hotels and authentic riverside camps
The Smoke That Thunders
The name ‘Victoria’ was bestowed by Scottish explorer David Livingstone in 1855, to honor the monarch of the day. The falls are also called Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke that Thunders” and witnessing the massive waterfall in full flow will show how it earned the moniker! Describing his view of the Falls, Livingstone wrote that no one in England could imagine their beauty, that surely these were scenes familiar to angels in their flight. High praise indeed – and a bronze statue of Livingstone admiring the Falls, located on the Zambian shore, conveys the wonderment the explorer felt on observing this vast body of cascading water. It is a wonderment that is shared by all travelers to the Falls, accounting for the continuing popularity of Vic Falls as a tourist destination.
Victoria Falls is situated on the Zambezi River, at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and is also known as ‘The Smoke That Thunders’, from its indigenous name Mosi-oa-Tunya. Victoria Falls has great links to the rest of Africa, with direct flights into the parks of Zambia, a road or air transfer to the parks of Botswana and Zimbabwe, plus a direct flight to the Kruger area in South Africa, to Windhoek in Namibia and to Nairobi in Kenya. The main access is via Johannesburg, with daily flights into either Livingstone Airport on the Zambian side or Victoria Falls Airport on the Zimbabwean side.
Victoria Falls Trips
Activities
If you are after a massive rush of adrenaline, this is where you’ll find it! From white-water rafting to game drives, Victoria Falls provides an excellent assortment of activities.
Wildlife viewing
Birdwatching
Adventurous activities
Local shopping and dining
-
The national parks of Victoria Falls and Mosi-oa-Tunya are home to a diverse array of wildlife, offering excellent opportunities for spotting animals on game drives and walking safaris through the area. Vic Falls National Park boasts elephant, rhino, buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodile and a lot of antelope species, while Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is home to zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthog, as well as, again, many types of antelope.
Bird watchers are also well served by the Falls, as the gorges provide ideal nesting territory for no fewer than 35 species of raptor (birds of prey) – among them, black eagle, augur buzzard, and Taita and peregrine falcon. And above the waterfall itself, wildfowl thrive, well-fed by the plentiful fishlife.
White water rafting here is the wildest in the world, with bungee jumping, canoeing, zip wiring and gorge swinging not too far behind. Seasoned daredevils will relish a swim in the aptly titled Devil’s Pool, the pool right at the top of the Falls – absolutely awesome! Guests to Victoria Falls can also enjoy river cruises, scenic helicopter and microflights.
Visitors can enjoy shopping expeditions to Victoria Falls town and excursions to the local villages to get to know the people who call this region home. And no visit to Vic Falls is complete without a trip to The Boma for authentic Zimbabwean cuisine and an afternoon spent sampling the famous High Tea at Stanley’s Terrace, Victoria Falls Hotel.
Talk to someone who’s been there
Real expertise doesn’t come from a few trips to Africa. All our specialists have either been guides, run the camps, or grown up and lived in Africa. That’s over 600 years of genuine safari experience.Good to Know
01.What are the best months to visit Vic Falls?
Victoria Falls is a year-round destination, so deciding when to go usually comes down to the rest of the vacation you are planning or what you want to see when you are at the Falls. If you want to go during the best time to see the falls itself, high water is between February and July, at its peak in March and April. This is one of the best times to see the Falls from the air, as the spray is thick with amazing rainbows!
If you want to swim to Devil’s Pool, the pool is accessible during the drier months of the year, usually between August/September and December/January.
For white-water rafting, this takes place during two different seasons. Low water rafting is between August and December, where journeys start at the ‘boiling pot’, which is situated directly below the falls. As the water level drops, the rapids become more intense, and many of those rapids are Grade 5. The second season is between January and February and June and July, as the water level rises for high water rafting. This journey starts further downstream as water gushing down from Victoria Falls is too intense. Please note that white-water rafting is usually closed between April and the beginning of June depending on high water levels.
02.What are the best hotel options in Zimbabwe and Zambia?
Both Livingstone and Victoria Falls Town have hotels within walking distance to the Falls. On the Livingstone side, you can choose from the value and classic hotel option, The Royal Livingstone. On the Vic Falls side, there are grand hotels and great value lodges and hotels within walking distance of the falls, including Victoria Falls Hotel, and Ilala Lodge.
03.What are the best lodges in Zimbabwe and Zambia?
There are more authentic lodge and camp options available further away from the falls on the Zimbabwean side. These include The Elephant Camp, Victoria Falls River Lodge, and the premier Zambezi Sands. The lodge sector is really where Zambia takes over – there are numerous lodges dotted along the Zambezi – Waterberry Lodge is a favorite amongst the Yellow Zebra team, while Tongabezi is an iconic, riverside premier lodge.
04.Is Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Zambia?
Which side of the Falls is better, is the age-old question – and in all honesty, they both have their pros and cons. The first thing to think about is ‘low water’ or ‘high water’. Low water is between August and January – this is when there is very little spray and you can really see the Falls’ formation. This is also when you are able to swim in Devil’s Pool, the thrilling experience of swimming in a rock pool right on the edge of the Falls, on the Livingstone side. During the very dry months, from mid-September to December, the Falls on the Zambian side dries up and this usually sways people to stay on the Zimbabwean side as it flows throughout the year.
Speak to an Expert
Let one of our Yellow Zebra specialists design
your tailor‑made African adventureAs Seen In
