South Africa
Southern Africa
UK
Campsites (Africa)
The formalities at the Zambian border took about an hour but we were fortunate in having help from a policeman (his name was Kevin) who took us to the 5 'offices' that we had to visit and organised a guy to change some US dollars to kwatcha as 3 of the fees could only be paid in kwatcha. As UK citizens we had to pay: Dual visa entry (as we'd be returning through Zambia after visiting Malawi): UD$ 80 each. From the Botswana border it only took an hour to reach Livingstone and as we approached the town we could see the spray from several kilometres away. We were able to stop by the roadside near the top of the Falls and could immediately see that the river was very high. It cost $20 to see the Falls from the Zambian side (we'd paid $30 last year on the Zimbabwe side) and, at this time of the year with the river so high( resulting in a huge amount of spray), we probably got a much better view from here. There's a statue of David Livingstone which is similar to the one on the Zimbabwe side so Kevin posed next to it. This was the best view we got of the water going over the edge of the Falls on the extreme eastern side of the river. Further away from the eastern side of the Falls the spray was so heavy that you only got occasional glimpses of the water cascading over the edge. We walked down into the gorge to a place called 'The Boiling Pot' and had a great view of the road & rail bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe plus a lovely rainbow. This is the 'Knife-Edge Bridge' which allows you to cross over to an island. We both got soaked from the spray. You can just see Kevin on this side of the bridge with the spray behind him. Having walked across the 'bridge' we could just see the Zimbabwe side of the Falls. We'd taken our own waterproofs rather hire the full length ones so from the thigh down got wet through! After re-crossing the knife-edge bridge We walked to the top of the Falls - which are about a mile wide. Travelling to Malawi: Botswana - Nata bird sanctuary & Senyati. Victoria Falls from the Zambian side. Travelling back from northern Malawi: Kapishya Hot Springs & Shiwa Ng'andu. Mutinondo Wilderness Area and Kasanka National Park. Diary (Word '97 document). We stopped at Maramba River Lodge (S17 53.282 E25 51.329) which is a few kilometres out of Livingstone on the way to the Falls. The campsite was very peaceful (no overland trucks allowed!). On our way back to South Africa we once again stayed here and were lucky enough to see elephants just across the river from the campsite.
Zambia 2011 - Victoria Falls from the Zambian Side
Dual vehicle entry permit: US$ 40.
Carbon Tax: K150 000.
Local tax: K20 000.
Insurance (3 months - cheaper than paying 2 separate lots for a couple of weeks): K203 000.
