Known as Mosi-Oa-Tunya, meaning “The Smoke That Thunders”, visiting the mighty Victoria Falls is just spectacular to experience.
Bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe, you can fly into either Livingstone Airport in Zambia or Victoria Falls International in Zimbabwe. Visitors often get a Kaza visa allowing one to cross between the two countries and to experience the falls from both sides.
We ended up staying in Zambia as we were concerned about the many covid rules and regulations. Locals told us that the Aug-Oct period is better from the Zimbabwe side as the Zambia side of the falls dries up. When the water is flowing in abundance such as in May and June when we went, Zambia is the place to be. The Zimbabwe side becomes almost like a cloud from the huge plume of water vapor created by the waterfalls.
Even flying in with our international flight we could see what looked like a huge cloud on the ground. We didn’t realize what it was at first, but this is the spray of the falls that shoots up from the cascading water flowing over and crashing down below. It seemed to just hang there, 100s of meters in the sky!
Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park
In the park as you approach Victoria Falls you can hear the thunder of almost two million gallons of water a second flowing over the edge. It takes your breath away and you can feel the power.
On the Zambia side, the waterfalls can be accessed from the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park where there are numerous trails and vantage points. Plan at least a half day and be ready to get wet! You can rent raincoats from locals in the park if you are not prepared. When we say wet, we mean walking though inches of puddles while being blasted by storm force rains. Yes, wet!
The paths facing the falls are right out to the cliff’s edge making for spectacular photos. As the wind shifts, huge sheets of torrential rains come down along the path.
You can cross what is called Knifes Edge Bridge to get to another part of the park that looks over into the gorge. The narrow bridge with constant spray is not for the faint of heart but worth it!
From the park’s entrance, you can also hike down to the Boiling Pot near the foot of the falls. While you don’t actually see the falls from here you can see the gushing water flowing furiously past. You also get great views of Victoria Falls Bridge in no man’s land (a bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe) on the way down and may even see people bungee jumping off this expanse into the gorge.
Another part of the paths to the right from the park entrance takes you upstream and above the falls. Here you can see the river and the fast-moving water heading towards the falls. We also spotted many nice birds here.
Getting there
From Johannesburg you can fly to either Livingstone in Zambia or Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. If you have the Kasa visa you can visit both Zambia and Zimbabwe and most hotels will arrange a transfer regardless of where you land.
Do note however that the flights are all before 11am from Joburg, so if you want to connect the same day you really need to make sure you arrive early in the morning or consider a Johannesburg stopover.
While some travel sites recommend a minimum of 3-4 hours for a transfer, we found that the international transfer area was quick and efficient at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. We didn’t need to clear security (we only had carry-on bags mind you, see my packing tips) and we were through and at our gate in well under an hour.
Where to stay
We were at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort which was literally just outside the gates of the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. Your room key also works as entrance to the park and the fees are included in the room rate.
The hotel was wonderful, and the staff were all so friendly, welcoming, and always smiling. They made us feel special and took great care of us.
Attached to the same resort complex and within a walkable distance is the sister hotel the Royal Livingstone. This looked slightly higher end, but it would be a longer walk to get to the falls. On the upside, many of the rooms here were facing the Zambezi River so you can have nice water views.
Zambezi River Safari
Other things to do while visiting the falls area include one of the Zambezi River safaris. There are two choices of river safaris: A larger party boat option that takes over 100 people on a ride along the Zambezi above the falls or you can opt for a smaller power boat with 2-8 people.
We opted for the smaller boat as it is more maneuverable and lets you get closer to the shore for bird and animal viewing. The tour was great and we got to see hippos and crocks as well as a monitor lizard and bee-eater burrows in the sand cliffs.
These tours are all generally done around 3pm to get in one of those beautiful African sunsets. Even more impressive over the water.
Helicopter or Microlight tour
A popular option is the helicopter tour around Victoria Falls. Opt for the 30-minute tour instead of the 15 minutes one as they will both take you over the falls but the latter also flies through the Batoka Gorge which is breathtaking. Both circle the falls multiple times so you get lots of great shots from a bird’s-eye view.
There was also a microlight flight option offered. This is a small single passenger seat where each guest flies in tandem with the pilot. This also looked like fun but one of the guests that did it told us it was very cold and she was only strapped in with a lap belt and felt rather precarious. We were glad we opted for the helicopter.
Those more adventurous may want to try a zipline tour or even try bungee jumping off Victoria Falls Bridge into the canyon below. We watched in wonder as people bounced up and down into the canyon.
Even more precarious, when the water slows down a little there is a spot just above the falls called Devils Pool where bathers can enter a small area of rocky formations and actually look down over the edge of the falls. This was not on the menu for us, but daredevils may want to know that it opens yearly around mid-August when the water level is low.
Those staying for multiple days can also look at off-roading tours, horseback riding, visiting cultural exhibits and white-water rafting to name a few.
Conclusion and tips
Make sure to plan your visit when there is lots of water in the falls. The views are simply spectacular. If your trip is such that you are there in low water time, go and see the Zimbabwe side where the water is deeper. Also consider the rest of your itinerary, in our case we had great views of the falls, but it was already quite cold for our Botswana safari.
Be sure to get to Johannesburg early if you are planning to connect the same day. If you are adding a day or two in Johannesburg, check out our Joburg stopover post.
Two days would be enough to see the falls, but you can fill 3-4 days if you want to do other activities. We listed some of our favorites above.
Definitely a natural wonder of the world! We are so glad that we finally got to see and experience the smoke that thunders, the mighty Victoria Falls.