Southern Africa
Destinations
One community across five countries. Victoria Falls is home — Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are all within reach of it, by bridge, by road or by a short flight.
- Home base
Zimbabwe
The falls themselves
Mosi-oa-Tunya and the town beside it, with Hwange, Matobo, Great Zimbabwe and Mana Pools strung along the roads north and east. Most members begin and end their trip here.
- Gateway
- Victoria Falls town
- Reach
- Home base for the community
Zambia
Livingstone and the walking safaris
The other side of the falls, and the country that keeps going north: walking safaris, river parks and the Zambezi all the way to Kariba.
- Gateway
- Livingstone
- Reach
- On the doorstep — the bridge is in town
Botswana
Chobe's elephants and the Delta
Elephant country. Chobe is a day trip from the Falls, and beyond it the Okavango Delta and the salt pans take a few days and usually a light aircraft.
- Gateway
- Kasane
- Reach
- Day-trip range, and the gateway to the Delta
Namibia
Desert dunes and the Zambezi strip
Desert and river in one country: the Zambezi flood plains up north, then Etosha, the Namib dunes and the cold Atlantic coast further south.
- Gateway
- Katima Mulilo
- Reach
- A longer leg, not a day trip
South Africa
Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route
Where most trips out of Victoria Falls connect: Johannesburg is a short flight away and the way into Kruger, while Cape Town and the Garden Route sit at the end of the line for a road trip.
- Gateway
- Johannesburg
- Reach
- A flight away, and the usual end of a longer trip
How the region fits together
Zambia is a walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge. Botswana is an hour by road to Kazungula. Namibia is the long leg north and west. South Africa is the flight most trips end with. Ask in the forums before you commit to a route — members post what the borders were like the week they crossed.
Crossing between the five countries
Border rules change. These are the things members say catch travellers out, and the posts they cross at — always confirm the current requirements for your own nationality before you travel.
Carry a proper passport
Every crossing here needs a passport with blank pages and enough validity left. Check the current entry rules for your nationality before you commit to a border-crossing day trip.
Zambia is a walk away
The Victoria Falls Bridge links the two towns: walk across, clear the posts at either end, and you are in Livingstone. Zambia and Zimbabwe also share a uni-visa for many nationalities — confirm your eligibility at the border.
Botswana means Kazungula
Kasane and Chobe are reached by road through the Kazungula border post, roughly an hour from Victoria Falls town. Day trips usually sort the paperwork for you.
Namibia is the long leg
The Zambezi Region is reached from the Zambian side at Katima Mulilo or from Botswana at Ngoma, so build it into a loop of a few days rather than a day out.
South Africa is a flight
Victoria Falls to Johannesburg is about two hours, and the usual connection for Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route. If you drive it instead, the crossings through Botswana are straightforward, but the days are long.
Carry a little local money
US dollars go far in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, but take pula, kwacha, Namibian dollars or rand for fuel, markets and park fees once you are further out.
Sort health cover first
Ask about malaria advice for the river and delta areas, and check that your travel insurance covers each country you plan to cross into.