Zambia or Zimbabwe
 

Hi. Am visiting Victoria falls in Feb. Am I best staying in Zambia or Zimbabwe?

hi. i would stay in zimbabwe as all the action is on the zimbabwean side such as white water rafting,kayaking,ele rides balooning,best view of the falls and the best hotel the vic falls hotel and some superb lodges and great game viewing in the vic falls nat park. it's also a pain having to cross the border from zam to zim . just enjoy

February is normally a good month to view the falls from either side.
Adrenaline activities are available in both Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Your choice of airline might dictate which side you go.

Thanks for the info. Have just found out there is a train from Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi and I beleive I can get to Livingstone or Vic Falls from there? Have you any info on this? Thanks again for your help.

I would definitely suggest the Zambian side. I was just there two weeks ago (both the Zim and Zambian side) Zambia has a much more comfortable feeling. They offer all the activities offered from the Zim side, and if you really want to go to Zim you can do day trips etc. Zambia is so much more stable right now. (This is coming from an ex Zimbabwean who never thought Zambia would be better!!!)

Just came baack last week from the Zambian side and would definitely recommend it. The people are noticeably more friendly and relaxed and there is none of the feeling of tension that you feel on the Zim side. Also when we went we got a lot more hassle (to buy stuff) when we crossed to Zim (for our flIght) whereas the Zambians were nothing but the most obliging hosts. Also if you have read anything about the regime in Zim, you will probably want to avoid it for moral and ethical reasons...I know I would rather give my tourist $ to the Zambian side.

I can definitely understand the concern about the regime in Zimbabwe, but on the other hand, many of the dollars I spent in Vic Falls went right into the hands of the people. And you are correct that getting into the country can be a hassle due to outmoded and inefficient immigration processes, but once there, I found the people to be some of the friendliest and most helpful that I ran into anywhere. I would recommend to anyone wanting to truly experience the falls to stay on the Zim side. Walking along the path at the edge of the falls (and getting drenched by the mist) was an amazing experience that I wouldn't have wanted to miss.

In case you decide to stay on the Zim side, Lithakia, we stayed at Ilala Lodge and loved it. The rooms were large and comfortable, the breakfast was wonderful, and hearing the falls at night from our room was so wonderful. The lodge is a ten minute walk from the falls and right in the heart of the town. There is a great restaurant across the street - Mama Africa - that has live music at night and wonderful local food. Enjoy!

Lithakia,
Stay in Zambia and have a ball.
Whoever says the action is on the ZIm side has not been there in the last several years.
Many of the operators in ZIm have moved to Zambia because there are many more tourists there.
Also, I echo what the others say about the more relaxed atmosphere in Zambia.
Guess why? It's stressful to be in a dictatorship with an economy that is in total meltdown.
I love Zimbabwe as much as anyone but now is not the time to go there.
And the less time you have to deal with the arbitrary and nasty Zim border guards, the better.
The person that says they did not support the government with their foreign currency is fooling themselves.
If you don't believe me, read how Mugabe's newspapers proudly trumpet every visitor as a blow to the supposed "Western plot" to bring back democracy.
By the way, I'm not too sure that your train plan will work out well. I've had several negative experiences on African trains.
If you do go that route, make sure you have plenty of time and forget about any schedule!

Further example of Zim policy....we wanted to stop by to see the falls on our way to the airport. However we had just used up our USD to pay for the lodge so could not pay the $20pp entrance fee. No problem, our driver told us, any currency is accepted. So I asked how much is it in sterling? Well that's 40 GBP also...but sterling is worth more than the USD! Not here in Zim, USD, EUR, GBP are all the same! I could not believe it and just goes to show how s****ed up things are in Zim. I would definitely only stay in the Zambian side if I went again.

Just an interesting note how things have changed. I visited Vic Falls in August 2001 and I changed US dollars for Zim dollars on the black market (the official rate was around 50:1 but I got, if I recall correctly, at least 5x that on the black market).

The entrance fee to the Falls was US$20, but I was allowed to pay in Zim dollars, and they calculated based on official rate, but I was able to pay with Zim dollars I received on black market.

It sounds like they no longer accept their own currency. You know a country is in the crapper when it doesn't even accept its own currency.

I'd stay in Zambia.

I saw the Falls in September 2005 from both sides so I believe I am qualified to voice my opinion.

As was stated previously, which side you stay on may depend mostly on which airline you use to fly into the area.

Livingstone Airways flies into Zambia, whereas British Airways flies into Zimbabwe.

It is true that you can do much of the same activities from either side.

For viewing the falls, I think you get a better appreciation of the scope of the Falls from the Zim side, where there are viewing areas all along the length of the falls. Viewing from the Zam side is more limited (to the Eastern section of the falls). However, there are some cool catwalks on the Zam side, and you can also jump into some pools right before the water goes over the cliff.

I should also note that I was deeply concerned about the economic and political instability in Zimbabwe. Reading travel books and news reports from CNN and the BBC made me really nervous. I even went so far as to register my passport with the State Department, which I have never done before (I've traveled to over 50 countries).

It turns out I had worried needlessly. The people were unfailingly polite and incredibly educated. Many of the hotel staff spoke multiple languages (French, Japanese, Italian) and most spoke better English than some people here in the States. The tourist police had a visble presence (they wear these big vests that say "Tourist Police") and I never felt unsafe at all.

If you have the opportunity, you should really see the Falls from both sides.

Akimyai,
Do you mind telling me which hotel you stayed in in VF? Thanks,
Jane