One day in Livingstone is enough to walk the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, stand on the Victoria Falls Bridge, see the town's museum and end on the Zambezi at sunset. You will not fit in rafting, a flight and Devil's Pool as well; pick one at most. The plan below works for arrivals by air in the morning, by road from Kasane, or across the bridge from Zimbabwe.
Who this is for
- Overland and self-drive travellers passing through between Botswana and Lusaka.
- Visitors based in Victoria Falls town who want to see the Zambian side.
- Travellers with a long gap between flights, or one night between a safari and the flight home.
If you have more than a day, the three-day Livingstone itinerary is the better plan.
Getting your bearings
Livingstone is a grid town about 10 km north of the falls. The main road, Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, runs from the town centre south to the falls and the border. The airport is about 5 km north-west of town. Lodges line the river west of the falls along the Kazungula Road. Taxis are the simplest way around; agree the fare before you get in, and see getting around Livingstone for rough prices and how to call one.
The plan
07:00: the falls
Be at Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park soon after it opens. A full walk takes two to three hours: the rim path, the Knife-Edge Bridge and the viewpoints over the Eastern Cataract. Wear something you can get wet in from March to July and bring a dry bag. Between October and December the Zambian side can be nearly dry, and the walk is shorter but hotter.
The Boiling Pot trail, down to the river below the bridge, adds about 90 minutes return. On a one-day visit, skip it unless the views from the top have left you wanting more.
10:00: the bridge
From the park entrance it is a short walk to the Zambian border post. Ask for a gate pass and walk onto the Victoria Falls Bridge. It was finished in 1905 and spans the Second Gorge about 128 m above the river. You do not need a visa to stand on it.
11:30: town
Take a taxi back into Livingstone. The Livingstone Museum on Mosi-oa-Tunya Road is the oldest museum in Zambia and holds a large collection of David Livingstone's letters, maps and belongings, alongside archaeology and natural history galleries. Allow an hour and a half. It is cool inside, which matters by noon.
13:00: lunch and a break
Eat in town. The heat between noon and 15:00 is real from September to November, so this is a long lunch, not a quick one.
14:30: something small
Choose one, depending on season and energy:
- The craft market near the falls entrance, for carvings, baskets and fabric. Bargain politely.
- Livingstone Island if it is open (roughly mid-August to January) and you booked a slot. Afternoon trips are hotter but often less crowded.
- A short helicopter flight from the landing site near the falls, if it is high water and you can afford it. Fifteen minutes gives you the whole falls and the zig-zag of gorges below.
16:00: sunset on the river
Take a sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi. Boats leave from jetties upstream of the falls and run for about two to three hours. You will see hippos almost certainly, crocodiles often, and elephants on the banks or islands in the dry months. It is the most relaxed part of the day, which is why it goes last.
19:00: dinner, or the road
If you are heading back to Zimbabwe, check the border closing time before you go out. Do not assume you can cross late.
Arriving by air on the day
Flights from Johannesburg typically land in the late morning or early afternoon. That leaves the afternoon for the falls and the evening for the river. Swap the order: falls at 14:00 when the coaches have gone, bridge at 16:00, sunset cruise at 16:30 if the operator will collect you from the park. Do the museum next morning before you fly.
Crossing from Zimbabwe for the day
Walk from Victoria Falls town to the Zimbabwe border post, cross the bridge on foot (about 1.5 km between posts), clear Zambian immigration and you are at the park gate. You need a visa that allows re-entry to Zimbabwe, or the KAZA UniVisa. Take US dollars in small notes; card machines at the park and border are not reliable.
If you stay the night
A single night in Livingstone is long enough to change the day completely: a dawn boat on the river, the falls in the early light, and no rush to the border or airport. If the river is the draw, a lodge upstream such as Zambezi Dusk, about 30 minutes from the falls, includes boat safaris from its own bank, which turns the sunset cruise into something you walk to rather than drive to.
