No trip to Zambia would be complete without seeing this incredible natural phenomenon, one of the seven wonders of the natural world which is, not surprisingly, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the 16th November 1855, Dr. David Livingstone, the famous missionary explorer, became the first European to see the falls and introduced them to the world with the fitting description “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”.

Dr. Livingstone named the falls after his Queen Victoria. The other name given to the falls by the Kololo people, a South African tribe which had colonized the area in the 1830s, is Mosi-Oa-Tunya, “The Smoke that Thunders”, the indigenous Toka-Leya people call them Shungu-na-Mutitima which has the same meaning. Visit the falls at the height of the flood and you will realise why they chose that name!!

The town of Livingstone, which celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2005, is situated 10km away. Livingstone was founded after the abandonment of the earlier settlement, the Old Drift, beside the Zambezi river. In 1907 Livingstone became the capital of Northwestern Rhodesia and with the creation of Northern Rhodesia in 1911, was capital of the whole territory until 1935. Many of the buildings from this bygone era, with their columned verandahs and facades, wide steps and attractive, Edwardian style, can still be seen about the town giving it a rarified dignity.

Activities
The town is considered the tourist capital of Zambia and an enormous range of activities are available in the area, all of which our consultants will be happy to arrange for you. See below for a complete list of activities

Adrenaline

• White Water rafting
• Abseiling
• Bunji Jumping
• Gorge Swing
• Flying Fox
• Jet Boat Ride
• River Boarding

Flying

• Helicopter
• Microlight
• Tigermoth

Game Viewing

• Mosi Oa Tunya N.P.
• Chobe National Park
• Birding
• Canoeing
• Crocodile Farm
• Elephant back rides
• Fishing
• Horse Riding
• Kayaking – tandem
• Livingstone Island
• Museum visits – Livingstone & Railway Museums
• Off road bicycle hire
• Quad Bike Rides
• River Cruise
• Self Drive – Car and 4 x 4 hire
• Scooter hire
• Tours – Livingstone town (historical) - Maramba Market - Chief Mukuni’s Village - Victoria Falls

The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park:
The 6,500ha Park extends around the falls and along the Zambezi River. A fenced off section, known as the Game Park, is the home to white rhinos which have been introduced and do not occur naturally in Zambia. Within the park is an area called the Old Drift – this is where the pioneers first settled and ferried their goods across the Zambezi before the bridge was built. There is also an old graveyard here.

The habitat is a mixture of riverine vegetation, dry mixed woodland and mopane. The game which may be seen in the park include zebra, waterbuck, hippo, impala, giraffe, elephant, kudu, warthog and buffalo. The elephant visit at will, swimming out onto the islands and across to Zimbabwe, which is a spectacular sight.

Birds:
The Livingstone area has extremely varied habitats including riparian sandbars & fringing forest, mopane woodland and basalt cliffs, with over 400 species of birds including the rare Taita Falcon. The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and Batoka Gorge are both Important Bird Areas.

Fishing:
Species likely to be caught include the notoriously powerful tiger fish, bream and the Upper Zambezi Yellow Fish, a notable special for dedicated fishermen. The best time of year for fishing is June – November. The Zambezi River above the falls is subject to a catch and release fishing policy. Zambian waters are closed for fishing between 1 December and 28 February.

Best Time of Year to Visit
The Victoria Falls and its spectacular flow of water can be enjoyed throughout most of the year. The volume of water cascading over the falls is entirely dependent on the rainfall in the catchment area of the Zambezi River.
The greatest volume of water is usually recorded in the months of February to May. When this occurs, Livingstone Island is closed and so, too, are some of the activities carried out in the Batoka Gorge. The flow increases from January to April and is at its lowest from September to January.