Victoria Falls Extension

Join your extension trip in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The town, specifically built due to its proximity to the falls, has a certain charm and is full of restaurants, bars and shops and is known as the adventure capital of Southern Africa. There are no included activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Victoria Falls at any time. On arrival into Victoria Falls Airport (VFA), a local representative will meet you and take you to your hotel. You'll be provided with a pack specifying the timings of your Victoria Falls tour for tomorrow and other useful information.

We normally stay at Pioneer Lodge, however on occasions we use Batonka Guest Lodge. The two are sister properties located just over 1 kilometre/0.6 miles from each other and are almost identical. Both are set in beautiful, landscaped gardens and feature a swimming pool, spacious rooms, an expansive terrace where breakfast is served, a bar and a stylish lounge and dining room which are both extremely comfortable.

Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to explore the town, which is easy to navigate on foot, or just have a quiet evening at the hotel to enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Please note, this Victoria Falls extension is unescorted and is not accompanied by a tour leader. This is a stand-alone extension and can be booked on any date of your choosing, subject to availability. Whilst this itinerary has been designed to complement a number of our group tours, we wish to point out that this extension is not a group experience, so you are unlikely to be travelling with other Explore customers.

This morning you will be picked up by a local guide and taken on a tour of Victoria Falls. The thundering cascades of Victoria Falls are one of the planet's most spectacular natural wonders. Known by the indigenous people as Mosi-oa-Tunya, this local name translates to 'the smoke that thunders' and it will be easy to see why on arrival. The falls of the Zambezi River plummet over a sheer cliff wall that spans more than 1,676 metres/5,498 feet, dropping some 100 metres/328 feet into the abyss below. During the tour, your guide will talk through the importance of the falls to the local community and the history of David Livingstone 'discovering' the area.

This afternoon is free to explore the local markets and a great chance to try the Zimbabwean staple, sadza, a maize-based dish often accompanied by a meat, vegetable or peanut stew. You may also wish to visit the office of Wild Horizons in town or their desk in the hotel to book an adventure activity in advance of your free day tomorrow. A full list of activities available is in the optional activities section of your trip notes.

Victoria Falls offers plenty of choice when it comes to choosing an activity to enjoy during this free day.

For the more adventurous explorers, white water rafting on the Zambezi River is an adrenaline rush like no other! A helicopter ride over the falls is also a great way to take in the true scale of the waterfall and surrounding river basin. For those seeking wildlife encounters, the choice of a full or half-day guided game drive is available in Zambezi National Park, which runs the length of the Zambezi River bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe. The park is well known for its elephant population as well as impala, zebra, giraffe and kudu. For those looking for more cultural, local experiences there are several options available, the reception team at Pioneers will be able to offer advice on all the options.

Please note, we ask our customers to avoid both elephant back riding experiences and walking with lions. Although often advertised as responsible or good for conservation, there is significant evidence that both of the aforementioned activities contribute to banned hunting, have no conservation benefit and are bad for the animal's welfare.

The trip ends today, check-out time is 10.30am. Your departure transfer to Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) will be arranged to suit your departure flight time and is around a 30-minute drive.