5 Days Victoria Falls Adventure

The 5 Days Victoria Falls Adventure is a 5-day sample itinerary: a tailor-made waterfall safari covering Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana. Both sides of Victoria Falls with the big activities: white-water rafting, a helicopter flight, Devil's Pool in season and a day trip to Chobe.

Highlights

• Rainforest walk on the Zimbabwe side
• White-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge
• Helicopter flight over the falls
• Devil's Pool (mid-August to January)
• Chobe day trip by boat and vehicle

Suggested places to stay on this route include Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Tongabezi Lodge.

Who this safari suits

• Active travellers who want the big activities
• Groups of friends and older children who meet operators' age limits
• Travellers visiting in the low-water months, August to December

Route and travel times

Victoria Falls Airport → Victoria Falls town (20 minutes) · Batoka Gorge (rafting day) · Livingstone, Zambia (via the bridge) · optional Chobe day trip (about 1 hour 15 minutes each way plus the border).

Times are typical and vary with road conditions, border queues and weather.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Arrive at Victoria Falls

   Meet your driver at Victoria Falls Airport and transfer about 20 minutes to your lodge on the edge of town. In the late afternoon, take a sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi, a gentle start before the more active days ahead.

   Overnight Victoria Falls Safari LodgeMeals Dinner

2. Day2

   Rainforest and helicopter

   Walk the rainforest path on the Zimbabwe side in the morning, when the light is best for photographs. In the afternoon, take a helicopter flight of 12 to 25 minutes over the falls, the zig-zag gorges and the Zambezi upstream.

   Overnight Victoria Falls Safari LodgeMeals Breakfast

3. Day3

   White-water rafting

   Spend the day white-water rafting through the Batoka Gorge below the falls, at its best from August to December. After a safety briefing you descend into the gorge, run the big numbered rapids with experienced guides, and finish with a steep hike out and lunch at the top. Operators set a minimum age, usually 15.

   Overnight Victoria Falls Safari LodgeMeals Breakfast, lunch

4. Day4

   Zambian side and Devil's Pool

   Cross the Victoria Falls Bridge into Zambia and move to a riverside lodge upstream of Livingstone. Explore the Zambian viewpoints and the Knife-Edge Bridge, and, when the river is low enough, join a small-group tour to Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool at the edge of the falls.

   Overnight TongabeziMeals All meals

5. Day5

   Chobe day trip and departure

   If your flight allows, take an optional morning in Chobe National Park in Botswana, about an hour and a quarter away, for a boat cruise among elephants and hippos. Otherwise, transfer back to Victoria Falls Airport for your onward flight.

   Meals Breakfast

When to go

Best time for this route: August–December for rafting and Devil's Pool. At Victoria Falls: March–July for thundering water; August–December for clear views, Devil's Pool and rafting. See the month-by-month water levels.

Making this trip your own

This is a sample route, not a fixed departure. You can add nights where you want more time, swap the lodges named for others at a different budget, drop activities that do not interest you, or join this itinerary to another one. Tell us your dates, the number of travellers and what matters most to you, and we will send back a tailored version with a price.

Lodges named are examples; ask about alternatives at other budgets. Activities depend on water levels and park rules.