Seeing the magnificent Victoria Falls

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
2
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
4
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
3
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
9
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
62 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
260th/454
Top 60%
continent
Africa
country
Zimbabwe
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$80 ($50-$100 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Fabulous hotel Waterfalls Wonder of the World - Natural
All Tags
Gardens UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Known in Swahili as “The Smoke that Thunders”, Victoria Falls is magnificent in just the sheer scale and noise that it generates.  Whilst not the largest waterfall by volume (that title goes to Inga Falls in the Congo), it is the largest sheet of falling water in the world – hence the thunderous noise, its title as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and should 100% be on your itinerary if in this part of Africa.

 

Whilst it was a few years since I last visited, 5 tips for a great experience:

#1 Zimbabwe or Zambia – ideally just do both.  As a summary, Zimbabwe has the better views and probably the better accommodation / tourist infrastructure (Victoria Falls is basically built for tourists), whereas Zambia gives you the opportunity to get far closer to the falls and stand by the Devil’s Pool right on the edge.  I’d suggest go with Zimbabwe if had to chose and, if slightly concerned about all the headlines of Zimbabwe as a country, don’t be – this part of the country is very safe.

#2 I wish I’d done some of the activities – don’t get me wrong, the views of the falls are fantastic and there are so many viewing points for variety.  But, it would have been awesome to whitewater raft down the Zambezi or quad bike around the surrounding area (which would have given this experience a far higher score).

#3 Visit the Victoria Falls Hotel – the grounds are magnificent with views of the spray from the falls nearby and the perfectly manicured lawns all around, it gives you that feel of what you imagined the splendor of colonial Africa to be.  Its expensive though at around US$450 a night, so my tip is to go there for food, late afternoon drinks or, even better, High Tea between 3pm – 6pm on the Stanley Terrace which is a bit of an institution, and far cheaper.

#4 It’s very big! – it’s less like, for example, a Niagara Falls where you can see the entirety of the falls.  Instead, there are various spots to be able to see across the falls and, because of the curves in the falls and the mist, none that seems to let you see all the whole sight in its magnificence.  Will need a scenic flight for that.

#5 Time of year to visit – we had a great time in January, but I must admit that the mist from the falls did block the views at time, and 100% drench us by the end!  July – October seems to be the optimal time for the views without so much mist.  This is also the best time to be able to swim in the Devil’s Pool on the Zambian side.

Highlights

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#1 Hearing the "Smoke that Thunders" get louder and louder as you move closer to the mist

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#2 Seeing the water booming over the edge of one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World

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#3 Enjoying the magnificent grounds and views from the Victoria Falls Hotel, ideally whilst having afternoon tea on the Stanley Terrace

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#4 Getting involved in the various activities all around the falls - whitewater rafting, quad biking or, in this case, the bridge swing

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Waterfall Experiences around the World

Niagra Falls and Niagra on the Lake
⭐⭐⭐

Semuc Champey all to yourself
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Driving through the Atherton Tableland
⭐⭐

Taking a boat trip through Milford Sound
⭐⭐⭐⭐

A day walking through Yosemite National Park
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Plitvice Lakes in northern Croatia
⭐⭐⭐

Hiking and swimming in the rock pools of Kakadu National Park
⭐⭐⭐

Waterfalls and mountain views in Luang Prabang
⭐⭐⭐

Driving Argentina’s Seven Lakes drive from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes
⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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