16/07/2026
MOSI-OA-TUNYA - The Smoke that Thunders
After a short flight out of JNB to Vic Falls, we arrive in the quaint and surprisingly very neat and tidy village of Victoria Falls.
We embarked on our short but fun-filled and exciting holiday to inspect various hotels in order to offer you, my clients, the best holiday experience suitable for your budget and requirements.
The village offers a wide choice of restaurants and curio shops through which to browse and shop. It feels very safe to walk around the pleasant little village, other than be warned not to walk at night where the danger is on 4 legs. Since the village is within the National Park, elephants and other wildlife roam the perimeters ( also during the day ) and occasionally visit the town at night.
The 198m long spectacular Iron Victoria Falls Bridge was completed in 1905 ( started the year before ) and spans the mighty Zambezi River Gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, about 350m from the Falls, “ The Smoke that Thunders” so named by David Livingstone. The falls are the considered the largest based on the width of 1.7m and height of 108m.
The 128m high Bridge offers exciting adventure opportunities for the thrill seekers. These adrenaline sports, offered by Shear Water Adventures, include 111m bungee jump, super exciting Bridge Swing ( which I did !! ), Zip Line from one side to the other and Bridge Walking tour. It is highly recommended to try at least one if you are brave enough.
Walking along the rainforests along the waterfall trail is equally as spectacular. Raincoats are a must from all the falls mist, hence the “ rain forest “ foliage. You will experience different views depending on the seasons and rainfall. We visited in April after an abundance of rain causing an abundance of water and mist making some photoshoots difficult. However, during the drier seasons, the visibility is a bit clearer, making for better photos, and also allowing some activities, which are suspended during the wet season for safety reasons, such as the Devils pool on the Zambian side.
A helicopter flip, known as the Flight of Angels, over the falls is also something to experience and different way to view the falls. There are different options to suite different budgets. Other activities are high tea at one of the 5 * hotels, sunset river cruises to view the hippos and crocodiles. You can easily prebook a full day trip to Botswana Chobe River to see the wildlife in the Chobe Reserve and experience a Chobe River Cruise.
BENEFITS OF VIC FALLS:
No visas required and short flights. A variety of hotels to suite your budget. And most hotels offer free shuttles to the falls, and some sunset river cruises as well.
Ideally, I would recommend either 3 nights Vic Falls, or 2 nights Vic Falls + 2 nights Livingstone on the Zambian side. And if the budget allows add on 3-4 nights Chobe River in Botswana. ( see chapter 2 for more info on Chobe )