Zambia: Victoria Falls Part 2
Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River mark the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Therefore, in order to get the best Victoria Falls experience, Leo and I decided to spend time on both sides of the Falls.
On Christmas Day, we made the trip from the city of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Livingstone, Zambia.
Day 3: The Road to Zambia
Originally, we had thought about going to Livingstone, Zambia ourselves, but the idea of having to take 3 cars (one to the bridge, one across the bridge, and then one into town) and having to negotiate the price for each of them seemed super annoying. So, we booked it with Emmanuel for $50. It required changing the car once, at the bridge with Zambia, and it was another great experience with that company.
We were quickly stamped out of Zimbabwe, drove across the bridge, and then got to the Zambian border checkpoint. The Zambian side took a bit longer due to some very slow-moving border officials. Once we were stamped in, we drove straight to our hostel.
One thing to note about Zambian immigration, which we experienced both at this border crossing and when we were coming back from Botswana, is that we were asked how many days we were staying in Zambia. Then, they give us visa validity only for that number of days. They didn’t ask for proof of hotel booking or flights, so I recommend saying you’ll be there a few more days than you plan on being there for. This way, you won’t be in a pickle should there be a flight delay, or you feel inspired to extend your stay in Zambia.
In some countries, like the Seychelles, they might also ask for return flight details to base visa validity length around. In these cases, there’s no harm in just asking to get a few extra days on the visa.
That evening, we just swung by a grocery store for some snacks before heading to bed. Our tour pick up the next day was at 7am.
Day 4: Chobe National Park, Botswana
Leo and I thought that no trip to Southern Africa would be complete without a game drive. So, we decided to book a day trip to Botswana’s Chobe National Park to see the megafauna that makes this part of the continent so famous.
For the full report, check out the dedicated blog post for that day.
Day 5: Livingstone Town
We had booked a tour of Livingstone for that morning, and when we saw the pickup location was at the Victoria Falls Waterfront hotel, about a 15 minute drive away I messaged the company asking if we could meet the group somewhere in town. It turns out we were the only ones, and they were happy to pick us up in town. Talk about service!
Patrick started the tour at the shores of the Zambezi River to indicate where the city was originally located, in what is now a national park and show us the place where people used to enter the city through.
We then went to the Dwamba market. This is a local market where merchants sell everything from vegetables to clothes to household appliances. Patrick showed us some of the unique things sold here like edible clay as an iron supplement and dried caterpillars. We also got to see people making fresh peanut butter.
Afterwards, we went to downtown Livingstone where we got to see the shops that were owned by the British, and only accessible to them, as well as the shops owned by the Indian, Jewish, and Polish people that were available for all to shop at. Patrick explained that many Indians remain in Livingstone, including the owner of the oldest pharmacy in the city, and that Indians have always been protected by the local population because of the hard work Indians have done in the area. They provided services and goods that other shops didn’t have at a time of discrimination.
Then, we finished our tour being dropped off at the Kudu Cafe. Here, I enjoyed a great piece of steak and banana smoothie.
Patrick was an amazing ambassador for his city and country. I highly recommend using him if you find yourself in Livingstone at some point. He can be reached via WhatsApp at +260-97-471-5465. We also used him for our drive to Victoria Falls and to the airport next day because he was so great. What a contrast to the tour from the day before!
This tour, especially the time in the market, was a highlight of the trip, and Patrick made it very special.
Leo and I then went to the Livingstone Museum. Most of the museum is nothing special for tourists, with a large part of it focusing on human evolution and random animals. Those are the types of exhibits you can see in museums all around the world, but it’s important they have such exhibits here for the local population. There was a large school group there during our visit.
However, the best part for visitors (and what made our time there worth it) was the exhibit on Zambian history from pre-European times, to the era of British rule, to Zambian independence. They also have a few displays of traditional ceremonial dress which were very interesting to see.
Afterward, Leo and I headed back to the hostel to get some writing done.
Day 6: Victoria Falls and off to Johannesburg
Our plane was scheduled to department Livingstone at 1:30pm, so we decided to visit Victoria Falls before going to the airport.
We checked out at 9:30 and the driver from our Livingstone town tour brought us to the Falls.
At the Falls entrance we paid $20 each (payable via credit card and charged in local currency), and started exploring. We began by hiking down to the Boiling Pot. This is a circular opening at the bottom of the cliff where the water is white and moving in a circle like in a pot. There’s also a great view looking up at the Victoria Falls Bridge from here.
Then we headed to the “Danger Point” which had a lovely walkway overlooking the falls. What I like about the Zambian side of the falls relative to the Zimbabwean is that you can walk alongside the falls. On the Zimbabwean side you take a path through the forest and then occasionally leave the path for viewpoints. That being said, the Zimbabwean side is much larger and has more mist coming off of it. So, if you have the time, I recommend doing both! If you’re super pressed for time, you can always just drive to one side for the day. You could likely do the whole thing (including commuting) in just 3 hours.
We spent about 90 minutes just walking around and taking pictures of the many baboons that were spending time in the area. The ride cost 100 Zambian Kwacha (just under $6) to the Falls and then 200 from the Falls to the airport. Patrick also kept our bags in the car while we went around the Falls.
Once we were done, we headed to the airport. The security insisted my spoon was a prohibited item. I found this absolutely ridiculous considering 1. It’s a spoon and 2. No sign mentioned spoons being prohibited. I tried to explain that if there’s a rule it should be posted somewhere, but the guy at the security said it would be impossible to post all rules. If rules are just what a functionary says, I don’t view that as a safe jurisdiction. I wonder if this attitude is more widespread in the government there, which should certainly scare off foreign investors.
For reference, I’ve taken spoons (and forks) through security checkpoints in the US and Germany, where they don’t seem to be prohibited. I wonder what inside knowledge about the dangers of spoons the Zambians know that the Germans don’t.
Soon enough, our plane was ready to take us back to Johannesburg. We flew AirLink, which is a South African carrier. They’re excellent, providing reliable schedules and food onboard. However, it’s painfully annoying how they insist people not wear earbuds during takeoff and like for 30 minutes before landing.
I was so happy to reach Johannesburg where I knew the WiFi, air conditioning, and food would be great. Biggest tip for getting from the airport to the city is to only take licensed taxis or an Uber. When you’re waiting for an Uber there will be lots of people trying to take you themselves— and they’ll offer to charge less than Uber. However, one lady came up to me and said that she was robbed with a friend when she went with one of these drivers. It’s simply not worth the risk to save a few bucks.
We booked the Capital Melrose Hotel. This is located right across the street from Melrose Arch, which is a nice shopping and dining development in the Melrose area of Johannesburg. The Capital was a great choice because it retails for about half the price of any of the hotels in Melrose Arch (I stayed in Melrose Arch last time, at the African Pride Hotel), and is just a 2 minute walk away.
We went to a Turkish restaurant that evening, which was one of the highlights of this entire trip. I love Turkish food so much, and I really scarfed down my Adana kebab and ayran (yogurt drink). Afterward, I went to meet my friend from the Botswana day trip and her daughter. It was such a blast. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe, where we had spicy shrimp and talked about traveling and her life as an expat Malawi. It was such a pleasure meeting her, and I’m now super excited to visit Malawi sometime soon!
The following day in Johannesburg was spent getting caught up with the internet and planning my adventure (and super long journey) for the next couple months (more on that soon).
Zambia is UN Country 73/193 and TCC Region 90/330 for me.