Victoria Falls is a town in the western portion of Zimbabwe, across the border from Livingstone, Zambia, and near Botswana. The town lies immediately next to the falls, and they are the major attraction, but this popular tourist destination offers both adventure seekers and sightseers plenty of opportunities for a longer stay.
No doubt about it, Mosi-oa-Tunya (meaning "The Smoke That Thunders") – but more commonly known as Victoria Falls – is one of the most amazing sights in the world. The Falls are twice as tall as Niagara Falls, and several times longer. Although not the highest, widest or greatest volume of water, they have the largest sheet of water for any fall in the world, and are a sight not to be missed. It took thousands of years of erosion for Victoria Falls to appear as and where it does now.
If you stay in the swanky hotels downtown, or even some of the budget accommodation options just outside the downtown area, walking is manageable. Most of the places are no more than 3 km away from Victoria Falls. Some of the hotels in Victoria Falls are not really in Vic Falls, but most of these have their own transfer services. Cabs are plentiful, and should not cost more than $6 for a ride.
The obvious thing to see is of course the Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders) and Shungu Namutitima (Boiling Water) in Lozi and Tonga languages respectively. Considered one of the seven natural wonder of the world. Watch and listen to the roar of 1088m³/second of water plunge into a 100m gorge below. The fall is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia (the Zambian side is covered in the article for Livingstone). Both sides preserve the natural rainforest which is present because of the continuous spray from the falls. 1 Victoria Falls National Park (Rainforest gate right by the Zimbabwe border post). 06:00-18:00.
Prices for activities vary. As of July 2019 the company Wild Horizons appears to be the cheapest, but you will get cheaper prices by not going direct. Wild Horizons website Bungee jumping, swing and zip wires rides take place from the bridge and the surrounding gorge. Price for a jump is $168 and for a combo $240. Visit the grand Victoria Falls Hotel for a magnificent view of the bridge. This first-class hotel has survived the country's woes, though it has lost its shine. The public areas and corridors are a museum of antique art, maps and photographs making it a kind of museum.
The centre has a few coffee shops, sandwich shops, and fast food options. For a few US dollars, you can feed an entire family. All of the hotels have restaurants, and it is common to sample a new one each night. One place not to miss for a sundowner: The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge offers à-la-carte dinner, and the Boma offers an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner with authentic African dancing (US$45 excluding drinks, July 2019).
Victoria Falls is not known anymore for its tremendous nightlife. There are a few small bars near the town centre, but they are not well-lit. It might be fun to stop in, but be careful. The River Brewing Co serves its own beer. Alternatively, all the hotels feature huge, well-stocked bars. However, the prices will be higher, and you might not feel that you are in Africa anymore.
You can expect to be met by tourist police on your arrival in Victoria Falls. They are plentiful around the town and the falls and can be trusted. You can identify them by their yellow vests. Zimbabwe is very keen to keep tourists safe following a period of instability which saw visitors at risk, and tourists on the Zimbabwean side drop dramatically. Sometimes it feels like there are more tourist police than tourists. If you are staying at one of the resorts, it is likely that the guards at the resorts will keep an eye on you on the paths to the falls until you are within site of the tourist police. Touts are aggressive and desperate and best avoided.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Sep, Victoria Falls typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 1 rainy days.
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