Victoria Falls

Victoria falls is one of the natural seven wonders of the world and also the largest waterfall in the world, spanning 1,708m wide and up to 108m tall! 

Victoria falls is in both Zimbabwe and Zambia, with 75% being in Zimbabwe and the other 25% in Zambia. 

The traditional local name for the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to ‘The Smoke That Thunders’. This was the name for the falls before David Livingstone became the first European to see Victoria Falls in 1855 and named them after Queen Victoria. 

We spent 3 nights in Victoria Falls (we were supposed to stay 4 nights but that’s a story for another day) and managed to pack in a lot of activities in this time. 

There are a variety of activities surrounding Victoria Falls in both the Zimbabwe and the Zambia side in the blog post below.

Currency

The currency in Zimbabwe is the Zimbabwe Gold and the currency in Zambia is the Zambian Kwacha. However, in the Victoria Falls area we only used US dollars and didn’t even have any of the Zimbabwean or Zambian currency on us.

How to get there

To get to Victoria Falls you will have to connect through a major African city, typically either Cape Town or Johannesburg using Airlink, South African Airways or FlySafair, in South Africa, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia using Ethiopian Airlines or through Nairobi in Kenya using Kenya Airways.

You could also travel overland from Botswana if you have been visiting Chobe National Park.

When to visit Victoria Falls

January - March 

Peak rainy season meaning the surrounding landscape is very green and lush. It can be quite hot and humid with thunderstorms most afternoons

March - May

This is not the best time to visit due to the Falls water level being very high due to the rainy season having just finished. This makes it difficult to see the falls and have clear views because of an increase in the amount of mist. 

June - September 

The water level has started to decrease making the visibility of the falls better than the past few months. Towards the end of August/beginning of October you are able to swim in Devils Pool at the top of the falls because the water level is low enough. 

October - November 

This is usually the hottest time of the year to visit where the water level is at its lowest. This can sometimes mean on the Zambian side the falls is completely dried up. 

December 

The rain starts to pick up again increasing the amount of water at the falls. 

I visited in August and the water level was still quite high which created a beautiful flow of water over the falls with a slight mist but great visibility and lots of rainbows.