Victoria Falls: Zambia or Zimbabwe?

The border between Zambia and Zimbabwe runs down the middle of the Zambezi, so Victoria Falls belongs to both. Roughly three-quarters of the falls are seen best from Zimbabwe; Zambia gets you closer to the water.

The Zimbabwe side

Victoria Falls town is small, walkable and organised around visitors. The rainforest path offers sixteen viewpoints facing the main curtain, including Main Falls and Rainbow Falls, which keep flowing even in the driest months.

The Zambian side

Livingstone is a larger, older town ten kilometres from the falls. The Zambian side has the Knife-Edge Bridge, the trail down to the Boiling Pot and access to Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool, open from roughly mid-August to January depending on water levels.

Our advice

See both. The KAZA UniVisa covers Zambia and Zimbabwe, and you can walk across the 1905 bridge between them. If you only have one day, choose Zimbabwe in the dry season and either side in high water.

Getting between the two sides

The two towns are linked by the Victoria Falls Bridge, completed in 1905, with border posts at each end. You can walk, take a taxi or cycle across, and the view of the falls and the gorge from the middle of the bridge is one of the best anywhere. The KAZA UniVisa, issued on arrival to many nationalities, covers both countries and makes repeated crossings simple. Check current visa rules for your passport before you travel.

What you can only do on one side

Zambia has Devil's Pool and Livingstone Island, the Knife-Edge Bridge through the spray and the steep trail down to the Boiling Pot, where the whole river turns into the first gorge. Zimbabwe has the long rainforest path facing the main curtain, Danger Point and the evening lunar rainbow visits. Helicopter flights, sunset cruises and white-water rafting run from both sides; the bungee jump and bridge tours operate from the bridge itself.

Which side, month by month

From March to July both sides are spectacular and both are wet; Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge is a walk through a downpour. From August the Zambian side starts to thin, and by October and November much of its section can be bare rock, while Zimbabwe's Main Falls and Rainbow Falls keep running. In those low months Zimbabwe gives the better view of falling water, and Zambia gives Devil's Pool. December brings the first rise again.

Where to stay

Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe is compact, safe to walk and right next to the rainforest entrance; the Victoria Falls Hotel and Victoria Falls Safari Lodge are both close. On the Zambian side, the best lodges sit on the riverbank upstream of the falls, among them the Royal Livingstone and Tongabezi, with Livingstone town a short drive away.

If you have one day, or two

With one day in the dry season, walk the Zimbabwe rainforest in the morning and cross the bridge in the afternoon for the Zambian viewpoints. With two days, give each side its own morning, add a sunset cruise and, in season, Devil's Pool. Our three-day Victoria Falls break is built on exactly that plan.

Costs compared

Entry to the rainforest on the Zimbabwe side costs more than entry on the Zambian side: see our Victoria Falls entrance fees guide for current rates. The KAZA UniVisa, where available, covers both countries and saves paying for two visas if you cross between them. Accommodation in both towns ranges from backpacker lodges to luxury hotels, so the choice of side rarely changes the overall cost of a trip by much.

Walking, access and mobility

The rainforest path on the Zimbabwe side is long but mostly level, with some steps; allow about two hours. The Zambian side has shorter walks to the main viewpoints and the Knife-Edge Bridge, but the trail down to the Boiling Pot is steep and rocky. Travellers with limited mobility usually find the first viewpoints on the Zimbabwe side the easiest.