Five days is enough to see Victoria Falls properly and add serious game viewing in Chobe National Park, just across the border in Botswana. The plan below is based in Livingstone and adds Chobe either as a long day trip or as two nights in Kasane, the town at the park's edge. Chobe's riverfront has one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Africa, and the boat trips there are as good as any safari in the region.
How the geography works
Livingstone and Kasane are about 80 km apart by road. You drive west from Livingstone to Kazungula, cross the Zambezi on the Kazungula Bridge, and arrive in Botswana a few kilometres from Kasane. The whole drive takes about an hour and a quarter, plus time at the border. The Kazungula One Stop Border Post was reported to move to 24-hour operation in February 2026, but plan to cross in daylight.
Chobe's riverfront section, closest to Kasane, is the part most visitors see. Game drives run along the floodplain and the woodland above it, and boats cruise the Chobe River between the park and the islands on the Namibian side.
Version A: Livingstone base with a Chobe day trip
Simpler, cheaper and one hotel. Best if you are short of time or travelling with children.
Day 1: Arrive in Livingstone
Fly in, settle into your lodge, and if you arrive by early afternoon take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. For the main arrival routes see how to get to Livingstone.
Day 2: Victoria Falls, Zambian side
Go to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park at opening time. Walk the viewpoints, cross the Knife-Edge Bridge, and walk to the Victoria Falls Bridge. In the afternoon, depending on the season, visit Livingstone Island or take a helicopter flight. See the best time to visit Victoria Falls for what is running when.
Day 3: Chobe day trip
Day trips usually collect you from your lodge at about 06:30 to 07:00. After the Kazungula crossing, most combine:
- A boat cruise on the Chobe River, about three hours, often with lunch at a lodge in Kasane.
- A game drive in the park in an open vehicle, about three hours.
The order varies by operator. You are back in Livingstone by early evening. It is a long day, but you see a lot. Bring your passport, a warm layer for the morning drive (May to August especially), sunscreen, and US dollars in small notes.
Day 4: Zimbabwe side
Cross the Victoria Falls Bridge into Zimbabwe for the front-on view of the Main Falls from the viewpoints in Victoria Falls National Park. Lunch in Victoria Falls town, then return to Livingstone. If you would rather stay on the Zambian side, use the day for rafting (low-water months) or a microlight flight.
Day 5: Departure
A last morning on the river, or the markets and craft stalls in town, before your flight.
Version B: Two nights in Kasane
More time in the park, early-morning game drives when the animals are most active, and a sunset on the Chobe River. Best for people who care most about wildlife.
Day 1: Arrive in Livingstone
As above.
Day 2: Victoria Falls
As day two above. If you have the energy, cross to Zimbabwe in the afternoon too.
Day 3: Transfer to Kasane
Morning transfer to Kasane via Kazungula. Check in, then take an afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River, the classic Chobe experience. In the dry season, elephants come down to the water in large herds in the late afternoon.
Day 4: Chobe
Early-morning game drive, when lions and other predators are most likely to be active. Rest through the middle of the day. Afternoon game drive or a second cruise.
Day 5: Back to Livingstone, or fly out of Kasane
Either transfer back to Livingstone for an afternoon flight, or fly out from Kasane Airport, which has flights to Johannesburg.
Visas and borders
This itinerary can involve three countries, so get this right before you go.
- Zambia: many nationalities, including UK, US and most EU passport holders, can enter without a visa. Check yours.
- Botswana: many Western nationalities can enter visa-free. Botswana has proposed a tourism levy for some visitors in the past; check whether anything is being charged at the time of your trip.
- Zimbabwe: most Western visitors need a visa, on arrival or online.
- KAZA UniVisa: covers Zambia and Zimbabwe for 30 days and allows day trips to Botswana through Kazungula, at US$50 at the time of writing (November 2026). An overnight stay in Botswana ends it. Read the KAZA UniVisa guide before deciding.
For Version A, the UniVisa is usually the neatest option if you need a visa for Zimbabwe. For Version B, you may be better off with separate visas, because the nights in Kasane end the UniVisa.
Hire cars
If you drive yourself, hire companies in Zambia may need to authorise a cross-border trip, and you will pay road and insurance charges at the borders. Most visitors use day-trip operators or transfers instead, which handle the paperwork.
When to go
- July to October: the best game viewing in Chobe, as the bush dries out and animals concentrate on the river. Victoria Falls is falling from high water to low, and Devil's Pool opens from around mid-August. This is the busiest and most expensive period.
- May and June: good game viewing begins, with the falls still powerful.
- November to April: green season in Chobe, with fewer visitors, more birds, newborn animals and afternoon storms. Animals are more spread out, so sightings take more work.
Our weather-by-month guide covers temperatures and packing. Malaria is present in both Livingstone and Chobe, so see a travel clinic before you go.
Where to stay
For Version A, a lodge on the upper Zambezi gives you river views and wildlife on the days you are not in Chobe, and puts you on the Kazungula side of Livingstone for the day trip. Zambezi Dusk, a small, fully inclusive lodge on the Kazungula Road upstream of the falls, arranges Chobe day trips on request through partner operators, along with visits to the falls and Devil's Pool. Its rates include airport transfers and two guided boat safaris a day from the lodge. For other areas, see where to stay in Livingstone.
Costs to plan for
At the time of writing (late 2026), the main extras beyond accommodation are park entry for Victoria Falls on each side, Chobe park fees, any visas, and activity prices, which are quoted in US dollars. Prices change often, so get quotes from operators when you book. A Chobe day trip from Livingstone usually includes the transfer, boat cruise, game drive, lunch and park fees, but not visas.
