Things to do in Victoria Falls
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Victoria Falls
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak flow, spray can white out ground viewpoints, rafting often closed and Devil's Pool closed.
Falling water and dry season starts, late May and June give the best all round viewing, July is peak.
Low water dry peak, best rafting, Devil's Pool open and best game viewing.
Low to rising water and early rains, falls leanest in November, festive peak in late December.
What's on
- Vic Falls Carnival 29-31 Dec
A major New Year music festival based at Elephant Hills, book rooms and flights many months ahead.
- Econet Victoria Falls Marathon Usually early July
Full and half marathon and a fun run, with a route crossing the bridge into Zambia.
- Zambezi Cycle Challenge and Vic Falls MTB Challenge mid-year, typically July
Multi day mountain bike events through park fringe and gorge country, rentals and trails get busy.
- Full moon moonbow nights full moon nights, monthly, best Feb-Jul
The rainforest opens on selected full moon nights when spray and clear skies allow a lunar rainbow.
Best things to do in Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls National Park
The essential self guided rainforest walk past a sequence of viewpoints opposite the full width of the falls.
Flight of Angels
A short helicopter flight is the only way to grasp the full width of the falls and the zig zag gorge system.
Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River
A calm evening cruise above the falls past hippos, crocodiles and elephants coming down to drink.
Simunye The Victoria Falls Theatre
A one hour open air show of dance, puppetry, music and Zimbabwean storytelling that surprises most visitors.
Victoria Falls Bridge
Walk the 1905 steel arch bridge for the classic frame of the falls one way and the gorge the other.
Big Tree
A vast ancient baobab that works as a short stop on a slow free half day around the gorge viewpoints.
Lunar Rainbow (Moonbow) Viewing
On clear full moon nights in high water, moonlight on the spray forms a pale lunar rainbow over the gorge.
Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary
An observation and feeding encounter with rescued elephants, with no riding, run by Wild Horizons.
Where to stay in Victoria Falls
The Falls and Town Centre edge
first trip, short stays, no car
Within about 1 km of the park gate, so you can walk to the rainforest and most restaurants.
Leafy residential streets, Reynard Road and West Drive
longer stays, value and quiet
Quieter garden suburbs with personal service and better breakfasts, a short taxi from the gate.
On the river in Zambezi National Park
honeymoon, safari extension, river lovers
Hippos at dawn, elephants on the bank and silence, with a 10 to 25 minute shuttle to the falls.
Elephant Hills and far west end
golf and big resort pool
A hilltop resort base with the golf course at the door and a shuttle to the falls.
Think twice about
- Chinotimba and Mkhosana
Residential suburbs with almost no visitor infrastructure, little lighting and taxi dependence for every outing. Visit for Dusty Road, sleep in town.
- Livingstone, Zambia, as a base for a Zimbabwe trip
You pay any saving back in border crossings, transfers and time, and in low water you are on the dry side.
Best restaurants in Victoria Falls
The Lookout Cafe
A breezy cafe 120 metres above the Zambezi facing the bridge, and the best lunch in Victoria Falls.
The Cassia Restaurant
Terrace fine dining under the stars with Zimbabwean game and Zambezi bream as signatures.
Dusty Road Township Experience
Traditional Zimbabwean cooking in cast iron pots over open fires in a colourful home style restaurant.
The Boma - Dinner & Drum Show
A four course buffet with dancers and storytellers that ends with every guest drumming.
Livingstone Room
Formal European fine dining in the grand hotel, the town's special occasion room.
Stanley's Terrace
Afternoon tea and light lunch on the terrace facing the bridge and gorge, open to non guests.
Three Monkeys
Wood fired pizzas, burgers and a proper cocktail list in the centre's liveliest casual bar grill.
Zulu Bistro Bar
African influenced bistro cooking, cafe by day and bar by night, with live music energy.
Best coffee in Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls Coffee Caravan
A small beloved coffee caravan at Shoestrings that beats the town's general cafe average.
Outdoor things to do in Victoria Falls
White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River
Grade 5 rapids in a sheer basalt gorge below the falls, with a steep climb out at the end of the run.
Devil's Pool
At low water, guides take strong swimmers to a rock pool right at the lip of the falls on Livingstone Island.
Victoria Falls Bungee Jump
A 111 metre bungee jump from the bridge into the gorge with the falls spray in view.
Gorge Swing
A 70 metre freefall into a pendulum swing across the gorge, rated by many repeat visitors as scarier than bungee.
Flying Fox
A 425 metre run across the gorge, prone or seated, and the most accessible of the high wire activities.
Zambezi National Park
A close, half day riverfront game drive with elephant, buffalo and giraffe and no border crossing.
Chobe National Park
A full day of river cruise and game drive in a park famous for huge elephant herds along the Chobe River.
Hwange National Park
Zimbabwe's flagship big game park, best done as two to three nights rather than a long day trip.
Best hotels in Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls Hotel
The 1904 grand hotel with a private path to the park gate and terrace views straight to the bridge.
Ilala Lodge Hotel
The closest hotel to the falls, family run, with an eight minute walk to the park entrance.
The Kingdom at Victoria Falls
A large family resort with multiple pools, ten minutes on foot from the falls.
Cresta Sprayview Hotel
A solid, quieter resort ten minutes from the falls, repeatedly described as good value without frills.
Batonka Guest Lodge
The best run guest lodge in town, with 27 rooms around a pool and garden and an excellent breakfast.
Pioneers Lodge
A large garden lodge with a pool and personal service, on the same pattern as Batonka at a similar price.
Bayete Guest Lodge
A strong next bench guest lodge to use when Batonka and Pioneers are full in peak season.
Nkosi Guest Lodge
A well reviewed guest lodge in the leafy residential streets, useful when the top lodges fill.
Is Victoria Falls expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $270 a person |
| Splurge | $800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Victoria Falls National Park: a few days ahead
- Flight of Angels: weeks ahead
- Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River: weeks ahead
- Simunye The Victoria Falls Theatre: weeks ahead
- Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Dusty Road Township Experience: a few days ahead
- Mukuni Village: a few days ahead
- White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River: weeks ahead
- Book top lodges, Devil's Pool, small group Chobe trips, helicopter flights, Simunye and top dinners 4 to 8 weeks ahead in peak season.
- Do not lock Devil's Pool, high water rafting or a specific moonbow night in non refundably months ahead.
Is Victoria Falls safe?
- Never walk between lodges or restaurants after dark, elephants, buffalo and hippos move through town at night.
- Victoria Falls is a malaria area year round, get clinician advice and use repellent and long sleeves at dusk.
- Do not swim in the Zambezi except in guided Devil's Pool, Livingstone Island or lodge pools.
- Stay behind barriers at the falls, viewpoints sit above a deep gorge and paths are wet and slick.
Victoria Falls travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Lion walks and elephant back riding are excluded on animal welfare grounds.
- Expect a hard sell at the curio market by the park exit and at the bridge ends.
- Always ask whether an activity price includes the park entry fee or not.
- The long helicopter flight is an upgrade for photographers and return visitors, not a first timer necessity.
Getting around Victoria Falls: public transport and more
- Walk the town centre to park gate area by day and take a taxi or shuttle after dark because of wildlife.
- Agree taxi fares before getting in and carry small US dollar notes.
- Arrange airport transfers through your hotel, about 20 to 25 minutes from Victoria Falls International Airport.
Who Victoria Falls suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Victoria Falls your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store