Hi,

In July '08 we are going to be staying at the Toka Leya at Vic Falls (WS camp opening my May 2008) and will tour the Zambian side. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on whether we should also tour the Zimbabwe side for a different view?

Thanks..

2/3 of the Falls are across from the Zim side. If you have the time, you might want to cross the bridge over into Zimbabwe, paying the visa, and view the Falls from that side. the visa is $20 - $30 and the entrance fee into the Victoria Falls NP is $20 (costs as of my visit in 2006.)

I'm totally blessed to have visited Victoria Falls twice (so far) and both visits have been in July/August. Personally, I cannot imagine visiting the Falls without seeing them from the Zimbabwe side. I stayed at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe on my first visit (in '04)so the park was an easy walk; on my second visit I stayed on the Zambian side and yes, I had to jump through a few bureaucratic hoops to enter and exit Zim/Zam, but it was and is entirely worth it, 1000%.

Above the Falls, the Zambezi River is very wide and seemingly calm but below, all that water channels into a narrow gorge that bends back in front of the Falls for quite a long way. You see some of this from the "Zam" side but frankly, not enough. On the Zimbabwe side, in the park, you are able to follow the edge of the river so you can look back at the full expanse of the Falls coming AT you. The first half of the walk is totally magical, and dry, while the last bit is even more magical but wet, from the spray.

Don't miss it.

Definitely go to the Zim side. You can have lunch at the Vic Falls Hotel, an old colonial pile worth seeing, and see the bungee jumpers on the bridge. Plus the most scenic part of the Falls is on the Zim side. We wished we would have stayed there instead of on the Zambia side.

Hi,

Thanks ShayTay, Pula and LAleslie.

It sounds like the Zimbabwe side is superior to the Zambia side for the Falls. At the Toke Leya, we will also have game drives. Is the game viewing better on the Zim. side or the Zam. side? Is the Zim experience so superior that we should change our accomodations and our flight arrangements to Zim? or is a little of Zim and Zam nice?

Thanks again your opinons are very helpful.

Tara

Toka Leya is in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, a small 66 sq. km park. Not a lot of animals there, the two rhinos were killed in July. Elephants come from the Zim side for food. There are zebra, giraffe, warthog etc. Don't think there's any cats. There isn't any game viewing/drives on the Zim side without going into Chobe (Botswana) other than an occasional animal. There's more adventure activities on the Zim side, but if you want to see some animals, you'd be better off at Toka Leya. How many nights will you be there? And yes, the falls are much better on the Zim side.

Hi Matnikstym,

We are there two nights (July 11-13)
and then home. We will be at Chobe for 3 nights before arriving at the Falls. So maybe the best is to stay at Toka Leya do the activities there and schedule a Zim falls tour or maybe a Livingstone Island tour if it is available at that time. Do you think a Zim falls tour would be an all day tour or a 1/2 day tour?

Tara

Probably just to see the falls would be a half-day tour, but you might email WS or your tour operator and ask them the options. You could also check with some of the activity companies and ask them. I used www.safpar.com and they were very helpful answering my questions. Usually the activity cos. will pick you up at your hotel/lodge and take you but don't know if they go out to Toka Leya.

I would definetly go with the Zambian side. Booking for April/May 2008 could be a little interesting. There are march elections and the outcomes may have some longer term reprecussions.

In Septbember of this year, our friend Bob killed three generals appartently plotting against him. Having spent a lot of time in Zim in the last year, things could turn ugly. Bob has a one way ticket to the Hague, so there is potential of the violence seen in the cities affecting the rest of the country in this period.

Agree with Shumba. With the elections in March, it could be dicey but you never know.

Thank you all. I think we right and we should keep our accomodations in Zamiba and definitely visit the Zimbabwe side of the Falls.

Has anyone done the whitewater rafting activity at the Falls in early July? My husband and his brother want to do this, but is it something you can do with little rafting experience? Is the water very cold?

Tara

You don't need to go to Chobe if you want to see wildlife on the Zim side. You have Matetsi Safari Area with two lodges on the Zambezi river front - CC Africa's Matetsi Water Lodge (www.ccafrica.com) and Wild Horizon's Imbabala Safari Camp (www.wildhorizons.co.za), with Matetsi Water Lodge certainly the better option. If game viewing is a priority then these two lodges are better options than the camps on the Zambia side.

Just south of Vic Falls is Rani's luxurious The Stanley & Livingstone in its own private wildlife estate (www.stanleyandlivingstone.com).

Even if there is a potential of the violence during the elections, I doubt that this will last up to FOUR MONTHS after the election date.

Please also keep in mind that the survival of Zimbabwe's wildlife strongly depends on travelers visiting the national parks and safari areas.

Based on our experience Imbabala is the worst lodge we have ever stayed at, unless you like to go to bed very early.

Do they close the bar after dinner and turn off the lights?!

Hi Tara

I have spent 6 nights at Matetsi Water Lodge in Zimbabwe in July 2006. I would happily return for 2 or 3 nights. The staff were wonderful and while the gameviewing was not bountiful, the river gameviewing I really enjoyed.

It is a beautiful setting alongside the Zambezi.

One day I went to the Falls and it was very easy to do between gamedrives. I was a little uneasy going by myself, but the tracker said he would be happy to go with me and I was glad to have him there.

I really have no idea of the political situation for that time, but I certainly felt safe when I was there.

Kind regards

Kaye