Visiting Victoria Falls: a first-timer's guide
21.07.2023 - 08:30
/ roughguides.com
/ Keith Drew
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls are wider than Niagara and higher than Iguazú – and have more activities on offer than both of them combined. Rough Guides Managing Editor Keith Drew has the lowdown on everything you need to know about Africa’s adventure capital.
Both. The lion's share of the Falls are in Zimbabwe, and it's here that you'll get the best overall impression of their epic scale – all 1700m of thundering whitewater cascades. The numerous lookouts that run along the gorge inside Victoria Falls National Park include show-stopping views of the Devil’s Cataract; precarious Danger Point; and the spectacular Main Falls, the largest single sheet of water in the world.
On the Zambian side, the lookout points in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park give you another angle entirely. Watch the water plummet over the edge from just a few feet behind the Eastern Cataract, or cross the sliver of a bridge to Knife Point Island for that in-the-thick-of-it feeling.
You can also climb down to the river’s edge to the so-called Boiling Pot, named for the way the water rebounds off the rock face to create a treacherous swirl of criss-crossing currents.
Victoria Falls sunset, view from Zambia © FCG/Shutterstock
When the water levels are high, from around March to June, you’ll get absolutely soaked, particularly at Viewpoints 9 to 15 on the Zimbabwean side and around Knife Point Island in Zambia. The spray from the Falls can be so heavy that the island (and its bridge) are showered in a constant “downpour”.
Wear quick-drying clothes and flip-flops and hire one of the ponchos that are available to rent on both sides – they’ll also protect your camera.
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It’s not cheap, but for sheer once-in-a-lifetime thrills, a morning microlight flight over the Falls is an absolute must. Exposed to the rushing wind, you’ll buzz over the Zambezi River, soar around the Falls and then plunge through the upper wisps of the Smoke That Thunders itself.
The flight will also give you an aerial lesson in geology that you just can’t get from the ground; you’ll get a good view of the previous gorges that have been carved out over millennia further down the river. Batoka Sky, on the Zambian side, is the only company in the Victoria Falls area that organises microlight flights.
You've heard right. Though that's something of an understatement. In many ways, rafting was where it all began for Victoria Falls Town, and in season (around August to December), the Zambezi still boasts the best whitewater on the planet.
Pick a company that knows its stuff, such as Shearwater, and prepare yourself for a day of getting bucked off rapids with names such as The Washing Machine, Double Trouble and Oblivion.
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