Victoria Falls – the Perfect Itinerary

⛲️ If you have a trip planned to Victoria Falls & you need an itinerary to blow your socks off… then you have arrived in the right place. Our guide to Victoria Falls covers ALL the highlights!

This Victoria Falls itinerary is going to be a fun one I promise you that! There is so much to do and see that you could spend a couple of weeks here (like we did). Or, if you only have a few days, you’ll need to pick some from our list below and build your own itinerary for Victoria Falls. Whatever the case, it’s a guaranteed good time!

We are super fortunate that our very good friends live in Victoria Falls. As such we had the best recommendations, including the best activities and tours for a Vic Falls holiday of a lifetime, with a few hidden gems in the mix. So if you like to experience some of the lesser known spots to visit in Victoria Falls, then read on. Also get our recommendations on where to stay and the best places to eat!

So below you’ll find a list of all our favourite things to see and do in Victoria Falls, which should act as a guide to help you put together an itinerary that best suits you.

Activities for Your Victoria Falls Itinerary

Victoria Falls

Obviously this needs to be at the top of the list. And there are a couple of ways you might like to see Victoria Falls… by foot or by air.

By Foot

The falls stretch across a 1.7km wall. Plan to get there early in the morning and we recommend taking a light rain jacket. Depending on when you go in the year, will depend on how wet you are going to get. From February to May the falls are at their peak. During this time of year, the volume of water spray coming off the falls will certainly drench onlookers.

You’ll purchase your ticket at the entrance to the national park. This is located not far from Victoria Falls township, towards the bridge that leads to Zambia. Begin your walk here, and simply follow the path ducking in and out of the view points along the way. For example, the Devil’s Cataract lookout at the starting point of the falls is a great vantage to see the falls from the edge. This point is where the Zambezi river begins it’s descent over the falls.

Check out some of these tours I hand selected below, for a guided option.

By Air

Book a flight here for a totally unique experience. A 15 minute helicopter flight over the falls just puts it all into perspective. I’m going to recommend you see it towards the end of the day. The pre-evening light showcases the falls in all their majestic glory!

If you’re lucky you’ll get to spot elephants and giraffes from the air, in the wild, doing their thing as you transit between the airfield and the falls. It is a very special experience indeed!

Chobe National Park Day Trip

Now I know this isn’t technically, Victoria Falls or even Zimbabwe for that matter. But a safari day trip to Botswana, to visit the Chobe National Park is so close, and so worth it!

🐘🦒🦛 I have so many photos from this day safari, that selecting just a few was a challenge. So I apologise for the safari spamming, but honestly it was unavoidable.

Also, if you have young kids, they are going to love this trip. You’ll spot all the exciting big game and it’s the perfect balance of safari and adventure. Let me tell you why…

Beginning the day, it’s an early start as a driver will pick you up from wherever you are staying, then get you to the border of Botswana. You’ll arrive here as the sun begins to come up, and from here it’s a short drive to the Chobe National Park.

Here is the best part… half of the trip is game drive, while the other half is on a river boat. This combination means you get to see the animals up close and personal, by both land and river. For the kids, it means the trip is broken up into smaller manageable timeframes.

You can book your trip right here. A 10 hour safari costs around €155 per person. While the price won’t include your visa costs and tips, but includes just about everything else… such as lunch, park entry fees and transport.

Zambezi National Park

The Zambezi National Park, is upstream of the Victoria Falls and is a lovely park to self-drive through. We highly recommend that you rent a car and plan a picnic or breakfast here. It’s not a big park and a visit will likely not take more than a couple of hours.

The park opens at 6am and closes at 6pm. Entrance costs in USDs for international visitors is $15 for conservation fees, and $10 for the vehicle. See more about Zambezi National Park here.

We recommend you check out Discover Cars for car rental in Victoria Falls. There are plenty of options to choose from, with a pickup from the airport it doesn’t get any easier. What’s more, driving around Victoria Falls is very easy!

To get to Zambezi National Park, head north out of town on Mosi-Oa-Tunya road, which runs near the Zambezi River. Eventually you will arrive at the entrance where you’ll pay the entrance fees.

Once again, it’s a good idea to get here early to spot the wildlife. There are beautiful birds about, kudu, giraffes, elephants and more, so keep your eyes peeled and take a good zoom lens.

A word of advice, as you picnic beside the river. Don’t let the kids play in the car or they might leave a light on and run the battery flat. With no cell-phone reception and few people passing by, it might be a while before you’re found. Fortunately, you might bump into a few people who have come to disable poaching traps, and who will kindly give you a jump start. Yup, might have happened to us. Just saying… be careful!

Best Tours to Book for Zambezi NAtional Park

Alternatively, if you’d rather not self-drive then below we’ve selected the three best guided tours for Zambezi National Park. These are the highest reviewed tours, each lasting approximately 3 hours, the park entrance fees are not included. But click through for more details.

I will say it’s no Chobe, so don’t expect to see quite the same abundance of wildlife. Nonetheless, it’s a tranquil place and beautiful to visit if given the chance.

Elephant Encounter

Visit an elephant sanctuary and orphanage with Wild Horizons. This is a lovely walk to do with children aged 5 and above. The crew will collect you from town and take you to the elephant orphanage not far out of town.

Jumping into a safari truck you’ll head out to the elephants, who will be with their caretakers in the bush. After spending a little time with them, together you’ll walk with the elephants to a feeding station. Then you’ll be able to feed them a few healthy treats, and hear about conservation efforts taken to protect the elephants.

This trip will take about 2½ to 3 hours in total. And is a great little visit to schedule into a morning or afternoon on your itinerary.

The Big Tree

Yes! There is a very big old baobab tree that you need to see. This tree is 24 metres high and is located about 2km beyond the township of Victoria Falls. These days it’s protected by a large fence that surrounds the parameters.

Getting there is relatively easy, as it’s not far from town. But it’s definitely a good idea to take a taxi or if you have a rental car, then even better you can take yourself there. Elephants roam very freely out here. Therefore, it’s not a great idea to walk outside of the Victoria Falls township, should an elephant happen to cross your path!

Bungy Jump or Gorge Swing

If you happen to be the adventure junky kind of tourist then there is plenty to keep you going.

Check out the bungy jump from Victoria Falls Bridge. There were a steady stream of jumpers ready to throw themselves off this bridge. We were not one of these enthusiasts. But we did stand and watch for a while, living vicariously through their courage!

Not complete cowards though, we did give the gorge swing a go (well the hubster did)! It was super well organised and a pretty impressive drop if I’m to be honest.

However, there are a number of leap related activities based around the falls. I’ve selected the top three below, the Canopy Tour, the Flying Fox, and the Gorge Swing. All of these activities are run by the same company we used for the Gorge Swing. We honestly can’t recommend them highly enough.

And if loosing your stomach isn’t your thing, there is always white water rafting which you can give a whirl.

Free Elephant Hills Golf Course Walk

This rates as one of my favourites. (You can see where my need for adrenaline sits on the spectrum.) Get an early start, and make your way to the golf course just out of town.

This activity is completely free and is the most incredible way to start the day. Make your way up and down the fairways and greens and you’ll spot the likes of monkeys, impala, warthogs and guinea fowl to name just a few.

The monkeys get over friendly, so watch if you have kids. And if you happen to go later in the day you’ll be dodging golf balls, so the earlier the better.

Free Vulture Feeding Experience

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge do a daily vulture feeding at 1pm. This activity will cost you nothing. Just turn up to the lodge about 30 mins before the feeding starts and have a coffee or cold drink on the verandah.

This activity attracts a few tourists, so it can be quite busy. But it is actually very fascinating. Vulture populations, so we learned, are facing decline. Threats such as poisoning, mean that they need to be protected, given that they play an important role in the ecosystem.

So each day, the lodge feeds these giant birds all their reserved meat scraps and bones. And so just before feeding time, you’ll be taken down to watch as the guide spreads it out, then quickly gets himself out of the way! The birds descend, and for a few chaotic minutes a feeding frenzy ensues. It’s pretty impressive to watch.

Sundowners at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

At some stage during your trip, plan a visit back to the same Victoria Falls Safari Lodge for the sunset. The view is gorgeous. And as you sit perched high up on the verandah, with a gin and tonic in hand, overlooking the plains, you’ll see the wildlife coming to the waterhole for a drink. Giraffes, kudu and all kinds, meet side by side to quench their thirst.

Take a Zambezi River Cruise

A Zambezi on the Zambezi is an absolute must! There are several dinner river cruises that run sunset cruises, just out of the Victoria Falls township. They range in price, so look around which one is going to suit you best.

These three below with Get Your Guide, are the best we’ve found, each offering a slightly different experience.

Where to Shop in Victoria Falls

Hit the streets to find some cool african artefacts. The Elephant’s Walk Shopping Village is a great place to walk around and find yourself something special.

Further around behind the Elephant Walk are men and women selling clothes, crafts, carvings and so on. This is more market style shopping, and there is plenty lined up to tempt you.

Where to Stay in Victoria Falls

If you are looking for a bit of luxury then check out the Victoria Falls River Lodge. The Island Treehouse Suites and the Luxury Tented Suites are a unique experience and will make your stay truly special.

If you are looking for something closer to town and less pricey check the map below for some great deals.

Booking.com

Where to Eat in Victoria Falls

High Tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel

This hotel has some serious history and some time spent here is highly recommended.

The grounds are beautiful and they overlook the Victoria Falls Bridge. Wander across the large grounds as warthogs meander casually about. And if you book in a high tea, then you are in for a treat my friend. Three tiers of goodies is a fabulous way to fill a few hours.

Zambezi House

Now this became a bit of a family favourite. We returned four times during our stay for the menu, the espresso martinis and the view. The Zambezi House is very cleverly constructed out of shipping containers, complete with a giant tree centerpiece growing straight up out of the ground. I documented it well, which may well serve as a blueprint for my future dream home.

They have a fabulous pizza oven, for which they kindly let our girls make there own pizzas. (One of the reasons for our frequent returns.) The menu was unique, and the food was simple, yet delicious in every way.

2023 UPDATE: These guys are temporarily closed! We’ll let you know when they reopen.

The Dusty Road Township Experience

With the help of some insider knowledge, we were super lucky to find out about the Dusty Road about a week after they had opened.

This forward thinking restaurant creates very special lunches and dinners with local tradition and produce in mind. Their knowledge behind the produce, which they carefully weave into every dish is done thoughtfully. And there is a story and purpose behind every aspect of this dining experience. From the cups, to the table to the displays and of course to the food… the Dusty Road is an experience not to miss!

The River Brewing Co

For an evening of boogy and bevvie head to the River Brewing Co. The craft beers are really good, and they put on a great live show. Keep an eye out for the Flying Bantu, a local band who describe their sound as afro-fusion. If you are lucky you’ll be able to catch them playing live at the River every now and again.

The Three Monkeys

The Three Monkeys is a great lunch spot for a burger and a cold drink. And as you wait for your meal, look over towards the train sitting parked up on the railway. You might catch sight of a few cheeky monkeys sneaking inside to cause havoc and mischief.

Try the crocodile on the menu for something just a little bit different.

A Special Thanks!

Victoria Falls is such a special place and we hope to go back one day. It’s one of those destinations that you just can’t get enough of. We’d like to say a very special thanks to our good friends Bud and Guy for welcoming us to their home town and for showing us the best of it.

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If you loved this itinerary for Victoria Falls, then you might be interested in other African destinations.

Check out this guide on trekking gorillas in Uganda.

Or, perhaps you are looking for a beach holiday? Then you’ll love this post on the best things to do in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Or, plan an unforgettable visit to Cape Town, South Africa.