Zambia Travel Forum

We are traveling to South Africa and were thinking about doing a side trip to Zambia to see Victoria Falls. We are an American couple with an 8-year old daughter, and prefer to travel independently, avoiding tour groups if possible. Our questions are:

1. Are there any saftey issues that we should be concerned about in Livingstone or the Victoria Falls area? Is the area across the border in Zimbabwe safe?

2. Is there a hotel that people especially recommend in Livingstone?

3. It looks like there is a good national park across the border into Botswana. How easy is it to get there from Livingstone? Is it doable by rental car, or should we book a driver or tour?

4. How many days should we stay in Livingstone? At first glance, it looks like Victoria Falls and the local museum are the highlights, so 1-2 days should suffice. Is this reasonable?

I have been to livingstone 4 times, but have always stayed at the Zambizie Sun hotel, a Southern Sun Hotel (www.suninternational.co.za)which is right at the falls. Also great for kids. No problem with safety on the Zambian side...You can cross into Zimbabwe, but I dont really see the reason. As a family we walked onto the bridge that seperates the two countries, to watch the bunjee jumping of the bridge, and to see the view.
There are day trips that run from the Zambizie Sun hotel into the Chobe national park in Botswana. I would recommend going on an arranged tour, as they then put you on a morning trip on the Chobe River, and take you into the park in the afternoon. It is about a one hour trip from the hotel to the park...Really fantastic.

2 days minimum needed

Enjoy your trip

Regards

mike

Vic Falls Zimbabwe is fine. Just walk there and have a walk in town if you want. THe National PArk on the Zim side is right at the border and fantastic. No safety issues. Lots of souvenir selling...

Please see my Livingston oage for pics and info. Not much to see. The falls and activities on the Zambesi are everything.

Hard to drive between Zambia and other countries to the south. Zambia is not in the same car insurance international treaty as: Zim, Bots, Nam, RSA, Moz, Lesotho and Swazi.

Check that any rental company, driver or not, can do it. The drive is easy. The short stretch in Zim, if needed, is only about 60 miles. It can be avoided. The insurance is the key issue.

Thank you for your dvice. We are going to spend 2 1/2 days in Livingstone. On one of those days, we hope to do the day trip to Chobe.

Thank you for your dvice. We are going to spend 2 1/2 days in Livingstone. On one of those days, we hope to do the day trip to Chobe.

Have a great time!

We had a great 2 1/2 day visit to Livingstone, including a day-trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, as well as visits to Victoria Falls, the bridge, and the Livingstone Museum. Thanks for the advice and help.

Thanks for comming back on the thread to tell us how it went!

Cool.