August is the month Victoria Falls swaps one set of attractions for another. The water is dropping but still plentiful, the spray is light enough that you will barely get wet, and the activities that need low water come back: Devil's Pool usually opens around the middle of the month, and rafting moves to the full run through the gorge. The weather warms quickly, the bush dries out, and wildlife concentrates along the river.
Water level and spray
Flow keeps falling through August. From Zimbabwe, Main Falls and Devil's Cataract are still full and powerful; this is a good month for clear photographs there, with spray drifting rather than pouring. On the Zambian side, the face below Livingstone Island and the Eastern Cataract break up into separate falls by late August, with dark rock showing between them. It is still a fine sight, with more detail than in June, though the sense of sheer volume is fading.
The Knife-Edge Bridge is mostly dry by the end of the month. You can see down into the Boiling Pot and along the first and second gorges, which the spray hid earlier in the year.
Weather
Highs are usually about 29°C, lows about 10°C. There is effectively no rain. Humidity is low, typically around 35%. August is windy, and the wind lifts dust and, later in the month, haze from seasonal fires, so long-distance views get softer. Early mornings are still cool, but by the end of the month the afternoons feel properly hot.
What's open
- Devil's Pool. Normally opens around mid-August, when the water level allows. Before that, Angel's Pool usually runs on the same Livingstone Island trip. Dates shift every year with the river; if Devil's Pool is the point of the trip, aim for the last ten days of August or later. See Livingstone Island.
- Rafting. August is usually when operators switch to the low-water run, starting near the Boiling Pot and covering rapids 1 to 21 or so. This is the full, classic day: big drops, a long day on the water, and a steep climb out of the gorge at the end.
- Lunar rainbow. Unlikely on the Zambian side; there is not enough spray. The Zimbabwean side sometimes still shows one around the full moon early in the month.
- Flights, bungee, gorge swing, zipline. All running. Haze can reduce visibility for flights late in the month, so mornings are best.
- Canoeing on the upper Zambezi. A very good month, with lower water, calm conditions and animals on the banks.
Wildlife and birding
This is where August shines. With the bush dry, elephant herds come to the upper Zambezi daily to drink and cross to islands, often in groups of 20 or more. Hippos crowd into deeper pools as the river drops. Buffalo, waterbuck and bushbuck graze the banks. In Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, white rhino walks are easy going and visibility is good.
Exposed sandbanks bring in African skimmers, and rock pratincoles are nesting on rocks above the falls. Carmine bee-eaters usually start arriving from late August ahead of their breeding season.
Crowds and rates
August is high season. European summer holidays keep numbers up all month, and lodges are on peak rates. Devil's Pool slots, rafting and helicopter flights book out ahead, often by a week or more in the second half of the month. Book Devil's Pool early in your stay so a cancellation for water level leaves time to try again.
What to pack
- Layers: a fleece for the early mornings and light clothes for the afternoon.
- Swimwear and a towel if Devil's Pool or Angel's Pool is on the list, plus shoes you can wade in.
- Sun hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen.
- Lip balm and moisturiser; the air is very dry.
- A buff or scarf for dusty drives.
- Insect repellent and malaria advice from a travel clinic.
Go if, skip if
Go if you want a bit of everything: falls that still look full from Zimbabwe, the low-water rafting run, Devil's Pool in the second half of the month, and excellent game along the river.
Skip if you want the curtain of water and big spray of the first half of the year, or a quiet, cheap trip. Skip too if dust and haze will spoil your photographs.
Using the river
August is one of the best months to be on the upper river every day: elephants in the late afternoon, hippos everywhere, and still evening air. Lodges on this stretch use it daily; at Zambezi Dusk, for example, the guided experiences include two boat safaris a day and trips to Devil's Pool and rafting through partner operators, subject to the season.
For the whole year, see Victoria Falls weather by month and the best time to visit Victoria Falls. A safari add-on is covered in the Victoria Falls and Chobe 5-day itinerary. Before August: Victoria Falls in July. After: Victoria Falls in September.
