susan300

Wondering if I should make the trip to Victoria Falls. I have seen Iguassu Falls in Argentina which was great. Am planning a safari in Botswana so I was thinking of going after the safari. However, would rather spend that money on exploring South Africa. Has anyone been in the town of Livingstone...any comments on that? thank you.

mistypopper

I would personally say Cape Town... but it depends what you are after. Livingstone is a very third world African town

jasher

Hello,

Personally, if I had to choose between then and had never seen either one, I would choose South Africa hands-down. In the end, Vic Falls is just a huge waterfall, and South Africa is so much more. There is a huge amount to do and see in SA -- Cape Town, the winelands, the coast, the Panorama Route. That being said -- I'll be spending a few days in Vic Falls at the end of my Botswana trip in 2006, but I've been to South Africa a few times.

Alternatively, you could do both. If you just want to see the falls, you can do that in a day and then continue on to SA. If you are interested in adrenaline activities (bungee jumping, white-water rafting, etc) you may find that you want a bit more time in Vic Falls. Livingstone is pretty low on conventional sights -- it's basically a base for people to do their activities.

Cheers,
Julian

Trisha1

We finished our Botswana safari camp experiences by spending two nights at the River Club outside of Livingstone. The Falls are amazing and our trip on the Zambesi in the River Club boat was relaxing. Best of all was the ultra light flights where we soared over the Falls like birds. I even saw elephants
swimming across the river below. The River Club is amazing and so welcoming.

We then flew back to Johannesburg and took Rovos Rail to Cape Town. Rovos Rail was fascinating as we stopped in Kimberley to see the Big Hole the first day and in Matjiesfontein on the 2nd day to see the historic little town.

Finally we spent 4 days in Cape Town with one day spent in the Wine Country with a guide.

All of the above are a great way to finish up a Botswana safari adventure.

welltraveledbrit

Susan,
I've been to Iguazu and Vic Falls and they are very different. Iguazu is a very interactive experience...lots of great trails that take you down and through the falls. Vic Falls is very different. At Iguazu you feel the falls will never end because round each corner there are more, and at different levels. Vic Falls is magnificent and very large but it is one larger falls and you look across at it from the Zimbabwean side. Unless you're interested in white water rafting or microlighting it's one stop shopping.

Depending on where you stay in Botwsana you could take a land transfer from your camp, see the falls and fly to Capetown from the Vic Falls Airport.

I have visited the Falls on various occasions, from backpacking on up. We stayed at Tongabezi on our honeymoon and I greatly enjoyed it. However, I agree with others that if it's an either/or I'd choose South Africa.

Lin

Let me add to Julian and others by saying that I'd skip the Falls and definitely go to South Africa. The Falls are beautiful, no doubt, but the area is very commercialized. There can be great moments while sitting by the Zambezi but the game park is lame (no predators), the Falls are nice but they only take a couple of hours at MOST, and the rest is all about shopping and adventure-ing. Even one stop in South Africa would probably be a more memorable experience.

santharamhari

IS Vic falls worth it?........i'd answer yes........providing you are into activites like whitewater rafting. I did stay at songwe village in December recently and it was good. The rapids experience was the best i have ever done. I previously have been to Alaska, yellowstone and the Himalayas in India......nothing compares.

In SONGWE VILLAGE, do the bath with a view of the gorge below........unmatchable!!!

aby

Hi
i have not been to Iguassu, but a number of people who have been were somewhat disappointed at Vic - their expectations were higher.
Jasher defined it nicely - if u t in 4 extreme activities etcw go 4 it