Standing in the Victoria Falls rainforest is a profound—even life-changing—experience. The roar of the water, and it is loud, the soundtrack to one of the world’s most extraordinary places.
The falls are staggering; words cannot describe their beauty and power. David Livingstone, seeing them in 1855, tried:
"Scenes so wonderful must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."
The falls are on the Zambezi River, and form a boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Livingstone and Victoria Falls are the respective towns. The best views are from the Zimbabwean side, but the Zambian side has Livingstone Island and Devil’s Pool. A swim here will earn you bragging rights.
Victoria Falls
This is important—the falls never dry up, despite what misinformed reports may claim. During the low-water season of September to November, some sections, particularly on the Eastern Cataract in Zambia, can dry out almost entirely. This is a natural part of the annual cycle of the Zambezi River.
The falls are at their lowest flow in November, with water levels dropping to about 10% of their peak flow in April-May. It’s also the time for a Devil’s Pool plunge.
Victoria Falls is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Far more poetically, they are called Mosi-oa-Tunya in Zambia and Zimbabwe, which means ‘the smoke that thunders’ in Tonga.
They’re the largest curtain of falling water in the world: 1,708m wide, up to 108m high, and up to 500 million litres per minute crash over eight gorges, including Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Eastern Cataract.
The spray can be seen from 30km away on the Lusaka road in Zambia and 50km away on the Bulawayo road in Zimbabwe. It is, in fact, the world’s greatest sheet of falling water.
It’s also Africa’s adrenaline capital. You can bungee jump 111m off the bridge, or take a giant gorge swing. The Grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi are some of the most extreme; there’s canoeing in a river full of hippos and crocs; ziplining across the gorge, and microlight and helicopter flights.
Thousands of people visit each year, and all of them need a place to stay. There is a bewildering number of options to suit all pockets.
But don’t be overwhelmed; we’re here with trustworthy, expert knowledge to guide and advise you.
“Leigh Ann was an exceptional travel agent who went above and beyond to make our trip to Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, and Chobe unforgettable. Her recommendations were spot-on, and what made the experience even better was her personal perspective—insights you simply won’t find online.”
– Uvaldo Oz Mencia, South Africa
Swimming in Devil’s Pool at the top of Victoria Falls (Photo: Green Safaris)
Africa Albida Tourism
For across-the-board luxury, Africa Albida Tourism, a falls veteran, has got you covered. At 30 years old (its birthday was on 15 December 2024) and the pioneer of timeshare at its Lokuthula Lodges, it has proved its worth.
Africa Albida has four properties on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, which is just 4km from the falls, namely Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the premium Victoria Falls Safari Club, Victoria Falls Safari Suites, and the family-friendly self-catering Lokuthula Lodges.
It’s also the home of the famous The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show, along with MaKuwa-Kuwa restaurant and the frankly fantastic Buffalo Bar.
Why the name? When the lodges were being built, the co-founders would sit every night on the hotel site and have a few beers. And every night, the buffaloes wandered in. By the end of the dry season, the herd was over 800 strong and would take an hour and a half to come in.
Safari Lodge has a view of that waterhole, a thriving ecosystem that sustains a wealth of life. It’s a place of contrasts, both peace and drama. Brightly plumed kingfishers hunt, marabou storks stand statue-still, elephants and buffaloes jostle for space, warthogs and young crocodiles; it’s teeming with life.
You can watch the action from your room, the deck, or at home on the webcam below the Buffalo Bar Terrace. It live-streams video 24/7.
Dancing at The Boma – Dinner & Dance at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
“We cannot fault anything about the trip from start to finish…Thank you for organising the best holiday we have ever had and one we shall treasure forever.”
– Veronica Furlong, Great Britain
The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show
There are three restaurants on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, all with their own magic.
MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant at the Safari Lodge is open on three sides to maximise those jaw-dropping views over the waterhole. On the à la carte menu, local produce incorporates global trends.
The Boma Café is more casual, and caters to Nokuthula Lodge guests with breakfast, lunch and light meals al fresco style.
The king of them all is The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show. Like walking through the rainforest, a night here is a must-do. It’s a four-course meal featuring game meat, local dishes, and non-stop entertainment ending in an interactive drumming show.
You can even sample mopane worms. More than 1.6 million people – the number who have eaten dinner at The Boma since it opened in 1992 – can’t be wrong.
Watching the Vulture Culture feeding programme at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
“The preparation for our future Victoria Falls excursion was fast, informative, efficient and a fair price. Shann Shaw responded quickly to my inquiry and had a full itinerary and price within a day. Kudos to Safari.com.”
– Gogo and Tiffany, US
Vulture Culture
Vultures are fascinating creatures. They play a critical role in the ecosystem, but they are also endangered, for various reasons. Not least of which is eating the carcasses of animals poisoned by poachers.
One place they can get uncontaminated meat is at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and its Vulture Culture feeding programme. Every day, at 1pm, dozens of vultures (and some marabou storks) fly in for lunch. The vulture-viewing deck is a comfortable, shaded position to watch the daily spectacle.
The Spa
The first and largest purpose-built spa in Victoria Falls has private relaxation rooms, a café, a hair and make-up studio as well as three outlying separate secluded treatment rooms (one double and two singles), along with the usual mani-pedi stations.
The reflexology pool is a winner. Walk through it over pebbles of different shapes and sizes after walking through the bush on a hot day.
It’s in secluded indigenous woodland and warthogs and bushbuck often come past, the birds sing. It’s nurturing, serene.
Africa Albida’s properties capture the very essence of Africa and they’re just 4km from the Victoria Falls. Over the years, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been in the top few places of many global magazine lists, such as Tatler, Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure.
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge faces the sunset and looks over the waterhole, so you can have a sundowner while you watch the animals have their own. It has a two-tiered swimming pool and fitness room, and 72 rooms, including Standard Rooms, Waterhole Facing Rooms and Waterhole Facing Suites. All rooms are spacious and light, with glass sliding doors opening on to a private balcony. There are babysitting services.
Victoria Falls Safari Club is a premium product; more luxury, more space, more privacy, and exclusive service at a higher price. The 20 rooms overlook the Zambezi National Park. Exclusivity includes a personalised butler-style concierge service, a two-tiered swimming pool, featuring a 15m lap pool, and a fitness centre.
Victoria Falls Safari Suites is best for multi-generational travel. Six split-level spacious suites overlook a small waterhole. Two have three bedrooms and four have two bedrooms, each with a lounge opening on to a patio.
Lokuthula Lodges can be booked bed-and-breakfast or self-catering. They are the very definition of family-friendly, with 22 two-bedroom lodges and nine three-bedroom lodges all with private patios, set in beautiful gardens. There’s a swimming pool and paddling pool, and a bar, as well as a children’s playground, trampoline and volleyball court. Lokuthula means ‘place of peace’ in isiNdebele.
Safari Lodge: Infants under three stay for free. Children 3-11 pay 50% of adult per person sharing rate on accommodation (room shared with parents or inter-leading/adjacent room). Children over 12 pay adult rates.
Safari Club: No children under 10. Children aged 10 and 11 pay 50% of the adult rate. Children over 12 pay adult rates.
Safari Suites: Children of all ages are welcome.
Lokuthula Lodges: Infants under three stay for free. Children 3-11 pay 50% of adult per person sharing rate on accommodation and breakfast (lodge shared with parents). Children over 12 pay adult rates.
It’s worth noting there is a green season Pay 2 Stay 3 special running from 6 January – 28 March and 15 November – 20 December at Safari Lodge, Safari Club and Safari Suites. There are also super deals on 2, 3 and 4-night stays from 1 January – 31 December 2025.
There are also SADC and Zimbabwe resident rates.
Disclaimer: Rates correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
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