I visited Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side during the wet season as I travelled overland from Cairo to Cape Town in 2015/2016.
The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa at 2574 km.
It rises in Zambia, flows through Angola and the borders of Namibia and Botswana, before going back into Zambia and thunders down into Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls and through Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean.
David Livingstone is believed to be the first white person to have seen the falls and they are named in honour of Queen Victoria but the local name is still widely used: Mosi-oa-Tunya or “The Smoke That Thunders”.
The wet season in the catchment area runs from November to March, but the falls are over 1000 km from the source, so it is not until April that water is thundering over the Falls at more than 5000m3/sec.
I was there in mid-April, and I got to experience nature at its most powerful.
When is the best time to visit Victoria Falls?
Both are incredible experiences. The views in the dry season are the best, as in the wet season, the spray does its best to see that you don’t have much of a view. BUT if you want to witness nature at its most powerful, then the wet season if for you. Take a poncho and something like a waterproof GoPro.
Devil’s Pool is closed during the wet season and the white-water rafting is not possible for obvious reasons
Photos of Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side, in the wet season:
Just for comparison, here is what Victoria Falls looks like from the Zambia side in the dry season, which I visited in 2023:
How to get to the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side:
The Town of Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side is purpose-built, and the falls are just a short walk from town.
I had taken a night minivan from Bulawayo, stayed at the classic backpacker hostel, Shoestrings Backpackers, visited the falls and then taken a night bus all the way to Pretoria in South Africa.
How much does it cost to visit Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side in 2026:
These are the details taken from the Chobe National Park website:
Victoria Falls National Park — Entry fees for international visitors (Zimbabwe, 2026):
- Adult (12+ years) US$50
- Child (under 12) US$25
Fees are paid at the main park gate in US dollars. Card payment is usually accepted but can be unreliable — carry cash as a backup. Gates are open 06:00–18:00 daily.
Stunning falls. I can only imagine the pounding sound of that much water hitting the surface. I figured it’d be around 50 USD for such a place. Keep that cash handy; as you noted recently on social it is king in much of the world. Either that or be a skilled swimmer who enters upstream. 🙂
Mother Nature at it’s best for sure. Storms, Waves, Waterfalls. And destruction: Earthquakes and more..