The best viewpoints at Victoria Falls are split between the two countries. In Zimbabwe, the numbered viewpoints along the rainforest path face the falls head-on, with Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Danger Point the standouts. In Zambia, the Knife-Edge Bridge puts you right in the spray opposite the Eastern Cataract, and the Boiling Pot puts you at the bottom of the gorge. Add the Victoria Falls Bridge and a flight over the top, and you have every angle there is.
How the falls are laid out
The falls are a single lip about 1,708 m wide dropping into a narrow gorge. From west to east the sections are usually named Devil's Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, Armchair Falls and the Eastern Cataract, with Livingstone Island on the lip near the middle. Zimbabwe owns the western and central parts and the rim facing them; Zambia owns the eastern end and the Eastern Cataract. That is why each side sees the falls differently.
Zimbabwe side
The path runs along the rim opposite the falls, through rainforest kept alive by the spray. Start at the western end and walk east.
- Devil's Cataract (viewpoints 1–2). The lowest and westernmost section, near the statue of David Livingstone. Steps lead down from here to Cataract View, a platform inside the gorge facing the cataract at close range. The steps are steep and slippery.
- Main Falls (around viewpoints 6–10). The largest section, and the view people come for. At high water the spray can hide it entirely; at low water it is the part of the falls that keeps its volume longest.
- Livingstone Island view. Looks across to the island on the lip where Livingstone first saw the falls in 1855. From August, you may see swimmers in Devil's Pool.
- Horseshoe Falls. Often the first section to dry up, from about October.
- Rainbow Falls (around viewpoint 14). Usually given as the highest point of the falls, at about 108 m. On sunny mornings the rainbow sits in the spray here.
- Danger Point (around viewpoint 15). An unfenced rock outcrop facing the Eastern Cataract and looking down into the First Gorge. Slippery in the wet season; keep away from the edge.
- Bridge view (viewpoint 16). Looking down the Second Gorge to the Victoria Falls Bridge.
Allow about two hours. In the wettest months, from about March to May, you may walk the whole path without seeing much more than spray.
Zambia side
The Zambian park is smaller, but it gets you closer.
- Knife-Edge Bridge. A footbridge across a gap in the cliff to Knife-Edge Point, facing the Eastern Cataract and looking down into the Boiling Pot. At high water you walk through a downpour. At low water it gives the best view of the scale of the gorge.
- Knife-Edge Point. At the end of the bridge, where the First Gorge turns into the Second. From here you see the falls, the Boiling Pot and the bridge in one turn of the head.
- The Eastern Cataract rim path. A path along the cliff top opposite the Eastern Cataract. Good for the close-up wall of water in the high-water months. By November it may be a dry cliff.
- The upstream lip. At very low water, usually October to December, you can sometimes walk out across the rocks near the top of the Eastern Cataract with a guide, and look down into the gorge.
- Boiling Pot. A steep trail of about 30 to 40 minutes down to the river at the bottom of the First Gorge, where the water swirls before turning south. You look up at the bridge and the spray. Often closed at peak flood.
- Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool. On the lip itself, reached by boat. Open roughly mid-August to January, and booked as a guided trip. See the Livingstone Island guide.
For more on what is inside the Zambian park, see Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
Between the two
The Victoria Falls Bridge stands about 128 m above the river over the Second Gorge. From the middle you see part of the falls, the gorge and the spray cloud. You need a gate pass from the border post on either side, but not a visa.
From the air
At peak water the spray cloud is often so dense that the falls are best seen from above. Helicopter flights of about 12 to 15 minutes cover the falls and the zig-zag gorges below. A microlight gives an open seat and the same view without a window. Both are weather-dependent, so book early in your stay.
Viewpoints by season
| Months | Best viewpoints |
|---|---|
| Feb–May | From the air; Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge for the soaking; Zimbabwe's eastern viewpoints when the spray shifts |
| Jun–Aug | Almost all of them. The water is still high, but the spray is lighter. |
| Sep–Oct | Zimbabwe's Main Falls and Devil's Cataract; Livingstone Island |
| Nov–Dec | Zimbabwe's western viewpoints; Zambia for the bare gorge and the lip walk |
For the full seasonal picture, see high water vs low water.
Practical points
- The parks open at about 06:00. The first hour is the quietest.
- Wear shoes with grip. The rainforest paths and Danger Point are slippery.
- Keep cameras in a dry bag between viewpoints in the wet months.
- Baboons are bold at both parks. Do not carry food in your hands.
The falls are one view of the Zambezi; the river upstream is another. From a lodge on the upper river, the light at dusk on the water is reason enough to book a boat trip above the falls as well as the viewpoint walks.
