Victoria Falls vs Murchison Falls: Which Should You Visit?

Victoria Falls vs Murchison Falls is a choice between Africa's widest curtain of falling water, on the Zambezi between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and its most powerful single chute, where the whole Nile forces through a seven-metre gap in Uganda. Both are extraordinary; they simply offer very different trips.

The falls themselves

Victoria Falls is about 1.7 kilometres wide and 108 metres high, a single sheet of water seen face-on from a rainforest path. Murchison Falls is only about 43 metres high, but the entire Victoria Nile squeezes through a gorge a few metres wide, making it violent and loud. Victoria Falls is about scale and spray; Murchison is about force.

How you experience them

At Victoria Falls you walk viewpoints on foot from town, cross between two countries, and add activities such as Devil's Pool, rafting and helicopter flights. At Murchison you approach by boat up the Nile among hippos and crocodiles, then hike to the top where the river funnels past a few metres away.

Wildlife

Murchison Falls sits inside Uganda's largest national park, so game drives, lions, Rothschild's giraffes and the shoebill are part of the same visit. Victoria Falls is close to excellent parks rather than inside one: Chobe in Botswana and Hwange in Zimbabwe are an hour or two away.

Seasons

Victoria Falls changes dramatically through the year, from thundering flood around March to July to low water around October and November. Murchison Falls is fed by Lake Victoria and runs strongly in every month. See the month-by-month water levels.

Access and time needed

Victoria Falls has two airports within half an hour of the falls and works as a two- or three-night stop. Murchison Falls is five to six hours by road from Kampala, or about an hour by light aircraft, and needs at least two nights; read our Murchison Falls day trip guide.

Which suits you?

Choose Victoria Falls for a first visit to Africa, easy access, adventure activities and an elephant-rich safari in Chobe. Choose Murchison Falls if you want a wilder park experience and plan to combine it with gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda. Or see both on our Grand Waterfalls of Africa journey.