Southern Zambia

Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya

The smoke that thunders — a curtain of water 1.7 kilometres wide

The Zambezi drops into a crack in the basalt here, more than a kilometre and a half across and over a hundred metres deep at the highest point. The local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means the smoke that thunders, and in flood you understand it immediately: the spray goes up several hundred metres and can be seen from a long way off, and the noise is physical. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989.

The Zambian side is the walking side. You cross the Knife-Edge Bridge with the water roaring beneath you, follow the path down to the Boiling Pot where the river turns into the gorge, and get thoroughly soaked doing it between February and May. By September the eastern cataract thins out and you can see the rock face — less water, but you can actually look at the geology.

Livingstone, the town, is ten minutes away and is the base for everything else: the gorge below the falls for rafting, microlight flights over the lip, and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park upstream, a small park on the river where white rhino are tracked on foot with scouts.

Best time to visit Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya

Year round, and it changes completely

February to May is peak flow: overwhelming, very wet, and the spray often hides the falls themselves from close up. June to August is the balance most people want — high water, clear views, comfortable weather. September to December is low water, when the Zambian side thins and Devil’s Pool on the lip usually opens; it is also when rafting through the gorge is at its best.

Getting there

Livingstone has its own airport, Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International, with flights from Lusaka and from Johannesburg. By road it is around seven hours from Lusaka on the T1. On our Zambia and Malawi road trip it is reached by road from Lusaka at the start of the journey.

Common questions

Which side of Victoria Falls is better, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe gives you the wider panoramic view of the main curtain; Zambia puts you closer to the water and is the side you walk on, across the Knife-Edge Bridge and down into the gorge. In high water Zimbabwe often has the clearer view; in low water Zambia has far more to explore on foot.
When is Devil’s Pool open?
Roughly from the middle of August into January, when the river is low enough to be safe. It is never guaranteed — the operators open and close it on the river level, not the calendar — so treat it as a bonus rather than a reason to book.
Will I get wet?
Between February and May, completely. A rain jacket helps and you can hire one at the gate, but your shoes and camera will need thinking about. From September the spray is much lighter.

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