A Victoria Falls Safari: The Parks Around the Falls, the Chobe Day Trip and When to Go

Everyone arrives at Victoria Falls for the waterfall, walks the rainforest path soaked and grinning, and then asks the question we get on every trip: is there any actual safari here? Yes. A good one. Elephant country starts at the edge of town, the river above the falls is a game drive by boat, Botswana's Chobe is a day trip, and Hwange is a couple of hours down the road. The trick is knowing which bit to do, in what order, and in which month. This is how we build it.

The Short Answer

• Big game close byZambezi National ParkTwenty minutes from townElephant, buffalo, sable and lion on a half-day drive before the falls walk.
• The river safariZambezi cruiseEvery afternoon, any monthHippo, crocodile, fish eagles and elephant on the bank, at golden hour.
• The elephant riverChobe day tripBest June to OctoberBotswana's herds by road and by boat, back at the lodge for dinner.
• A proper parkHwange, 2 to 3 nightsJuly to OctoberZimbabwe's biggest park, one of Africa's largest elephant populations.

The Parks Within Reach

Five places count as a safari from the falls. They're not equal, and the honest version is that two of them are superb, two are good add-ons, and one is a nice walk.

Shaded rows are the three we build most trips around.

The Chobe Day Trip, Step by Step

This is the day everyone asks about and nobody explains properly. It's long, it's worth it, and it works like this.

• Around 7am: pick-up from your lodge. About 90 minutes by road to the Kazungula border, where Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia nearly touch.
• The border: you walk through Zimbabwe exit and Botswana entry. With the KAZA visa it's quick; cross before 7.30am or after 11am and you miss the truck queue. The border is open 6am to 8pm.
• Mid morning: a game drive along the Chobe riverfront in an open vehicle. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, often lion.
• Lunch at a lodge in Kasane, on the river.
• Afternoon: the boat. Two or three hours drifting past hundreds of elephants coming down to drink and swim, hippo pods, crocodiles on the sandbanks. The best afternoon of wildlife many guests have on the whole trip.
• About 6pm: back at your Victoria Falls lodge.

Cost is around USD 220 a person including the Chobe park fee, as a guide; we price it to your dates. Australians don't need a Botswana visa. If you're on a Zimbabwe single-entry visa rather than the KAZA, you'll need a new one to get back in, so get the KAZA.

Hwange: The Real Zimbabwe Safari

Hwange is the park people skip because it isn't on the way to anywhere, and the ones who go are glad they did. It's Zimbabwe's largest national park, the size of a small country, with one of the biggest elephant populations in Africa, strong lion prides, wild dog, and the sable and roan antelope you rarely see elsewhere. In the dry season the park's waterholes are pumped, and the elephants come in their hundreds every afternoon. A good concession camp sits you on a deck above one.

It's two to three hours by road from the falls, or a 45-minute flight. Two nights is the minimum; three is right. It pairs with the falls as a five-night Zimbabwe trip that costs well under the Botswana equivalent, and it's where we send guests who want a safari that feels like theirs alone.

The River Is a Safari Too

The Zambezi above the falls is wide, slow and full of life. The sunset cruise is the obvious version: two hours, a drink in hand, hippo surfacing beside the boat, crocodiles sliding off the sandbanks, fish eagles calling, elephant on the Zambian bank. Do it on your first evening. The less obvious versions are a morning canoe or kayak on the upper river with a guide, and a night at a lodge on the river itself, upstream of town, where the game comes to you. The river lodges on both sides, Old Drift on the Zimbabwe bank and Tongabezi and Royal Chundu on the Zambian side, are where we put guests who want the wild version of the falls.

When to Go: The Water Calendar

The Zambezi rises and falls with the rains upstream in Angola and Zambia, and the month you visit changes the falls more than the side you stay on. Long-term weather averages for Victoria Falls, rounded, with the river beside them.

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

• Balanced: strong flow, clear views
• Low water: Devil's Pool, bare rock
• High water: the thunder
• Rains, river rising

Shaded rows are the window we suggest most. The river follows the rains upstream, so the dates move a few weeks from year to year; we never promise a water level.

Three things the table hides. Devil's Pool, the swim on the lip of the falls, runs roughly mid August to early January, on the Zambian side, and the operators close it the moment the river says so. Rafting in the gorge is a low-water sport, best September to December, closed at high water. Livingstone Island, the Zambian viewpoint on the edge, closes from about the end of March to mid June.

Which Side to Stay On

Zimbabwe, for most trips. About three quarters of the falls face it, the view holds in every month, the town is walkable, the lodge choice is deeper and Victoria Falls airport has the better flights, including the daily Ethiopian service that connects from East Africa. Stay on the Zambian side for a quiet lodge on the river upstream, for Devil's Pool if that's the priority, or if Zimbabwe's travel advice sits uneasily with you. Either way you cross the bridge for a day and see the other side; the KAZA visa makes that simple. The full comparison is in our Zambia or Zimbabwe guide.

The Three Trip Shapes

• The falls on their own, 3 nights. Both sides, a helicopter flight (12 to 15 minutes, around USD 175 with fees), the sunset cruise, a Zambezi National Park drive and a Chobe day trip. The classic add-on to a Cape Town or Tanzania trip. In our 2027 quotes, three nights at a lodge came to A$1,350 to A$1,950 a person for two sharing; the grand hotels from about A$3,000.
• Falls and Chobe, 5 nights. Two nights at the falls for both sides and the flight, then three nights on the Chobe riverfront. The best balance of waterfall and wildlife for the time.
• Falls, Chobe and the Delta, 10 nights. Three at the falls, three at Chobe, four in the Okavango, Johannesburg as the hub. Water, elephants and the falls in one trip. Our Okavango guide covers the Delta end.

The fourth shape is the falls as a finish to a Tanzania safari, three or four nights after the Serengeti. The flight runs through Addis Ababa or Nairobi and always needs one transit overnight, because every flight into the falls lands in the morning and every bush flight out of Tanzania lands at midday. We build the overnight in. A comfortable 13-night Serengeti-then-falls trip came to A$11,400 a person in our 2027 quotes.

Getting There

From Australia: Qantas non-stop from Sydney or Perth to Johannesburg, then Airlink or FlySafair to Victoria Falls, about an hour and three quarters, landing 20 minutes from town. Livingstone airport on the Zambian side is 10 minutes from its lodges and also connects through Johannesburg. From Chobe it's the same 90-minute road in reverse, and Kasane has its own airport for the Delta and Johannesburg.

Paperwork, Health and the Practical Bits

• KAZA UniVisa: USD 50, 30 days, unlimited crossings between Zimbabwe and Zambia and day trips into Botswana. Issued on arrival at Victoria Falls and Livingstone airports; pay by card or cash. Get it if you'll cross the bridge or do Chobe.
• Yellow fever: Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana ask for a certificate only if you're arriving from a yellow fever risk country. Coming from Tanzania or Kenya counts, and the desks ask for it more often than the rule says. Take your full itinerary to a travel doctor; the vaccine is their call, not ours.
• Malaria: risk all year on both sides and at Chobe and Hwange, higher in the wet months. Same travel doctor, same conversation.
• Safety: read Smartraveller for Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana before you book. The town is a tourist town; don't walk around at night, and don't swim in the river.
• Pack: waterproofs and a dry bag for the camera at high water, grippy shoes for the rim path, a warm jacket for June to August dawns on the river and in the open vehicle, and a hat for October.

Where We Stay

The lodges we book at the falls, by what they're for. All of them are on our where you'll stay page.

• Victoria Falls Safari LodgeZimbabwe sideThe waterhole on the deck, the vulture feeding, the sunset. The classic for a reason.
• The Victoria Falls HotelZimbabwe sideThe 1904 grand hotel with the bridge in the frame. High tea, history, a short walk to the falls.
• Ilala LodgeZimbabwe sideTen minutes' walk to the falls, warthogs on the lawn, the best-value proper hotel in town.
• Batonka Guest LodgeZimbabwe sideSmall, quiet, well run. Our mid-range pick for a couple.
• Old Drift LodgeZambezi National ParkTented suites on the river inside the park. Game drives from the door, the falls 20 minutes away.
• The Elephant CampZimbabwe side, bushA private tented camp above the gorge with the spray on the horizon. Honeymoon territory.
• TongabeziZambian side, upstreamOpen-fronted river houses, candlelit dinners on a floating deck. The wild, romantic version.
• Royal ChunduZambian side, upstreamIsland and river lodges on a quiet stretch of the Zambezi, 45 minutes from the falls.
• Avani Victoria Falls ResortZambian sideInside the park with the falls a walk away, zebra on the lawns, good for families.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do a safari at Victoria Falls?

Yes, and better than most people expect. Zambezi National Park starts at the edge of Victoria Falls town, with game drives among elephant, buffalo, sable and lion twenty minutes from your lodge. Chobe in Botswana is a day trip. Hwange, Zimbabwe's biggest park, is two to three hours away for a two or three night stay.

How does the Chobe day trip from Victoria Falls work?

A pick-up around 7am, about 90 minutes by road to the Kazungula border, a morning game drive along the Chobe riverfront, lunch, an afternoon boat cruise among the elephants, and back at the lodge by about 6pm. Allow around USD 220 a person including the park fee, and get the KAZA visa so the border crossing is simple.

Do I need a KAZA visa for Victoria Falls?

If you'll cross between Zimbabwe and Zambia, or do a Chobe day trip, yes. The KAZA UniVisa is USD 50, lasts 30 days, allows unlimited crossings between Zimbabwe and Zambia and day trips into Botswana, and is issued on arrival at Victoria Falls and Livingstone airports. Pay by card or cash.

What is the best time to visit Victoria Falls?

June to August for most people: the river is still strong, the spray has settled enough to see the whole curtain, and it lines up with peak safari season at Chobe and Hwange. February to May is the thunder, with so much spray you may not see much. September to December is low water, when Devil's Pool opens and the Zambian side thins to bare rock.

When can you swim in Devil's Pool?

Roughly mid August to early January, when the river is low enough to be safe. The operators on Livingstone Island decide day by day. It's on the Zambian side, so you need the KAZA visa if you're staying in Zimbabwe.

Which side should I stay on, Zimbabwe or Zambia?

Zimbabwe for most trips: about three quarters of the falls face it, the views hold all year, the town is walkable and the flights are better. Stay on the Zambian side for a quiet river lodge upstream or if Devil's Pool is the priority. Our Zambia or Zimbabwe guide goes through it.

How many nights do you need at Victoria Falls?

Three on their own: both sides of the falls, a helicopter flight, a sunset cruise and a Chobe day trip. Two if the falls are a finish to a safari that's already done its wildlife. Five with Chobe added properly, ten with Chobe and the Okavango Delta.

How much does a Victoria Falls trip cost?

In our 2027 quotes, three nights at a lodge came to A$1,350 to A$1,950 a person for two sharing, with the grand old hotels from about A$3,000. Two nights at an all-inclusive Chobe river camp added A$2,000 to A$2,900 a person. Flights from Australia are on top.

Is Victoria Falls safe?

The town itself is a tourist town and feels like one. Smartraveller currently rates Zimbabwe at exercise a high degree of caution and Zambia and Botswana at normal precautions; read it before you book and don't walk around at night. You can base on the Zambian side if that sits better with you.

How do you get to Victoria Falls from Australia?

Qantas non-stop from Sydney or Perth to Johannesburg, then about an hour and three quarters to Victoria Falls airport, which is 20 minutes from town. From a Tanzania safari the connection runs through Addis Ababa or Nairobi and always needs one transit overnight, which we build in rather than pretend away.

Build It Around Your Dates

Tell us the month and whether it's the waterfall or the wildlife that matters more, and we'll shape the falls, Chobe and Hwange around it, with the river level and the flights checked for your actual dates. If you're adding it to a Tanzania or Cape Town trip, say so and we'll do the connection properly. Talk to us.