General Information About the Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is situated on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Falls are easily recognisable on an area map by the zig-zagging Batoka Gorge.

Batoka Gorge carries the mighty Zambezi River immediately downstream of the Falls and on towards Mozambique before it finally spills into the Indian Ocean .

The local Batonga people called the Falls Mosi-Oa-Tunya, the 'Smoke that Thunders' but David Livingstone renamed the Falls after his queen. The rather tame Victoria Falls title is a little bit of a misnomer and somehow doesn't do justice this juggernaut of nature.

Victoria Falls sits about midway along the course of the Zambezi River, at the border of Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the south, and is easily accessible from both countries. Much of the area around the Falls is protected within national parks, and the closest towns are Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe, and Livingstone, in Zambia.

The Falls are just a short walk of about a kilometre or so from the town of Victoria Falls. This small town, affectionately abbreviated to Vic Falls by anyone who's been there, was built for tourism, and until recently was the major adventure travel centre of southern Africa.

These days many people prefer the Zambian side, which offers the full range of activities and the chance to get away from it all if you wish. The Zambian town of Livingstone is about 10kms from the Falls, but most of the lodges and hotels are set along the banks of the Zambezi River and not in the town itself.

The magnificent Victoria Falls Bridge spans Batoka gorge, just below Victoria Falls, and forms a sort of no-mans land between the border posts of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Border crossings are relatively quick, providing you don't get stuck behind a tour bus.

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