Day Trip to Victoria Falls

While staying near Chobe, we did a day trip to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side, organised through a tour company via our accommodation. We looked at quite a few options, but this seems to be the most cost-effective for our family. It was a long day, but one that felt very manageable with kids and absolutely worth it.

We left quite early in the morning, setting off after breakfast. Just in case, we packed plenty of snacks, lots of water, and a change of clothes — though we ended up not needing the extra clothes at all.

The drive from our accommodation to the border took about 10 minutes. We travelled in an air-conditioned minibus, which made the journey comfortable.

Crossing the border to Zimbabwe

At the border, we organised our visas, which cost $240 for all of us (current price: $50 US per person). The process itself was straightforward, but there was a bit of a wait as many other visitors were crossing at the same time. Once that was done, we continued driving toward Victoria Falls. We saw a fair few animals on the way – mostly elephants and giraffes. It took us about two hours to get to the falls and everyone managed a short nap.

We were dropped off at the main car park, where there are plenty of souvenir shops. We picked up hats for Maryam and Asiyah here before heading inside. After buying our entrance tickets, we entered the park. There was an option to hire a tour guide, but we decided to explore on our own so we could move at our own pace, especially with the kids.

Exploring the Falls

Victoria Falls is a spectacular waterfall on the Zambezi River, straddling the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is one of the largest and most powerful waterfalls in the world, measuring approximately 1,708 metres wide and 108 metres high, and is recognised as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Visitors can pick up a detailed map from the information centre after purchasing tickets, which makes following the trail very easy. Our map looked something like this:

There are many ways to experience the falls, including cruises, helicopter rides and adventure activities, but we chose to explore on foot. We walked the trail from one end to the other, following viewpoints 1 through 16, taking our time to stop, look, and soak it all in. It was a pretty hot day, so plenty of water and snacks breaks were necessary. There was a short stint of rain in the middle, which cooled things down a little. The park had a couple of toilets and they were clean.

Devil’s Pool is one of the most famous — and adrenaline-filled — ways to experience Victoria Falls. It is a natural rock pool located right on the edge of Victoria Falls, on the Zambian side of the falls. During certain times of the year, the water level drops enough that a natural rock lip forms a barrier, allowing people to swim right up to the very edge of the waterfall and look straight down as the Zambezi River plunges over the falls below. Badhon initially wanted to do it, because we went during the dry season and that’s the perfect time to experience this, but changed his mind later on.

After completing the trail, we crossed the bridge over to Zambia and then walked back. This was probably the hardest part of the walk as it was long and without many spots. Being in another country for about ten minutes was mostly just for fun — though the large number of baboons on the road made it slightly less enjoyable. One of them even tried to grab snacks from the bottom of our pram. 😐

Lunch and heading back

We spent around four hours inside the park before catching a taxi into town from the bridge, for lunch at the nearby shops. We had lunch at Nando’s. There is a restaurant near the entrance of the park, but but we Nando’s was a cheap and halal option for us. Afterward, our driver picked us up from the shopping centre car park and drove us back to our accommodation.

By the time we returned, it was late afternoon — tired but grateful to have experienced one of the world’s most incredible natural landmarks in a single, well-paced day.

• Take plenty of snacks and water.
• Wear light, comfortable clothing and hats.
• Bring a pram — it was a lifesaver for us here, as it has been in many other places.
• Take advantage of the many spots along the trail to stop, sit, and rest.
• Let kids bring their own camera. Our girls are close in age, and giving them a camera helped turn the walk into little games and mini photo challenges along the way.
• The full trail can probably be completed in around two hours, but we took our time with the kids, added plenty of snack breaks, and enjoyed the experience at a slower pace.