The
beautiful Victoria Falls is located within the Victoria Falls National Park (on
the Zimbabwe side), and the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park (on the Zambia side),
which means that for you to see the entire length of this the largest waterfall
in the world, you will need to enter via two gates in two different countries.
However, people will generally choose one Victoria Falls entrance based on
which country they are staying, and/or the time of the year they are visiting
(visit our Victoria Falls Weather page to read about the seasonal changes).Choosing
which country to stay in is an important decision for various reasons, please
read our Zimbabwe vs Zambia page to read about the pro's and cons of each side,
but at this point it is worth mentioning that 75% of the Falls are viewable
from Zimbabwe and 25% from Zambia.
The
two entrance gates are close to both border posts, with the Victoria Falls
Bridge connecting them. Apart from these two entrances the only other way to
see the Falls is from Livingstone island, from the air, from below either
rafting or a boiling pot hike or a small section from the bridge.If you book a
guided Tour of the Falls, you will have no problem getting there because your
tour operator will pick you up from your hotel/lodge. But if you want to do a
self guided tour, then you will have to make your own way there.
A
taxi costs about US$5 to US$10 to get to the Victoria Falls entrance, dependant
on the distance your lodging is from the gate. However, if you are staying at
Kingdom Hotel, Victoria Falls Hotel, Ilala Lodge, N1 Hotel or Explorer's
Village, it is a 10-minute walk to get to the entrance on the Zimbabwe side.
Avid walkers can walk from the bed and breakfast lodges about 3 kms from the
entrance, although we do not recommend this during the hot summer afternoons.
Shuttle
Buses
Some
hotels such as those on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge complex, Cresta
Sprayview Hotel or Elephant Hills Hotel have hourly shuttle buses which you can
hop on to get there and back, at no extra cost. You should discuss the pickup
times with your driver.When you arrive, you will find a parking lot and curio
market on the right side of the road, as well as a few vendors selling cold
soft drinks and water, snacks and ice-cream. If you wish to rent or buy a
poncho, you can do so at this market.The entrance to the rainforest is on the
left side of the road. You will need to check in at the booth on the left of
the gate, produce your passport or identification card (if you are SADC or
Zimbabwean), and the parks cashier will let you know the charges. This payment
covers a single entry to the Victoria Falls. So if you decide to exit, you will
need to pay again to re-enter. Payment can be made in cash or via credit/debit
card - (MasterCard or Visa).
Inside
the Park
Once
you have paid your entrance fees, and entered the park, you will see in front
of you an information centre with maps and information on the Zambezi River,
Victoria Falls and it's formation. There is a nice curio shop just beyond and
to the right is the Rainforest Cafe, which serves very good light meals and
lunches and has restrooms.Outside the Rainforest Cafe within the Victoria Falls
National Park rainforest - ZimbabweTouring the Rainforest
You
will notice a clear cobblestone pathway leading from the entrance gate to
viewpoint #1 and from there the paths are easy to follow all the way through
the rainforest. At some of the viewpoints, there are rudimentary barriers for your protection but towards the eastern
end of the Falls there are no barriers at all, one has to be very careful at these
points for obvious reasons.Barriers at the edge of the Victoria Falls
rainforest –Zimbabwe Rudimentary stick barriers at the rainforest viewpoints -
these tourists are not taking much notice!
Danger
Point at the edge of the Zimbabwe side - no barriers
On
a guided tour of the Victoria Falls, your guide will take you around the
different view points, sharing in-depth knowledge on the waterfall and it's
history, beginning a viewpoint #1 and Livingstone's Statue (see the map below).
If you are touring on your own, which is quite easy to do, it's easiest to
start from there as well and work your way eastward. See a breakdown of the
different viewpoints here.The park has early opening hours, which during some
times of the year (February to September) allows you to catch the sunrise from
inside the park. This is a highly recommended, as not only is it a spectacular
sight but the park is often very quiet at that time of day and you can end up
having a natural wonder of the world all to yourself. Specialised sunrise
photographic tours are also available.
During
the morning the rainbows are excellent over Devils Cataract as the sun is
behind you looking east to west, but the best time to catch rainbows in the
perfect position over main falls is between 2pm and 4pm (pictured below). These
are the classic rainbows as seen on postcards. Specialised photographic rainbow
tours are also available, whereby the guide knows the position of the rainbows
throughout the year and can guide and place you in the perfect spot at the
right time.Main Falls with perfectly positioned rainbow. Picture taken at 2pm.
During
the middle of the day the sun is overhead so the rainbows are not clearly
visible and would only be seen right at the bottom of the gorge.After 4pm the
sun is getting a bit low and the rainbows are high in the sky or not visible at
all and shadows are starting to be cast on the Falls themselves. Although it's
a magical time of day, if you are only visiting the Falls once then don't go in
after 4pm as you are not seeing them at their most glorious.The best place to
view the late afternoon is from Danger point (#15) but remember that the gate
closes at 6pm and you are at the most furthest point from the exit gate, so
allow enough time. You will not be able to watch the sunset from this point, as
there is just not enough time.For more detailed information on rainbows their
positions and taking photographs of them please read out Tips on taking
Photographs of Victoria Falls If you want to make your own way from
Livingstone, you can catch a taxi, this will cost about K100 (approx. $10).
Shuttle
Buses
If
you are staying at Avani or the Royal Livingstone Hotel, you have free access
to the Victoria Falls and it is an easy walk through their own exit gate which
is right by the verification gate to the Falls. Guests at David Livingstone
Safari Lodge, Tongabezi Lodge or some of the lodges in Livingstone town can use
the shuttle service provided by the hotel.On Arrival The entrance to the
Zambian side of the Falls is about 50m before the immigration post, if coming
from Livingstone and is a small building (pictured above) where you pay the
entrance fee and get your tickets. As with the Zimbabwe park, your entrance fee
will afford you only one entry, so if you exit the park, you will have to pay
again for re-entry. The road bears to the right and in about 50m you will see a
large curio market selling Zambian souvenirs (pictured below). Raincoats/poncho's
are also available for hire here. There is also a lack lustre cafe for a snack
and refreshments. Another small gate, where you show your tickets, allows you
entry to the Park itself.The park opens daily at 6am, and closes at 6pm (all
year round) Sign showing directions of viewpoints in Zambia side of Victoria
Falls
Inside
the Park
Once
you have entered the park, you will find a selection of clearly marked pathways
taking you to different sections of the Victoria Falls, including viewpoints of
the Victoria Falls bridge behind and Zambezi River below. The Knife's Edge
bridge (pictured below) is a footbridge which spans a deep gorge and affords
you access to the western most viewing point on the Zambian side. From this
bridge, you can see the full view of the Eastern Cataract, except during the
peak flow months when the spray obliterates the view completely. The Boiling
Pot trail takes you on a steep descent into the Boiling Pot, and another path
takes you upstream close to the edge of the Falls, looking onto the Zambezi
River before it plummets over the edge and into the gorge. Map of the
viewpoints in the Victoria Falls Rainforest, Zambia Please be aware that during
the months of late September, October, November and even early December (if the
rains are late), the Zambian side of the Falls, also known as the eastern
cataract are completely dry, there is only an impressive dry rock face. During
these months it is important to view the Falls from the Zimbabwean side and/or
Livingstone Island. During the peak flow months of February, March, April and
May, because the gorge is narrow and the paths are so close to the Falls, the
incredible volumes of spray can obliterate the view. It is advisable during
these months to also view the Falls from above either in a helicopter or a
microlight.Sunrise is always a magical time to be up and about. At this time of
day the light is beautiful and it will be very peaceful and quiet, however
unlike the Zimbabwean side, because the the lay of the land and movement of the
sun, you don't get to see the sun rising above the Falls, except for a short
period, from certain angles, in June and July.
Mid-mornings
and mid-afternoons are both good for Rainbows, as you can view east to west in
the mornings and west to east in the afternoon. Midday is the worst for
rainbows as there is very little angle for the sun to create them, however the
sun is bright and you can see deep into the gorge. As mentioned earlier though,
in the dry months there is just a dry rock face so no rainbows are visible at
all. In the peak flow months there is so much spray it is difficult to see
anything except from the viewpoints just as you enter the park and those going
upstream.One of the Zambian sides great advantages over the Zimbabwean side is
that the exit gate is close to 1st view point, so you can watch the sunset over
the Victoria Falls and still exit the park before the gate closes. For several
months of the year the sunsets directly down the length of the Falls which is a
spectacular site. Check out the Photographers Ephemeris website for which
months.
The
Victoria Falls is essentially a safe place as long as you use your good
judgement and don't break the rules or do anything silly..
•
There are wild animals in the Victoria Falls National Park, and that includes
the rainforest. While there aren't any common predators, you may come across
the more nervous species such as warthog and bushbuck, or the cheeky monkeys
and baboons (hide your food!). Be sure to keep your distance and never feed the
animals. Keep an eye out for snakes along the path as well but generally they
are more scared of you than you are of them.
•
Stay on the designated paths at all times.
•
The barriers along the way are there to keep you safe, so do not cross them.
Beyond the barriers, you risk falling down a sheer cliff.
•
Make sure that you have a protective kit for your cameras and passports because
you will get wet while walking through the rainforest.
•
Some spots along the path are slippery and are at a gradient, so wear shoes
that have good grip and are comfortable to walk in. You will be walking at
least 2kms from point #1 to the edge near the bridge, so avoid anything too
tight and/or heavy.
•
At Danger Point, there are no barriers and during high water season, the rocks
are very slippery. Exercise extreme caution at this point of your tour.
•
Like all nature reserves, Victoria Falls National Park is protected area.
Therefore, you are not allowed to take samples of the natural habitat. Take
nothing but photographs, and leave nothing but footprints.
•
Don't use Drones, if you are caught you will face a hefty penalty and a lot of
red tape.
Useful
links
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