Victoria Falls Destination Guide
Victoria Falls offers an array of adventure sports which you might want to try. The white water rafting expedition through the Batoka Gorge is one of the most exciting stretches of river rafting in the world. Equally exhilarating is bungee jumping from the Railway Bridge. If these activities are not for you then there are other ways that you can use to make the most of your trip to Vic Falls!
This Victoria Falls Destination Guide tells you some of the things that you can visit or even some activities you might want to do while here. A good way to explore all the things to see and do is by booking a Victoria Falls tours. For all the travel information you need while holidaying in Victoria Falls visit our Zimbabwe Country Guide.
Victoria Falls Destination Guide
The thrill seekers who come to Victoria Falls are sure to be happy with the array of adventure sports on offer. Those who do not fear heights can go abseiling down the gorge or ride a flying fox from one end to the other. Avid surfers can go river boarding all by themselves. You can float above the Falls in a tandem microlight, which has an open cockpit! If you are not so adventurous then settle for a small plane or an enclosed helicopter to get an equally breathtaking view of the Falls. The naturalist can amble through the surrounding forests on an elephant and get a view from above, while riding on horseback along the reserve can give you a close up view of the animals.
The ultimate attraction, however, remains the waterfall. It is located right before the Railway Bridge on the border of Zambia. The Falls can be accessed through one of the many trails in the forests that surround the Victoria Park. Devil's Cataract and Danger Point are the two vantage viewing points of the Victoria Falls. The Devil's Cataract, at the western edge of the gorge, is identifiable by the statue of David Livingstone. The Danger Point offers a steep sheer view of the gorge and is not for the faint hearted!
The bridge across the gorge was built in 1902 as part of an ambitious plan by Cecil John Rhodes to join Cape to Cairo by rail, which, ultimately, remains an unrealised dream. Though it bears the name of Queen Victoria, the town of Victoria Falls has architecture that is typically Edwardian, like the Victoria Falls station, from where the Bulawayo - Victoria Falls train operates. Another fine example of Edwardian architecture is the colonial Victoria Falls Hotel that was constructed in 1905.
- African Spectacular Show – Traditional Dancing
- Victoria Falls Rainforest
- Bush Walks
- Canoe Safaris
- Casino
- Championship Golf Course
- Crocodile Ranch
- Day Trip to the Chobe National Park - Botswana
- Elephant Back Safaris
- Flight of Angels
- Half Day or Full Day Game Drives
- Livingstone
- White Water Rafting
- Zambesi Horse Trails
- Zambesi River Cruises
- Zambesi Wine Route
African Spectacular Show – Traditional Dancing
Victoria Falls is untouched by the political developments in Harare. It is less troubled than the other parts of Zimbabwe and the people of the town want to kick start the tourism industry.
Victoria Falls Rainforest
Witness Victoria Falls, one of the most amazing geographical features on the planet, as you take a stroll through the evergreen natural rainforest within the Victoria Falls National Park. As the Zambezi River pours itself over the edge of the cliff, plummeting into the 100m + gorge below, plumes of spray dazzled with colours of the rainbow billow upwards, sometimes as high as 1.2 km and then shower down on the vegetation, creating the lush forest framing the pathways and cliffs above the falls.
The picturesque walkways of the Victoria Falls Rainforest are overhung with vines and wind along more or less the entire width of the falls. During the high water season be prepared to get wet at the many spray drenched viewpoints along the way. Marvel the beauty of the individually named falls: Devil's Cataract, Main Falls, Armchair Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls and the Eastern Cataract, which combine to create the greatest curtain of falling water in the world. Keep your eyes open for resident bushbuck, monkeys, reptiles, insects, and birds in the forest.
The Victoria Falls were so named by the missionary and explorer David Livingstone, when he first discovered them in 1855, reportedly from Livingstone Island. Led there by the Karanga people, who referred to the falls as "Mosi-oa-Tunya", the smoke that thunders, Livingstone renamed them Victoria Falls, after his Queen Victoria. A statue of David Livingstone stands proud near the western and lowest point of the falls, the Devil's Cataract.
The rain forest is open 365 days a year; entry is USD 20 per adult and USD 10 for children. Open from 6 am until 6 pm in the low water season and from 6:30 am during high water season. Informative guided tours can be arranged.
