If you are looking for the ultimate family adventure in Africa, then you need to visit Victoria Falls with kids.
Not only is Victoria Falls one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the area surrounding Victoria Falls has so many adventurous activities to try. In fact, it has often been referred to as the Adventure Capital of Africa.
Our family vacation to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana is one of the most memorable we’ve done to date and that is in large part thanks to the incredible experience we had at Victoria Falls.
We put together this guide to help you to get the most out of your visit to Victoria Falls with kids and to avoid the mistakes we made.
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Everything you need to know about visiting Victoria Falls with kids
Our guide covers all the information you will need to plan your family trip to Victoria Falls including visiting the falls themselves, where to stay and what to do in the area.
We booked everything through Go2Africa. They are the leading luxury tour operator in Africa and can help plan every aspect of your trip.
But first up – some background information on Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls – Quick facts
- Victoria Falls is situated on the Zambezi River and forms a natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- It is known locally as “Mosi oa Tunya” which translates as “The Smoke that Thunders” and you will see why if you visit in the rainy season.
- It was discovered by the explorer David Livingstone in 1855 and is one of the largest waterfalls in the world, spanning over 1,700 meters in width and reaching heights of up to 108 meters.
- Victoria Falls was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989 and was voted to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
- Victoria Falls lies within Mosi Oa Tunya National Park on the Zambian side and Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwean side where you will find lots of incredible wildlife.
- You can visit Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe and from Zambia. There are two entrances and each side offers a unique experience.
Getting to Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls Zimbabwe
If you are visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, you will most likely fly into Victoria Falls airport. The airport is about 10 miles outside of the town of Victoria Falls.
We recommend Wild Horizons for transfers in and around Victoria Falls. They are a big tour operator there.
Victoria Falls Zambia
If you are flying into Livingstone in Zambia, you will be about 10 miles from the entrance to Victoria Falls on the Zambian side.
If you need a transfer, we highly recommend Obey Hamuchema Tours. He is just a one man band based in Livingstone but he is such a lovely guy with excellent English. His email is ohamuchamba@gmail.com and his whatsapp is +26 0979 202060.
Best time to visit Victoria Falls
We have a much more detailed guide on visiting Victoria Falls at various times of the year so we’ll keep this brief.
Getting the time right is crucial to your enjoyment but everyone is different so one person’s right time is completely wrong for another person. So…
If you are looking for the big impactful ‘wow’ moment with water thundering around you and mist drenching every part of you and rainsbows galore, then you need to visit when the water levels are at their highest. This is in March or April at the end of the rainy season.
If you want to sit on the edge of the falls at Devil’s Pool (for that insane experience), you need to visit when the water levels are low. Devil’s Pool usually opens towards the end of August. The lowest water levels are lowest in November at the end of the dry season and before the rains start again in December.
If you have to travel when the waterfall is at its lowest, then you need to visit on the Zimbabwean side for a better view. Water flow is permanent on the Zimbabwean side but still not very impressive. It will have completely dried up on the Zambian side.
It is easy to cross the border (you can even walk across the border if you are feeling adventurous).
If you are staying in Zambia and wish to cross into Zimbabwe once to visit the falls, you just need a single entry visa (check the visa requirements for your own country).
The ideal time to visit Victoria Falls as considered by most people is in September when the weather is great, there is water flowing and most of the adventure activities like white water rafting and Devil’s Pool are available. It is also a good time to go on safari.
By the way, rainbows (weather dependent) are better from the Zambian side and in the morning before the sun rises to much and before there is too much mist.
Victoria Falls entrance fees
There are two ways to see Victoria Falls. You can visit in Zimbabwe and you can visit in Zambia.
Here are the current entrance fees for Victoria Fall National Park (Zimbabwe). You can also check here in case of any updates.
|
Category |
Entrance Fee |
|---|---|
|
Zimbabwean Visitors |
$7 |
|
SADC Visitors |
$30 |
|
International Visitors |
$50 |
**All children between 6 and 12 years old pay 50% of the adult fee, and children under 6 enter free of charge**
Here are the current entrance fees for Mosi-Os-Tunya National Park (Zambia). You can also check here in case of updates.
|
Category |
Entrance Fee |
|---|---|
|
Zambian Visitors |
$1.50 |
|
SADC Visitors |
$5 |
|
International Visitors |
$10 |
**All children between 6 and 12 years old pay 50% of the adult fee, and children under 6 enter free of charge**
Before making your decision on which side to visit, a few things to bear in mind are:
- 75% of the Falls are viewable from the Zimbabwean side and 25% from the Zambian side.
- The Falls are best viewed from the Zimbabwean side during the dry season.
- Devil’s Pool and Knife Edge Bridge are only accessed from the Zambian side.
Both of our lodges included tours of Victoria Falls in the accommodation price (as well as river cruises and game drives) so we didn’t have to organise tickets ourselves.
We stayed at Elephant Hills on the Zimbabwe side and Old Drift Lodge. See more on these lodges in the next section. They really were spectacular.
Where to stay to visit Victoria Falls
Where you decide to stay will probably be dictated by your whole itinerary, not just by visiting Victoria Falls.
For example, will you be doing a safari in Zambia or Zimbabwe?
Having said that, if you are just visiting the Falls, you need to take into account a few things.
- If visiting in the dry season, you will want to visit the Zimbabwean side.
- The majority of the other activities take place in and around Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe.
- Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe is small and easy to get around with lots of good restaurants and has a real holiday town feel to it.
- Livingstone in Zambia is large, busy and not very touristy and about 10 miles from the entrance to Victoria Falls.
We visited both the Zambian and the Zimbabwean sides and stayed here:
Elephant Camp (Zimbabwe)
Elephant Camp is located on the road to the airport about 6 miles to the falls entrance. We stayed in a luxury safari style tent with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a private plunge pool and views over Victoria Falls National Park.
Several trips were included in our stay (visiting Victoria Falls, a safari drive with sundowners and a visit to the neighbouring elephant sanctuary).
The staff were so friendly and the food was amazing. Check below for rates and availability or speak to Go2Africa to include it as part of a package.
Old Drift Lodge (Zimbabwe)
Old Drift Lodge is about another 6 miles from the falls but it is located on the banks of the Zambezi inside Zambezi National Park. We were picked up by boat and enjoyed a lovely transfer, passing hippos and other aquatic wildlife.
Old Drift is a luxury lodge and we stayed in a gorgeous 2 bedroom family safari tent with 2 bathrooms, a plunge pool and even a bath on our decking overlooking the river.
The rate includes tours such as visiting Victoria Falls, game drives, sunset river cruises. See the activities on offer here and below to compare rates or speak to Go2Africa to include it as part of a package.
Thorntree River Lodge (Zambia)
Thorntree River Lodge is a luxury lodge near Livingstone in Zambia almost on the opposite side of the river to Old Drift.
It really is an incredible place where everything is perfect from the welcome massage to the luxurious rooms with plunge pools overlooking the river and the excellent food and wine.
Tours are also included in the rates here (visiting Victoria Falls, guided walking safari to see white rhinos, game drives).
We also saw hippos walking by the tent at night. See below links to compare rates or speak to Go2Africa to include it as part of a package.
What to wear to visit Victoria Falls
What you need to wear to visit Victoria Falls will depend on the time of year you are visiting.
If you are visiting in the rainy season, the less the better! You are going to get wet, even if you hire one of the ponchos available at the market stalls outside the entrances.
When we first visited Victoria Falls it was during the dry season in November. It was hot and sunny and we wore shorts and t-shirt and sturdy shoes. There was not a drop of mist anywhere.
On our next visit it was at the end of the rainy season when water levels were at their highest. We were wearing ponchos but the water got everywhere. We had even brought our big camera with us. Big mistake. It got soaked and I don’t think it has been right since!
For our third visit it was still rainy season and we ditched the ponchos and wore quick dry clothes and flip flops. We left the big camera at home and thankfully our smartphones were waterproof.
Having said this, you can avoid the mist in the rainy season. You don’t get drenched the minute you set foot through the entrance gates. There are certain points around the trails that are worse than others.
You could stay dry by avoiding the points closest to the fall – but this is where you get the best views so it would be a shame to miss it.
Regarding footwear, you may want to wear walking boots if they are waterproof but in our experience, they weren’t necessary. Trainers will be fine in the dry season.
We were concerned that the walkways would be slippery with all the mist but flip flops were fine in the end. Bear in mind you will be walking through puddles.
Is Victoria Falls dangerous?
With names like Devil’s Pool, Danger Point and Knife Edge Bridge, it’s no surprise people ask us whether visiting Victoria Falls is safe.
In general yes, it is safe. The paths are very clearly marked are in good condition. There are a few steps down to some viewpoints and there are signs to tell you to stay away from the edge.
Having said that, you do need to keep an eye on kids because there are parts where the barrier is just a flimsy fence made from twigs!
In the rainy season, the mist can be so overwhelming that you can’t see far ahead of you so you need to keep kids close.
And we’re not going to lie, there have been some fatalities but these have (presumably) been by tourists being completely reckless.
At Danger Point the rocks are very slippery and there isn’t much of a barrier so we would advise to keep young kids away from there.
We would recommend getting a guided tour. The tour guide will alert you to the areas that are more precarious than others.
Your lodge may provide a guide but if not, see below for some great tour options.
Victoria Falls tours
Here are some highly rated tours of Victoria Falls that we recommend checking out.
|
Private tour of Victoria Falls (one side only) | |
|
Tour of both Zambian and Zimbabwean side | |
|
Devil’s Pool tour (small group and age 12+) | |
|
Once in a lifetime helicopter tour |
Things we wished we had known before visiting Victoria Falls with kids
Don’t drink the water. This is not just your standard ‘don’t drink the water while traveling’ advice.
We mean don’t drink the waterfall spray! As tempting as it may be to look up to the sky as you are being pumelled by waterfall mist and open your mouth, don’t do it!
We can’t be 100% sure but we think this is the reason one of our kids got very sick. If you think about it, that water is coming from the river. It is not rain. Would you drink river water in Africa?
Do not bring an expensive camera during the wet season. It will get wet and you can’t get good shots of the falls with so much mist. This really applies to amateurs like ourselves but if you are a professional with all the correct waterproof gear then go for it!
Try and time your visit to witness the Lunar Moon. This natural phenomenon occurs each full moon (and a day either side) during the high water season between April and July. During this time the park opens in the evening (18.00 to midnight).
Other things to do near Victoria Falls
As we mentioned at the start, there are so many things to do in Victoria Falls with kids. Most of them involve an adrenaline rush of some sort!
We have done helicopter rides (a must!), canopy ziplining and river cruises. We’ve even been diving with crocodiles.
Here are some of the best things to do in Victoria Falls with kids (besides visiting the falls).
- Sunset Zambezi River Cruise with dinner
- Victoria Falls helicopter tour
- Gorge Swing
- Flying fox
- Ziplining
- Canopy Tour
- White Water Rafting
- Zambezi National Park safari in small group
- Zambezi National Park private safari
If you don’t want to do any of these wild and crazy activities, we recommend going to The Lookout Cafe for lunch or a drink and just watch others do it!
Victoria Falls with safari
There are quite a few options open to you to combine a visit to Victoria Falls with a safari.
If you are short on time, you can do game drives in both Victoria Falls National Park (Zimbabwe) and Zambezi National Park (Zambia).
Mosi Oa Tunya National Park runs alongside the Falls on the Zambian side, the Victoria Falls National Park runs alongside on the Zimbabwean side where you will find lots of incredible wildlife.
Zambezi National Park safari from £75 per person for a small group safari or from £135 per person for a private safari.
I know that some operators offer day trips to Chobe National Park (in Botswana) and Hwange National Park (in Zimbabwe) but both are a fair distance and really deserve more time. If you don’t have the time, here are some day trips available.
If you have the budget and are open to flying then it opens up a lot more places like Kafue National, South Luangwa NP, Lower Zambezi NP and the famous Mana Pools in Zambia or Moremi NP, Chobe NP and Okavango Delta in Botswana.
We have been to lots of these destinations. Want to know which ones we recommend for families? Check out our top recommendations for family-friendly safari destinations and see a whole load more safari tips in our family safari section.
