The stunning Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Published: March 30, 2024

During our half-a-year travels in eastern and sout-easthern Africa, we stayed for a few weeks in Zambia, and from there we had a chance to go and see the world-famous Victoria Falls. The largest waterfalls in Africa, cascading down the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, can be seen from both countries, but during our visit, in November, at the end of the long dry season, the falls were almost dry on the Zambian side. That’s why we decided to cross the border to Zimbabwe, and to stay for a couple of days in the town of Victoria Falls. If we had had more time, we would have loved to explore the country more extensively of course, but maybe another time then. In this post we take you with us to admire the Victoria Falls, one of the most beautiful places we have visited during our travels.

From Livingstone in Zambia to the Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe

Livingston was easy to reach by bus from Lusaka, and the border of Zimbabwe, and the falls, are only ten kilometres further. There are no regular buses going to the border, or at least we didn’t find one, but there are collective taxis (and of course private taxis too) that can take you there. Once you reach the border area, note that there are two border stations instead of shared border post. This means that the exit stamp is done on the Zambian side of the handsome, historical Victoria Falls Bridge, then you can walk across the border zone and over the Zambezi River to the Zimbabwean border post. From the bridge you can get first glimpses of Victoria Falls and the famous canyon, which is also a rafting spot. It’s also possible to do a bungee jump from the bridge.

At the Zimbabwean border post, it took a while to get through the immigration process, as we needed visas to enter the country. It was a bit of a bummer to pay 30 dollars for the visa on arrival for just a couple of days visit, when we could have spent 30 days in the country for the same amount of money… But well, sometimes it is like that. After getting our passports stamped, we continued on foot to the Victoria Falls town and to Shoestring Backpackers hostel. There aren’t many cheap accommodations near the falls, and even at this backpacker spot we needed to pay almost 30 euros for a tent. But is was a very nice tent, equipped with proper beds and electricity, and the place was really nice also otherwise.

Morning excursion to Victoria Falls

In the morning we woke up around half past five, and headed straight to the falls. We wanted to visit right after the park opened, because it’s cooler in the morning, the morning sunlight is beautiful, and there are fewer people around early in the morning. On the way to the falls we saw a small herd of some small mammals, apparently hyraxes, and several baboons and wild boars. When we reached the gates of Victor Falls National Park, there were already some small groups of other visitors, but as we headed straight to the viewpoints (after paying the quite hefty 50 dollar entrance fee), we got to admire and photograph the falls all by ourselves for a while.

The beauty of Victoria Falls is difficult to describe or capture in pictures. The sight in the pinkish morning light was truly special, and the power of nature is immense. The morning sun added a wonderful touch to the experience, and we saw numerous rainbows over the falls during the walking tour. The falls can be viewed from 16 different viewpoints on the Zimbabwean side, and it is definitely worth walking the trail that follows the entire edge of the gorge. At one end of the trail is a view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, and at the other is a statue of explorer David Livingstone, who “discovered” the falls in 1855, i.e. was reportedly the first European to visit. The total width of Victoria Falls is a whopping 1.7 kilometers, and the average height of the falls is 100 meters.

Vendors and sightseeing in Victoria Falls Town

After a couple of hours of wandering around the falls, we returned to our accommodation, occasionally saying no-thank-yous to the vendors who were trying to sell animal statues, wooden plates and old Zimbabwean pound notes. Zimbabwe’s economic situation is still not encouraging after the financial crisis, and tourism is an important industry. Unfortunately, many people see the visiting “white faces” as walking wallets, and all kinds of haggling and also outright begging and demanding money for food, for example, are common.

Back at Shoestring Backpackers we enjoyed breakfast and went for a jog along the banks of the Zambezi River before checking out. We practically ran through a wildlife area where there were hardly any other people, but luckily there were no elephants or anything else too dangerous either. While running along the riverbank, we saw several hippos again, there are a lot of them in the Zambezi river. We also jogged to The Lookout Cafe restaurant with a panoramic terrace on the edge of the Zambezi River gorge, and watched the rafters splashing in the river’s currents. In the afternoon it was time to return across the border to Zambia.

Tip for those who love beer – there is a great local brewery in the Victoria Falls Town! A warm recommendation to head to the River Brewing if you ever travel there. You can read more about the brewery and their craft beers in our Craft Beer Nomads blog!