It’s not hard to see why Victoria Falls is called “The Smoke That Thunders” (“Mosi-O-Tunya”) in the local Tonga language: the spray of water reaches up to 500 metres high and can be visible from 70 kilometres away. The rumbling sound of the powerful Zambezi River falling into the gorge absolutely sounds like a low thunder – and you will hear it even when you are kilometres away. Read this guide for entry fees, info and insider advice on visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls is the biggest sheet of falling water in the world: twice as high and 1.5 times wider than Niagara Falls. It’s 1.7 km wide (just longer than a mile) and over 100 metres high. There are no words to describe what it feels like to see it for the first time. Breath-taking and awe-inspiring, maybe, but even they don’t do it justice. It feels incomprehendable that such a large amount of water can continually do this ‘dance’ over the cliff, constantly, every day.

Seeing the waterfall is (obviously) my Number 1 of Things to do in Victoria Falls

Key facts about Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

• Best time of year to see the waterfall: The most dramatic time to see Victoria Falls (in my opinion) is at the end of the high water season between March and May. It is still spectacular at other times of the year, and the ‘best’ time to see the falls is hotly debated. The high water season means just that – the waterfall is at its highest volume of water – which means you will also get wetter! It also means that some of the viewing points may not be accessible, but in this case, I think that quality of experience beats quantity of view.
• In which country do I see Victoria Falls? In my opinion, Zimbabwe has the best view of Victoria Falls. 15 of the 19 viewing points are in Zimbabwe – that’s 80% of the best sights. Four of the viewing points are in the neighbouring country of Zambia. (Scroll to bottom for a viewing points map.) You don’t need to go to the Zambian side if you don’t want to. The border post between the two countries is located on the Victoria Falls Bridge, on the Zambezi River. You can get a visa for both countries, or a multi-entry visa for one.
• Victoria Falls waterfall in Zimbabwe is in the Victoria Falls National Park, and entry fees are required before seeing this Wonder of the World.
• The National Park is also home to a rainforest that is created by the spray of water from the falls.
• What time of day is best to visit Victoria Falls? Rainbows are possible throughout the day, but the best chance of seeing them and photographing them is between 2pm and 4pm.
• What’s nearby? The nearby town on the Zimbabwe side is also called Victoria Falls, and it is the base for a huge variety of wildlife, adrenalin, and nature activities, as well as accommodation, restaurants and shops.
  • The town in the neighbouring country of Zambia is called Livingstone.

Entry information for Victoria Falls

• Entry fees for Victoria Falls National Park (2026):
  • International visitors = $58 (was $50)
  • VIP tickets = $174 (was $150)
  • Moonlight visits (all) = $116 (was $100)
  • SADC African visitors = $35
  • Zimbabwean citizens = still $7
  • Children 6-12 years old = 50% of adult fee
  • Children under 6 = free
  • ℹ️ All prices above are in US Dollars
  • ℹ️ Guided tours cost extra
  • Why the change in price? The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority changed VAT regulations in 2026 to include 15.5% tax on activities and parks fees
  • The entrance fees to see Victoria Falls from the neighbouring country of Zambia are significantly cheaper, but they have only 20% of the viewing points. However, Livingstone Island is in Zambia, not Zimbabwe.
• TOP TIP: These fees are for a single entry in Zimbabwe. If you exit the rainforest/National Park, you have to pay again. Make sure you see all the viewing points during your visit (there is no time limit except to exit before 18h00).
• Day tickets do not cover moonlight (night) entry fees; they are separate tickets.
• How do I pay for my ticket? Payment can be made via MasterCard or Visa credit/debit card at the entrance gate, but cash is highly recommended instead of a card, just in case technology is down. You can budget this into your allocation of cash that you bring with you on your holiday, along with visa fees and tips. (You can also buy my planning kit for help on budgeting.)
• The daytime entry hours for Victoria Falls are 6am to 6pm.
• Advance booking is not required except for very large parties.
• It is very easy to walk around the waterfalls yourself as there are informative signs and arrows along the paths. However, if you so choose, you can do a guided tour which can be booked through your accommodation or at the gate.
• Don’t be tempted to cross the natural barriers/fences to get closer to the falls – although the barriers aren’t as official-looking as in other parts of the world, their purpose is no less important. People have died falling into the chasm.
• I’ve been known to take a plastic sandwich bag with me to protect my phone from the spray. There are, of course, camera protector bags that you can also buy. This is only really needed in high water months.

How to walk around Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

• To get to the falls from the town of Victoria Falls, follow the signposts which will take you to a car park opposite the entrance to the Victoria Falls National Park. If your hotel is further away, they can arrange a short road transfer.
• Clothing: Vendors in the car park will sell raincoats to you if you don’t want to get wet from the spray (However, I prefer to just take a change of clothes).
• Pay the entrance fee at the gate (and the guide fee if you would like a guided tour).
• Take a few minutes to walk around the exhibit near the entrance to learn many fascinating facts about the geography and history of Victoria Falls.
• There are also toilets here.
• Follow the signposts to the viewing points. You’ll find yourself in a green rainforest which is sustained by the spray of the falls. Suddenly, you’ll be face-to-face with Victoria Falls. The feeling that you experience when seeing the waterfalls for the first time (and the second, and the third …) is something that will always stay with you.
• Top tip: After your first glimpse of the waterfall, the temptation is to turn right to see more of them immediately, but I prefer to head left first and so that I can work through the viewing points chronologically starting from Viewing Point 1: David Livingstone’s statue. This will mean seeing some of the viewing points twice, but who minds a double dose of awesome? (Scroll to the bottom for a map of Victoria Falls viewing points.)
• High water time is between March and May, which I think is the best for experiencing the view of the falls, but any time of year is thrilling.
• Viewing points 13 and 14 can be very slippery in high water season. It goes without saying, but don’t go near the edge!  The barriers are natural and unobtrusive (a big plus for me) but this means they are minimal, so common sense is advised.
• How long does it take to walk around the Zimbabwe side? It will take about 2 hours to walk around the falls, gift shop and monuments at a leisurely pace.
• The gift shop stocks some high quality crafts and clothes and is well worth a stop.
• There’s also a good cafe at the exit (the Rainforest Cafe) if you’re feeling peckish – watch out for the monkeys who may want to steal your sandwich!
• Is Victoria Falls family friendly? The barriers between the path and the waterfalls are minimal which makes them good for viewing, but safety is very much the responsibility of the visitor. The barriers are easy to cross and could be deadly if they’re disregarded. Young children may get tired from walking and slip on some of the paths. I wouldn’t recommend children younger than around 7 years old to visit the falls – if they’re younger, just make sure to keep holding their hands. If they’re babies in slings, that’s fine, as they can’t run off.
• Read about my own experience going on a guided tour of Victoria Falls here and the self-guided visit I did here for more details and photos.

Try something different

• Why not visit Victoria Falls at night to see a rare moonbow (lunar rainbow)? Enquire with your hotel or with your tour company, or at Wild Horizons office in town about this. I believe visitors can also enter at the gate, as they would for a normal visit to the falls. Moonbows can be seen for 3 days each month, are best seen between April and July.
• For an even closer encounter with the Falls, see it from Livingstone Island, where you can swim to, and sit in a rock pool at the edge of the precipice. As this is happens from the neighbouring country of Zambia, I didn’t include it in the Zimbabwe top ten, but have a look at the Best of the rest page for details. The border post between the two countries is located on the Victoria Falls Bridge, on the Zambezi River. You can get a visa for both countries, or a multi-entry visa for one.

Next article in this series: Number 2 of things to do in Victoria Falls

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