Top 4 MUST-DO Adventure Activities in Victoria Falls (+ VIDEO)
Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It’s also rated as the biggest waterfall in the world (based on combined width of 5,604 ft and height of 354 ft.).
Victoria Falls goes by the nickname “the Smoke that Thunders”. After my first glimpse of the falls, no explanation was needed as to how it got that nickname. The power of the falls is overwhelming.
But who knew Victoria Falls was so big on adventure activities? I sure as hell didn’t. I thought it was just a big epic waterfall honestly. But no, there is so much more! It’s like a mini adventure capital of the world! Adrenaline junkies, take note!
So, what to do in Victoria Falls? A crap load!!! Here is a quick video recap taken from my YouTube channel. (In case you don’t want to read and just want to watch a video).
From the numerous high wire activities on the Zimbabwe side such as gorge swinging, zip-lining, bungee jumping, the flying fox, to the microlight and Devil’s pool activities on the Zambia side, you most certainly will not be bored with the endless amount of adventure activities in Victoria Falls.
With only 2.5 days there, we decided to pack as much in as we could. Here are the top 4 adventure activities in Victoria Falls that you must do!
What to Do in Victoria Falls
1. Microlight Flight (best activity of my life, no joke.)
So what exactly is a microlight flight? A microlight flight is basically like a hang-glider but with a motorized engine. That’s the best way I can describe it. It fits one person at a time and it’s just you and the pilot.
Livingstone’s Adventure is the company we went with, who subcontracts out to Batoka Sky. Batoka Sky prides itself on its 100% safety record since opening in 1993. Meaning, no one had ever died during their flights!!!
The pilots also have the most flying hours out of anyone in the world. After learning that, my fears gradually subsided. Flights start at $155, which isn’t cheap. But where else in the world can you fly over the biggest waterfalls in the world in a tiny little motorized hang-glider thingy? The answer is nowhere!
Their signature flight is called “Flight of the Angels”, and rightfully so! If I could describe my experience in one word, it would be HEAVENLY.
While I was up in the air and the pilot was asking me how I felt, I had an unexpected moment. I burst into tears, I couldn’t even answer him. And I don’t mean just tears filling my eyes, I mean uncontrollable balling. For those that know me, I hate crying, I won’t ever show it and I like to remain calm and collected. But this time, it was out of my control and I just let myself feel it. Sometimes we just need to let ourselves FEEL! ♥
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI5Xb1WjhNB/?taken-by=crazytravelista
I wasn’t expecting to be that overwhelmed by emotions, but the power and beauty of mother nature overcame me. As I was soaring over the falls, there was a stillness, a silence. Despite the loud engine and wind blowing in my ears, I didn’t hear anything. It was as if someone picked up a controller and put the world on mute. The power of the falls showed themselves and I felt so small in the world.
On the way back, we saw elephants grazing in the water and a heard of buffalo traversing the land. It’s EXACTLY what I envisioned Africa to be. A land that is wild and free, and more radiating than anything I had ever seen.
If you do ONE activity in Victoria Falls, please make it the MicroLight Flight!!
2. Flying fox
(I like to call it Superman) since you’re strapped in face down and your arms and legs are free to soar through the air. When I got to the platform, the guide said nonchalantly, “just run and jump off”. WHAT?! Had I known about this before I might have chickened out. But once you’re up there it’s too late and you’re too deep in it to back down.
He counted down from 5 and away I went! I catapulted into the air and over the canyon gorge. For someone afraid of heights, my heart was racing but the adrenaline kicked in and I relaxed slightly for the ride. Once you’re done, they let you sit there for a minute and you have time to take in exactly where you are. Dangling over a 100 meter drop, no worries, right? It was quick, but incredible! (TWSS?) 🙂
3. Gorge Swing
The gorge swing is similar to a bungee jump but there is no buoyancy in the rope so you basically swing back and forth. I don’t ever like to recommend something I didn’t experience personally, but I was with my travel partner Carebear Abroad who did it simultaneously as I was doing the Flying fox and she highly recommends it! I remember seeing her face when she came back and she could barely speak she was so hyped on adrenaline. She even told me it might even be scarier than bungee jumping! I think her face in the photo below explains everything, haha.
3. Devil’s Pool
The Devil’s pool is a little pool directly on top of the falls where you can swim and sit on the ledge of the actual falls. Think infinity pool…with a 355 foot drop. No big deal!
There is nowhere else in the world like it and it’s something you don’t want to miss. In fact, this was our main reason for visiting Victoria Falls! It was I-N-S-A-N-E! I have no idea how we didn’t fall off the ledge, it was unbelievable!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI7pm52j0vM/?taken-by=crazytravelista
The Devil’s Pool must be reserved days in advance. We had no idea and were told it was fully booked the 2 days we were there. We were super bummed until we were told there were spots at 7:30am with Tongabezi Tours on the day of our departure. Our flight was not until 1pm so we jumped on the opportunity. Plunging into that frigid water that early in the morning definitely woke us up! It was a kick of energy we definitely needed as exhaustion was kicking in at this point. Who needs coffee after that?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI-KW9tjBic/?taken-by=crazytravelista
We arrived to the airport with wet hair and probably didn’t smell the best after being in that water. But what we took with us are memories that will last a lifetime. Worth it 100%!!!
The staff is awesome and were doing backflips into the little pool on top of the falls. A little crazy if you ask me, but they seemed to have a lot of experience with it! They were also great with taking lots of pictures for us with our phones and keeping them nice and dry. They gave us a mini photo shoot up there and we were eating it up!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJAfth5h-bH/?taken-by=carebearabroad
An added bonus was the luxurious breakfast we were served. I wasn’t expecting that given that we were on a tiny island with nothing around. On the menu was eggs benedict, coffee, biscuits, and scones.
The tour is pricy at $90 but don’t let that deter you. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could! Yes, it’s completely worth the $90 if you’re wondering.
Note: only do this activity if you can swim against a moderate current. To get to the pool, you must walk across slippery rocks and swim through deep parts of the falls against a moderate current. Water shoes with traction would have been helpful as well. Do people still wear those?
So…Should You Visit Victoria Falls?
HELL YES!!!
If you’re even thinking about going to Victoria Falls and wondering if it’s worth it, let me tell you that it completely blew me away and quite frankly I think it’s underrated AF. My only regret is not spending an extra day there.
I recently spent some time in Queenstown, New Zealand, the “adventure capital of the world”, and honestly Victoria Falls gives it a run for the money when it comes to unique adventure activities on offer.
If Victoria Falls wasn’t on your radar before, hopefully I have convinced you to check it out! Stay tuned for another post soon detailing all you need to know about traveling to Victoria Falls.
Have you been to Victoria Falls? What was your Favorite Activity? Do Tell!
Note: Carey and I were guests of Livingstone’s Adventure/Bakota Sky for our MicroLight Flight. My opinions, however, remain my own and I am in no way obligated to write a positive review. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and was completely life-changing. I would highly recommend this company! All other activities mentioned were paid for in full on our own. ♥
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