Victoria Falls National Park

• David Livingstone statue

  Sir William Reid Dick's statue, begun in 1934 and unveiled in 1954, stands on the western bank facing Devil's Cataract, and the inscription records that Livingstone came here in 1855 and named the falls after Queen Victoria. War veterans tried to have it removed in 2001 as a reminder of colonial rule, and in 2004 Zambia asked for it to be moved to its side for the 150th anniversary; neither happened.

  Wikipedia, Statue of David Livingstone, Victoria Falls
• Devil's Cataract

  The western end of the falls, about 70 m high, reached down 73 steps. The name came from missionaries, who thought the sacrifices local people were said to make on a nearby island devilish.

  Zimbabwe Field Guide, Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site
• Main Falls and the view to Livingstone Island

  About 93 m high and the biggest volume of water, so the most spray. Across the gap is Livingstone Island, where Livingstone landed in 1855. Island tours run only from the Zambian side, and only in the months when the water allows.

  Zimbabwe Field Guide, Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site
• Horseshoe Falls and Rainbow Falls

  Further east along the path. Horseshoe Falls drops about 95 m and often runs dry between October and January; Rainbow Falls, at 108 m, is the deepest part of the whole falls. Past them the Eastern Cataract is Zambia's.

  Zimbabwe Field Guide, Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site
• The Big Tree

  A baobab upstream of the falls, about 23 m tall and 18 m wide. The sign gives its age as about 1,500 years, which the Zimbabwe Field Guide thinks is too generous.

  Zimbabwe Field Guide, Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site

• The spray can rise more than 400 m and be seen from 50 km away. Average flow is 1,088 cubic metres a second. source
• The zigzag gorges below the falls are old waterfalls. The German traveller Eduard Mohr, there in 1870, put the falls down to a violent convulsion of the earth's crust, and that was the accepted view for about fifty years. In 1905 A.J.C. Molyneux argued for erosion instead: moving water wears away the weak lines in the hard basalt, and the present line of the falls will in time become another gorge. Aerial photos show the same cracks in the basalt above the falls, where later gorges will form. source
• Livingstone tried to measure the drop by lowering a weighted line over the edge, but it caught on a ledge short of the bottom at 295 feet (90 m). The Zimbabwe Field Guide calls his 1855 figures a gross underestimate. source
• From 1920 a two-foot-gauge track was laid from the Victoria Falls Hotel for rail-trolleys seating eight. They ran for 37 years and carried more than two million passengers. source
• The park is a Ramsar wetland of international importance, listed on 3 May 2013. It runs along the river from about 6 km above the falls to about 12 km below them. source
• Leopard live in the rainforest but are rarely seen. What you will meet on the path are baboons, monkeys and warthogs, under ferns, palms, lianas and mahogany that only grow this thick because the spray waters them. source

Checked 19 October 2026.

• very likelyChacma baboonOn and beside the Rainforest path, quite at home in the treessource
• very likelyVervet monkeyAll through the Rainforest and the rest of the parksource
• likelyWarthogForaging in the Rainforest. They burrow under the fence to get insource
• likelyTrumpeter hornbillThe Rainforest canopy. You hear the wailing call, a bit like a crying child, long before you see the birdsource
• possibleBushbuckThe Rainforest has its own resident bushbuck, grazing the lush grass. Shy, so walk quietly and keep looking into the thicketssource
• possibleSchalow's turacoRainforest trees. A big green bird that is easy to miss until it flies and shows the red in its wingssource
• possibleBanded mongooseForaging groups on the Rainforest floorsource
• possiblePeregrine falconThe gorges below the falls, where 18 pairs have been recorded nesting. The gorges hold another 35 or so raptor species, black eagle among themsource
• possibleElephantOutside the Rainforest fence, in the wider park along the river. They used to wander into the Rainforest at night, but the newer fence keeps them out of it nowsource
• possibleHippo and Nile crocodileThe Zambezi above the falls, along the park's riverbank from the edge of Zambezi National Park down to the lipsource
• rareTaita falconThe gorges below the falls were once a stronghold, with six pairs found in surveys from 1989 to 1994. There have been few confirmed sightings in recent years, and many reported Taitas are probably peregrinessource
• rareLeopardZimParks says one is seen only on the very odd occasionsource
• rareSouthern African pythonRecorded in the Rainforest now and then over the years. Snakes in general are very rarely met on the pathsource

Likelihood is for a normal visit of two or three days, from the sources linked. Nothing is guaranteed in the wild.

• Rainforest path, viewpoints 1 to 164 KM · 1 TO 2 HOURS · EASY

  One footpath paved with small stones joins 16 numbered viewpoints, ending at the view of the bridge at number 16. National Geographic puts the whole walk at about 2.5 miles. A few viewpoints are unpaved or rocky and harder to reach.

  Permit: Entry ticket at the gate; walk it on your own or with a guide hired on site or booked ahead

  National Geographic, guide to Victoria Falls National Park
• Chain Walk at viewpoint 2MODERATE

  A side trip off the main path at viewpoint 2, down 73 steps that are often slippery, so skip it in smooth soles.

  National Geographic, guide to Victoria Falls National Park

Malaria

The falls are on the Zambezi, and TravelHealthPro says the Zambezi valley carries malaria risk all year, with atovaquone and proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine recommended. Elsewhere in Zimbabwe below 1,200 m the risk is high from November to June and low from July to October. Ask a travel clinic which tablets suit you, and cover up after sunset, use repellent and sleep under a net if the room has no screens. source

Cliff edges and Danger Point

On New Year's Day 2021 a 40-year-old visitor slipped at Danger Point in the Rainforest and fell more than 100 m into the gorge. Stay behind the barriers, keep children by the hand and do not step out to the edge for a photograph. source

Monkeys

The monkeys at the Rainforest Cafe will snatch food off your plate if you look away. Do not feed them and keep snacks zipped away. source

The river above the falls

The Zambezi above the falls holds hippos and crocodiles, and no stretch of it is for swimming or wading, however calm it looks. Guided canoe trips can still go wrong: in late 2018 a hippo, apparently guarding its calf, came up under a guided canoe on the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi, flipped it and broke an American guest's thigh bone. Do the river with a licensed operator and keep to the guide's line. source

Town and roads after dark

The UK government says mugging, pickpocketing and bag snatching are common in city centres, especially after dark, and street lighting can be poor. Take a taxi back from the falls once the light goes, and do not drive outside the main towns at night because of deep potholes, stray livestock and vehicles without lights. source

The riverside path to the hotel

The path along the river from the falls to the Victoria Falls Hotel is not safe to walk after dark. Use a car if you are going back that way at night. source

• In the high water months, March to May, you are likely to get drenched on the path. Bring a raincoat or rent one at the gate, wear sandals with good grip and put the phone and valuables in a dry bag. one source
• Be at the gate when it opens at six for empty viewpoints. Rainbows over the gorge are most likely between about nine and eleven, when the sun is right, and midday gives the harshest light. one source
• Carry US dollar cash for the gate even if you plan to pay by card, in case the card machines are down. one source
• Sixteen of the twenty viewpoints over the falls are on the Zimbabwe side. In the dry season the part of the falls facing Zambia dries up, so this side is the one that still shows water. one source

Checked 19 October 2026. Conditions change, so confirm with the park or venue before you go.