Victoria Falls offers visitors a unique opportunity to blend the natural wonder and beauty of one of the largest waterfalls in the world with options for adventure travel, luxury resorts, wildlife viewing, and experiencing Africa in a way that more developed parts of the continent,…Read More

Victoria Falls offers visitors a unique opportunity to blend the natural wonder and beauty of one of the largest waterfalls in the world with options for adventure travel, luxury resorts, wildlife viewing, and experiencing Africa in a way that more developed parts of the continent, such as South Africa, afford.

Getting There:

Victoria Falls is located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and perhaps the easiest way to get in and out of the region is by air. Two airports serve the falls area, one each in Zambia and Zimbabwe. We flew into the Livingstone Airport (LVI), on the Zambian side, but the Victoria Falls (VFA) airport is also available in Zimbabwe. Depending on which country your accommodations are in, you may find it easiest to fly into the airport on that side of the border. Both airports are small, with somewhat limited service, mostly to O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg (JNB). Daily flights are generally available on South African Airways and British Airways (operated by their codeshare affiliate Comair) between JNB and both LVI and VFA. There is also some service from some of the smaller and discount carriers in the region to JNB, Windhoek (WDH), Nelspruit (MQP), and a few other cities, but most travelers will be arriving via JNB. In many cases each airline operates only one flight per day to these airports, and most of these flights tend to arrive and depart around the same time, so both airports can become very crowded in both the departure and arrival areas. As the facilities are small (Livingstone was building a bigger terminal for international flights as of November 2011), I suggest allowing plenty of time when you depart to handle necessary immigration, customs, and security checks, as well as to check in for your flight. Our innkeeper in Livingstone took us to the airport around 11:00 AM on our day of departure for a 1:00 PM flight, and we were able to get checked in and cleared for the flight with amble time to spare, but had we arrived much later, we might have cut it close.

Getting Around:

Many of the hotels, guesthouses, lodges, and hostels will offer complimentary airport transfers with your lodging reservation. This greatly simplifies getting to and from the airport, and avoids any hassles of renting a car or using the local taxis to get between the airport and lodging. We found this service to be very helpful for several reasons. First, it was obviously much easier to have a reserved ride waiting for us when we landed at Livingstone. But, more importantly, it allowed us a chance to find out the logistics of getting around town from our innkeeper as he drove us back to the lodge, and avoid the potential of not knowing how to properly negotiate a fare with the unmetered taxis that service Livingstone.

Many of the tour operators provide complimentary transportation between the local hotels and the activity venues. The easiest way to handle arranging for such transportation is to have your lodge make a tour or activity reservation for you. Doing so will generally mean that you also get complimentary transportation to and from the activity or tour, saving on taxi fare and hassle.

During the day, Livingstone is generally a pretty safe town to explore on foot. However, it is generally not advisable to walk between Livingstone and the falls, both due to the distance, and the fact that the walk along the highway to the falls has seen a number of tourist muggings over the year. If you need to get to or from the falls and your hotel or tour is not providing transportation, the local taxis, easily identified by their bright blue color, are a safe bet. These taxis have no meters, so you will want to agree to a fare before getting in the cab and starting the trip. During our November 2011 visit, the base fares were generally $10 USD between points in town and the falls, and $5 USD within Livingstone.

Money:

Zambia's official currency is the Zambian kwacha, but most of the tourist-oriented businesses in Livingstone gladly accept US dollars and South African rand, and in some cases, euros and British pounds. We got buy quite easily paying cash with US currency and some South African rand, and then using a US issued Visa credit card at our hotel to pay for lodging, meals at the hotel, and tours that were billed to our lodging reservation. This allowed us to avoid dealing in kwacha, but there were plenty of ATMs available in downtown Livingstone had we desired to withdraw local currency. If you are traveling from the US, I recommend carrying at least a few hundred dollars in US currency, as the $50 USD single entry ($80 USD dual entry) visa fees are payable upon your arrival at the airport with US dollars.Close

It took a long time to get through the border from Botswana into Zambia; very busy with trucks, cars, and people transferring between the two countries. The trucks and cars were lined up in the same line trying to go opposite ways. Women and girls…Read More

It took a long time to get through the border from Botswana into Zambia; very busy with trucks, cars, and people transferring between the two countries. The trucks and cars were lined up in the same line trying to go opposite ways. Women and girls were walking, carrying belongings on their heads. Men were loading heavy boxes of fruit onto a truck, border guards paraded around toting rifles, and little children were running about. We made it through the border and continued to Livingston. We passed small villages and people walking on the sides of the road along with many signs and billboards stating problems with AIDS.

The land is flat but green and soon we saw a cloud of smoke in the distance. All I could think of at this point were the comments Dr. Livingston wrote in his journal when he was traveling down the Zambezi in 1855. The natives called it “The Smoke that Thunders.” Livingston wrote, " Approaching the spot in canoes, the party could see the columns of spray and hear the thunderous roar of water miles away from the falls: After 20 minutes' sail from Kalai, we came in sight, for the first time, of the columns of vapor appropriately called 'smoke,' rising at a distance of five or six miles, exactly as when large tracts of grass are burned in Africa. Five columns now arose, and, bending in the direction of the wind, they seemed placed against a low ridge covered with trees; the tops of the columns at this distance appeared to mingle with the clouds. They were white below, and higher up became dark, so as to simulate smoke very closely. The whole scene was extremely beautiful; the banks and islands dotted over the river are adorned with sylvan vegetation of great variety of color and form. No one can imagine the beauty of the view from any thing witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. The only want felt is that of mountains in the background. The falls are bounded on three sides by ridges 300 or 400 feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the red soil appearing among the trees.

Victoria Falls is just that. There are no other words that I can think of to describe it better. We entered this World Heritage Site and walked the trails to different viewpoints. The mist of water was so thick at times that it was raining and no views could be seen. The falls appeared again along the trail and rainbows followed us through our sights. The noise sounded like thunder. How amazing this scene must have been to Dr. Livingston after traveling through this country by ox cart for hundreds of miles.

We visited the market outside of the park and were hassled by vendors trying to sell things. They were very aggressive and had the same story. "Come and look. I am from the village of Mucuni and look what my grandfather has made. We need money in the village. Come and buy for my grandfather."

We drove to the Livingston airport for a helicopter ride over the falls. I could not believe that the split in the earth went on for at least a mile with water tumbling over the edge. Again rainbows sprang back up at us. The helicopter tipped from side to side so we could view the falls from every angle. Such an astonishing site.

The following day I shared a taxi with two of my fellow travelers to drive us back to the town of Livingston. The cab driver told us that his mother had been killed by an elephant two years ago. His mother and another woman from their village were collecting wood for fire when the elephant came out of the bush, picked his mother up, threw her down and stepped on her. The other woman got away before the elephant came back.

We walked to a local market where fruits, vegetables, drinks, cloth and everything else were for sale. A woman carrying a bundle on her head passed us dressed in colorful clothes of red and purple. Another woman had a small child wrapped in a cloth blanket which she carried over her back. We bought a few bananas and talked to some of the women. Although our language was not the same, we had some laughs. It was hot and the street was busy on the way to the Livingston Museum. We heard music and singing come from a building next to the museum. There was a church service going on and people were clapping their hands, singing, and jumping up and down. One man was blowing a horn and another was playing a drum. They invited us in and we joined their religious celebration. A group of small dark-faced boys were in front of us and they reached out their hands to ours. We worked up a sweat jumping and clapping hands with them. As we were leaving, one of the little boys came toward me with a hug and a good wish of good-bye.

The Livingston Museum was fascinating. Exhibits of the history and culture of Zambia filled the rooms. It told of ancient tribes, their beliefs and traditions, many of them involving the animals of Africa. The owl is considered bad luck and if one lands near you, a family member or someone close to you will become sick or die. Elephants were not eaten because they believed they consumed all the other animals. A whole room was dedicated to Dr. Livingston. Original letters Livingston had written were displayed behind glass. His books, clothing, and medical bag were there along with old photos and sketches of him, the villages, and the people. They also had displays on Robert Moffet whose journals I had read before I left for Africa. He was a missionary that stayed in Africa for almost 30 years. His daughter became the wife of David Livingston.

The three of us walked to the local craft market where we were again hassled to buy something with the same story told as before. I bought a necklace for my daughter before escaping. We walked into a local meat market more out of curiosity than to purchase something. Some strange looking pieces of meat were behind the glass counter. Next was the bakery filled with all sorts of goodies. We resisted and stopped at a small outdoor restaurant for a soda before taking a cab back.

We took a van to the village of Mucuni the following morning. I was excited as I was hoping to meet all the grandfathers that the vendors were boasting about. Typical African village of huts and reed fences. When Livingston had first come to this village, he was the first white man they had seen. They thought he was a ghost and told him to wait under a large acacia tree. The chief of the village met him there and they talked for hours. That tree still stands and the people of the village have held meetings under that tree ever since. The villagers were friendly and open to photographs. Children played a game of ball on the dusty road between the huts, the school, and the church. A woman was mixing a liquid with a stick in a large wooden barrel. She was making beer. Music and singing came from the church and we walked the dirt path to the building. People dressed in colorful outfits were entering the church. One woman had a skirt on made from a cloth that said “Womens Catholic Society.“ HIV and AIDS notices were posted throughout the village. There are 7000 people in the village and 1100 of them are small children. Seven hundred of the children were orphans having lost their parents to AIDS. Three young men were in the shade of a large tree playing a game of mawcala with stones on a board they had carved. Older men were making crafts and the local chicken was running around. The people were friendly and always seem to be smiling and laughing. Close

Kanakantapa is a small rural village located in a very poor area about an hour's drive outside of Lusaka, Zambia. We only knew it existed because a good friend we made at Cha Cha Cha Backpackers in Lusaka was the organizer of a charitable effort…Read More

Kanakantapa is a small rural village located in a very poor area about an hour's drive outside of Lusaka, Zambia. We only knew it existed because a good friend we made at Cha Cha Cha Backpackers in Lusaka was the organizer of a charitable effort in the village. She had started up a program whereby young medical students from the UK volunteer to come down to Zambia for a few weeks to help rural kids learn about how to take care of basic medical needs for themselves and their families.

We decided to join the regular volunteers for a day to see what their program was like. Our trip started outside Cha Cha Cha when the truck came to pick us up in the morning. As the truck slowly made its way along the dirt roads towards the town, we picked up many kids and bystanders on the way through. It took a little over an hour to reach our destination; it sure was a bouncy and dusty ride!

The program takes place inside the open-air neighbourhood school in the Kanakantapa area. My wife (a teacher) had the opportunity to teach a lesson about astronomy to the kids with the help of a translator - what fun! At lunch time we ate with the teachers at the school and talked about teaching and the differences in our cultures. They taught us how to eat Zambia's traditional meal, nshima, which most Zambians eat 3 times a day (if they're lucky), 365 days a year. Nshima is basically a maize porridge - it is popular throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although it may go by different names in different countries. You should definitely try it at least once sometime when you're in Zambia. It's rather bland, but a bit of salt and garnish can go a long way in making it at least semi-tasty!

Interacting with Zambian kids is always a rewarding experience - they're genuinely thrilled to see you and love to share their stories and play with you! Soccer, dancing and playing games are just some of the ways African kids like to have fun. The more excited you become, the more excited they will become, of course!

Many people are apprehensive about getting involved while in Africa because they believe they'll have to give up huge amounts of time from their already short trip, but this is not necessarily the case - it is possible to make a difference - even just for a day! The Kanakantapa project is just one example of the many simple ways you can get involved and make a small difference in the lives of some wonderful people. Not only will you help out the community, but you'll have the chance to observe African life in an authentic setting.Close

There is no need to arrange for a visa before you arrive in Zambia whether you enter by land or air; it costs considerably more than obtaining the visa upon entry and is highly inconvenient.Nationals of most countries will pay at least US$25 for a…Read More

There is no need to arrange for a visa before you arrive in Zambia whether you enter by land or air; it costs considerably more than obtaining the visa upon entry and is highly inconvenient.

Nationals of most countries will pay at least US$25 for a single entry visa, US$40 for a double entry visa and US$80 for a multiple entry visa (expensive but often necessary for overland routes).

Due to the rather high cost of the visas, it is useful to know about a little-publicized fact - that it is possible to get into Zambia for FREE if you are "introduced" to Zambia by an establishment on the inside; any hotel, hostel or such outfit can arrange this for you. Usually it is a simple matter of notifying the hostel of your wishes and providing them with your passport information, arrival date, etc; they will then contact the border post or airport ahead of time and you will be entered into the immigration register. When you arrive at the immigration desk, just mention that a waiver has been arranged for you and all should be fine when they find it in their register. Cha-ching - free stuff! We took advantage of this when arriving at the Lusaka airport and also when crossing back into Zambia from Botswana and had no problems in either case.

It is also useful to note that different immigration officials at different border posts will grant you different visas for no apparent reason; therefore it is always prudent to ask for the best possible visa (longer, multiple, etc). We often found that the immigration officials would be willing to give us better visas if we could explain what we were going to use them for. Close

Cyberian Outpost, Zambia's first Internet Café. Livingstone Adventure Centre 216 Mosi O Tunya Rd TEL\FAX: (260-3)324440 cyberian@outpost.co.zm Cyberian also sends faxes, sells coffee and has internet games. …Read More

Cyberian Outpost, Zambia's first Internet Café. Livingstone Adventure Centre 216 Mosi O Tunya Rd TEL\FAX: (260-3)324440 cyberian@outpost.co.zm

Cyberian also sends faxes, sells coffee and has internet games.