Victoria Falls
The Zambezi, two kilometres wide, dropping into a zigzag of basalt gorges, a cloud of spray that gives the falls their old name, and a long runway eighteen kilometres south of town.
- Arrival
- Victoria Falls International · VFA
- To the town
- About 18 kilometres north by road
- Private jets
- Into VFA, a 4,000-metre runway
- Best time
- March to November
The city
The smoke that thunders.
At the falls the Zambezi is more than two kilometres wide, and it drops along a face of about 1,708 metres into the first of eight gorges that zigzag for some 150 kilometres downstream. The Lozi name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, is usually given as the smoke that thunders. David Livingstone saw it on 16 November 1855; UNESCO listed it, with the river strip of Zambezi National Park, in 1989.
The river rises from February and is at its fullest from March to May, when the spray hides much of the view and soaks the paths. As the dry season goes on the curtain thins: from September up to half the rock face can be bare, and the calm pools on the lip open for a swim. Rain returns from late November.
- Main Falls and Rainbow Falls The heart of the curtain, where the water drops 83 and 99 metres into the first gorge.
- Victoria Falls Bridge A bridge across the Second Gorge between Zimbabwe and Zambia, placed so the spray would fall on passing trains.
- Devil's Pool A rock basin on the very edge of the falls, usually open from September to December when the river runs low.
Arriving
Eighteen kilometres to the spray.
Victoria Falls International lies eighteen kilometres south of the town. Across the river in Zambia, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International at Livingstone serves the other bank.
- Johannesburg 1 h 35
- Luanda 2 h 30
- Mauritius 4 h 40
- Abidjan 5 h 40
- Dubai 7 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
March to November.
One rainy season, from late November to March, with over 140 mm a month at its height; then almost nothing falls from May to September. March to May brings the falls at full flood and heavy spray; June to August the coolest days, near 26 °C; September to November the lowest water and the heat, up to 34 °C.
- 31° J 171
- 30° F 140
- 31° M 76
- 30° A 20
- 28° M 3
- 26° J 0
- 26° J 0
- 29° A 0
- 33° S 1
- 34° O 20
- 33° N 64
- 31° D 163
Where to stay
On an estate and on the river.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Anantara Stanley & Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel Sixteen suites on a private game reserve a quarter of an hour from the falls, with drives and walks on the estate and dinner on the roof terrace of 1871.
- Zambezi Sands by Batoka Ten tents on the riverbank upstream of the falls, with cruises on the Zambezi and drives in the park included.
Where to dine
Three tables near the falls.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Zimbabwe. Stanley’s Terrace is a Fodor’s Choice; the other two are the signature restaurants of two grand hotels, as their own pages describe them.
- Stanley’s Terrace Fodor’s Choice British $$$ The Victoria Falls Hotel, Mallet Drive
- The Livingstone Room Signature restaurant, The Victoria Falls Hotel Fine dining The Victoria Falls Hotel, Mallet Drive
- 1871 Signature restaurant, Anantara Stanley & Livingstone International Nakavango Estate, about 15 minutes from the falls
Elsewhere in Zimbabwe
More reasons to come.
- Hwange The largest park in the country, and its elephants.
- Mana Pools Walking safaris and canoeing on the Zambezi.
- Kariba A large man-made lake, explored by houseboat.
- Matobo Granite boulders, rock art and rhinos.
- Harare The capital on the highveld, and the start of flights to Mana Pools and Kariba.
Flying to Victoria Falls?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.