zhaobao

Planning a trip to Victoria Falls, and originally planning to stay on the Zimbabwean side given the larger range of selection of accomodation. However it appears that the flights to/from VFA are fully booked and can only get flights to/from LVI.

1) In general, when you arrive at LVI, what is the logistics of transfer to the Zimbabwean side and also, what about the transfer from hotel to LVI ?

1a) Is transfer between VFA and Zimbabwean side of the falls in general much easier ?

2) When you cross into Zambia by land from Zimbabwe, does one pay a day visa pass of US$20 ? (Deciding whether to get a multiple visa at LVI)

3) Should I decide to go to Chobe National Park in Botswana on a day trip, does it matter whether you depart from Zimbabwean side or Zambian side of the falls ? (I'm just wondering how many border crossings there are on a day trip.

(FYI - I'm visa free for Zimbabwe and Botswana, but not for Zambia.)

Philatravelgirl

I came from Chobe to Zimbabwe by bus transit with Wild Horizons and then they did the transfer to LVI -I had to pay a visa free just to go to the airport. It was all quick and easy. Chobe was a fantastic visit - I did two land safari (morning and afternoon) and a boat safari (afternoon for sunset).
My travel agent arranged everything but Wild Horizons is the main tour operator for Victoria Falls area (both sides)

zhaobao

So what you are saying is that to go between the Zambian side to/from Chobe you do TWO border crossings, one between Zambia/Zimbabwe at the falls and one between Zimbabwe/Botswana ?

rankourabu

when you arrive in Zambia, get a multiple entry visa.

The Zim side is worth at most a day trip - and its easy to walk across, and to the park which is just across the bridge. Then there is the tourist town (which was a ghost town when I was there, since its patrolled, and there arent any locals) - beyond that there is nothing really worth seeing.

I would really recommend staying on the Zambian side - maybe by the river - its very easy to organize trips into Chobe from there.

We drove from Malawi thru Zambia, and then into Chobe on the ferry, and onto Namibia from there.

FSU

Also note that if you go to the Zambian side and the transit back through South Africa, you will need Yellow Fever shots.

madisoncat

Hi FSU!
We will be visiting Nairobi and would like to know if you could recommend volatge
converter for our US camera and plug if necessary.
Madisoncat

YYZHRE

If you're planning on a couple of days there, I'd stay on the Zim side for the reasons you've identified, as well there many more dining options (the food is MUCH better) and sporting/other activities is a bit easier.

Fy into VFA if possible (there is a BA flight from JNB in addition to the SAA flight daily...keep checking for space on the SAA flight often, it can change as tour operators hold and un-hold seats) it's a much easier and shorter option.

1) It's not difficult. The hotel you decide on should be able to recommend a tour company to assist with transfers (I've used Silver and Falcon Tours...both were fine: minibus..easy...$20-$30 each way....they will meet you at the airport and escort you all the way to your hotel). You can take a taxi...but you'll have to take one to the border...then one between the borders...and then another on the Zim side to your hotel. Border crossing are however, very easy (especially on land) and painless (just costly if you're North American). As has been mentioned, it is extremely easy to walk from Zimbabwe to Zambia and vice-versa.

1a) YES!!!

2) Get a multiple if you land in Zam.

3) Doesn't matter....both are just one border crossing.

FSU

Not sure on the converter question. Our trip is coming up this summer.

I was very excited to find a flight to Zambia side of the falls a bit cheaper. Thought I was pretty smart, until I learned about the Yellow Fever shot that was needed to get back to South Africa and of course the Visa fees that are necessary as well. Add an extra $200 per person. Oh well, at least we will be able to say we have been to Zambia.

Anyone who needs the Yellow Fever shot should check out Walgreens (yes, the drug store). They offer the shot cheaper than anyone else around!

ThudAndBlunder

There's more to do on the Zim side, but OTOH, sitting on the deck at the Royal Livingstone with your gin and tonic, watching the hippos and elephants in the river just above the falls, is one of life's great pleasures

BigRedBears

It seems that some ppl like Zim side better and some prefer Zambia. Is that correct assessment?

I'll be flying in from NYC into JNB and will have about 8.5 days in South Africa (+surrounding countries). I want to do a safari (Kruger?) and then head to Cape Town.

Does it make sense to head straight to VFA/LVI from JNB, do Victoria Falls and then safari in Chobe (instead of Kruger?). How many days does one need at Victoria Falls? Is 1 enough?

beardoc82

I think one day at Victoria Falls is plenty. We also spent a day on Chobe safari, (out by land, lunch at a restaurant, back by boat). For a flatland boy from West Texas, it was an incredible sight. The zebras, monkeys, etc wandering the grounds of the Zambezi Sun and Royal Livingstone are amazing.

Philatravelgirl

One day Vic falls is fine - you could visit falls (leisurely 2 hrs), do the helicopter tour (highlight) and the sunset cruise all in one day or just pick one and relax or add whitewater rafting
I did two nights at Chobe - there is the morning or afternoon land safari and the afternoon cruise (a plethora) of animals which was a big difference from my Okavango delta visit.
I wrote about the visit on my blog (same as user name). I didn't post Kruger visit (Sabi sands) yet

worldiswide

We flew into jnb and transferred directly to Vfa, spent one afternoon and the next morning at the falls And then spent 5 days in Botswana and on to capetown. 1 day was enough at the falls for our party. Sunset cruise is nice and a couple of hours walk around the falls and we moved on. It makes more sense to do chobe or other parts of Botswana instead of back to Kruger IMO given your relatively short time on the ground. We had a very tight connection in jnb but the jnb airport staff were amazing and we made the flight by minutes!!

BigRedBears

JNB-VFA and JNB-LVI both arrive mid-day. So, would you say afternoon is enough? We will be coming to VF straight after 36 hours of flights, so I imagine we will want to take a nap whole first afternoon.

worldiswide

So here was our drill. We arrived mid day after flying us to London to jnb. We were not traveling economy so it did make the flights more tolerable. We went straight to the hotel and actually wanted to stay up to try to get on the new time zone. We took a leisurely walk around the hotel and nearby grounds. The sunset cruises start about 4pm and are very relaxing and don't require any effort except to take fantastic pictures and have a bite to eat and drink. The cruises end at sundown so you can get an early nights sleep at that point. We actually had a light dinner and sat on the patio of the hotel and took in the atmosphere Since it was an early night we started early the next morning to do the tour of the falls. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the falls and were off to Botswana by mid morning and had our first safari drive by mid afternoon. We didn't do Zambian side as didn't want to do yellow fevershots for entry to s africa