Victoria Falls is like Disney World for adrenaline junkies and nature lovers. Who ever thought I would end up in Zimbabwe? Also… who ever thought I would LOVE Zimbabwe?

Originally I planned to spend 4 days in V Falls, but some of my South African friends told me to prioritize Cape Town and cut my time in half. While it’s true that V Falls doesn’t require a ton of time, I still wish I had those two days. It’s such a playground and worth the crazy flight patterns to get there.

Days OOO: I suggest 3-5. Technically I took 11 days off for Kili, V Falls, and 5 days in Cape Town… but if you only want to go to V Falls and come from the US a week is plenty!

Budget Style: Although really touristy, your money will go far. Even some of the excursions are affordable if you wait to book until you arrive on site. Still, don’t expect to go skydiving or bungee jumping for less than $100… otherwise you would question your safety.

What I Did:

1. Helicopter Tour. Soooo I felt a bit like a contestant on the Amazing Race because the second my airport driver picked me up he handed me a menu of activities and rapidly booked our helicopter tour in a super tight schedule. For $150 each we got a 13 minute tour of the falls from above. It was nice because we didn’t have strangers with us, and plenty of time to get all of the aerial views! Seeing V Falls from above is totally worth the money, because otherwise you don’t get a sense of how grand this natural world wonder really is. I booked directly through Shearwater Explorers Village the day I arrived!
2. Gorge Swing. This barely edges out the helicopter ride for my favorite activity of the trip. It’s more fun than bungee jumping and skydiving combined, because it’s the most unique, crazy thing you can do! Featured twice on the Amazing Race, you free fall for several seconds before swinging over the Zambezi River. Check it out on Youtube… I wish I did this twice!
3. Walk the Falls and Cross the Border. There is a special visa, the Kaza Visa, which allowed multiple entry between Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia. It saves a ton of money and hassle getting between countries! It’s one of the few places in the world where you can easily walk from one country to another and do so while witnessing the smoke that thunders. We were lucky enough to see a FULL CIRCLE RAINBOW through the water! For the crazies, you can also bungee jump from the marvel that is Victoria Falls Bridge.
4. Botswana Safari. The Chobe National Reserve is unique in that it is an “elephant’s paradise.” There are a few hundred thousand happy ellies in this oasis… and let me tell you, it was paradise for humans too. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a place that is golden hour pretty much the entire day. In other places elephants are scared of safari vehicles, but in Botswana they are SO safe from poachers that they don’t mind coming nearby and showing off! This is also a great place because you can see the fauna from water during a boat cruise, and from land in a game drive. Still didn’t see any leopards… but got to see giraffes in the wild! If I could go back I would spend 2 nights in Botswana and maybe a night in Namibia.
5. Spa Time. After hiking Kilimanjaro this was a must. However, the experience was a little funky because Attalia were on tables next to each other as if it were a couples massage. Not our first rodeo— we used to do this in Spain to save money when we were poor grad students haha! Plenty of options in the swanky hotels, and even in our fancier backpackers’ village.

What I Wish I Did… because 2 days was really short!

1. Elephant Cafe. In Zambia there is a dinner experience along the Zambezi where you get to interact with a colony of rescues elephants and eat in a lovely outdoor setting. It only seats about 20 people, and I recommend making reservations far in advance. Also be sure to confirm pick up with them several times before the date… because they forgot to pick me up. They wanted to offer a huge package as an apology but unfortunately I wasn’t in town long enough to take them up on it!
2. Livingstone and Emerald Shopping. I would’ve loved to explore this city and see what kind of gems they have. I bought a Tanzanite in Tanzania and Zambia is famous for emeralds… from what I understand it’s way more affordable to buy this precious stone abroad than at home. Next time!

Where I Stayed:

Shearwater Explorers Village. This place exceeded every expectation! It had a nice mix of retired couples and young backpackers, an immaculate full restaurant with fresh fruit smoothies and decor straight out of HGTV, great showers and fixtures, comfy beds with mosquito nets, safes, and soooo many activities to choose from. Plus the people who work there are so nice! Also… a pool! A gift shop! Close to town! And the chalets are only about $100 a night. FIVE STARS! Would go back in a heartbeat.

2/7 Natural Wonders of the world and 2/7 New Natural Wonders of the world… check!