Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is where the Zambezi River, more than a kilometre and a half wide, drops 108 metres into a single basalt chasm. The spray rises so high that it can be seen from the air thirty kilometres away, and the roar explains the older name, Mosi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders.

Why visit Victoria Falls

No other waterfall combines this width, this height and this ease of access. Sixteen viewpoints line the rainforest path on the Zimbabwe side; the Zambian side lets you walk the Knife-Edge Bridge through the spray and, in the dry months, swim at the lip in Devil's Pool. The falls sit within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1989, and within a two-hour drive of some of the best elephant country in Africa.

Best time to visit Victoria Falls

Water levels, not calendar dates, decide the experience. From March to July the falls are in full flood: the curtain is complete, the spray soaks you and photographs are often veiled in mist. From September to December the Zambian side can thin to bare rock while the Zimbabwe side still runs, the gorges come into view, and Devil's Pool and the best white-water rafting open. See the seasonal calendar before you choose your dates.

How to get to Victoria Falls

Fly into Victoria Falls Airport for the Zimbabwe side or Livingstone for Zambia; both are within 25 minutes of the rainforest gates. The KAZA UniVisa covers both countries and day trips to Botswana's Chobe riverfront. Most visitors spend two to three nights, then continue by road to Chobe or Hwange.

Zambia or Zimbabwe: which side?

Zimbabwe holds roughly three-quarters of the frontage and the most complete views, especially Main Falls and the Rainbow Falls section. Zambia puts you closer to the water: the Knife-Edge Bridge, the Boiling Pot trail at the base of the gorge, and Livingstone Island. If you have two days, see both; the border at the Victoria Falls Bridge is walkable. Read our full side-by-side guide.

Things to do at Victoria Falls

Walk the rainforest at sunrise before the tour groups arrive. Take a helicopter flight over the gorges, known locally as the Flight of Angels. Raft the Batoka Gorge rapids between August and December, cruise the upper Zambezi at sunset, cross the 1905 bridge and, on full-moon nights, look for the lunar rainbow. For something slower, take high tea on the terrace of the Victoria Falls Hotel.

Victoria Falls facts

Victoria Falls is about 1,708 metres wide and up to 108 metres high, which makes it the largest single sheet of falling water in the world. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989, shared by Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia and Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe. The falls are moving slowly upstream: the Zambezi cuts back along lines of weakness in the basalt, and the zig-zag gorges below the falls each mark an earlier position of the waterfall. The current falls drop into the first gorge; the Victoria Falls Bridge spans the second.

How long to spend at Victoria Falls

One full day is enough to walk the rainforest on the Zimbabwe side and take a sunset cruise. Two nights lets you see both sides of the falls without rushing, and three gives time for a big activity such as rafting, a helicopter flight or Devil's Pool. Most travellers then add two to four nights on safari in Chobe or Hwange.

Safety and health

Victoria Falls town and Livingstone are used to visitors and generally relaxed, but take normal care with valuables and use registered taxis at night. Elephants and buffaloes walk through both towns, especially after dark, so do not walk on unlit roads at night. Keep behind the barriers at viewpoints, as the edges are unfenced in places and the paths are slippery in high water. Malaria is present in the Zambezi Valley, so speak to a travel clinic about prevention before you travel.

Pair Victoria Falls with a safari

Combine the falls with game drives and river cruises in Chobe National Park, the big herds of Hwange, or a fly-in camp on the Lower Zambezi. Our 7-day Victoria Falls and Chobe safari is the classic pairing; ten days with Hwange adds Zimbabwe's largest park.

Tips for visiting Victoria Falls

Go to the rainforest at opening time for the best light and fewest people, and walk it again late in the afternoon from the Zambian side. In high water, wear swimwear or quick-dry clothes and put phones in a waterproof pouch; rented ponchos only help so much. Allow at least one full day for both sides of the falls. For planning, see our Zambia guide and the month-by-month water levels.

Experiences at Victoria Falls

• Devil's Pool, Victoria Falls: A natural rock pool on the very lip of Victoria Falls, where a submerged ledge holds swimmers back from a 108-metre drop.
• White-Water Rafting on the Zambezi: Big-volume rapids through the Batoka Gorge below Victoria Falls, regarded as some of the finest one-day white water in the world.
• Victoria Falls Helicopter Flight: The "Flight of Angels": the only way to see the full shape of the falls, the gorges and the Zambezi from above.
• Lunar Rainbow Tour at Victoria Falls: On clear full-moon nights, the spray of Victoria Falls carries a silvery rainbow made by moonlight.

National parks and sights nearby

• Chobe National Park
• Hwange National Park
• Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
• Zambezi National Park