Victoria Falls and Livingstone

Arriving in the essential travel to Africa stopover point of Livingstone at Victoria Falls on the Zambian side is inspiring, the launching pad for glorious accommodation and compelling safaris and activities. Livingstone is a hub of tourist information so ask Voyage2Africa about your safari tour from here into famous game reserves and national parks if you are travelling between Victoria Falls, Central and Southern Africa. We offer great rates in Livingstone as you spend a few days exploring the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vic Falls. 

Livingstone still reflects the era of colonial rule in its sturdy architecture, and, established in 1904, this was the original capital of Northern Rhodesia. When the capital of Zambia became Lusaka in 1935, Livingstone kind of crumbled but today the town has been revived as a tourist centre. It is also a vital gateway to the Falls and several spectacular game reserves and national parks, adventure activities and cultural excursions in Zambia.

Originally known as the Old Drift, the town of Livingstone was developed as a staging point across the Zambezi River and to get to Victoria Falls 11 km away. Tourists love to explore Livingstone town, rich in culture and heritage – see the arts and crafts, museums, colonial architecture and African lifestyle. The hospitality and warmth of Livingstone Town are infectious and will lure you back for more. Embark on a unique Zambian safari from here.

History tells us that David Livingstone was the first explorer to view ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ (the Smoke that Thunders) in 1855. He was standing on one of the islands in the Zambezi River, now known as Livingstone Island and he was so in awe that he wrote in his journal ‘on sights as beautiful as this, angels in their flight must have gazed’. He also referred to an older name, Seongo or Chongwe, meaning “The Place of the Rainbow” due to the constant spray from the Falls.

The southern Tonga people known as the Batoka/Tokalea called the falls Shungu na mutitima. The Matabele, later arrivals, named them aManz’ aThunqayo, and the Batswana and Makololo call them Mosi-o-Tunya. All these names mean essentially “the smoke that thunders”.

The falls were well known to local tribes, and Voortrekker hunters may have known of them, as may the Arabs under a name equivalent to “the end of the world”. Europeans were sceptical of their reports, perhaps thinking that the lack of mountains and valleys on the plateau made large falls unlikely. 

• Enjoy a historic and cultural tour of Livingstone which once functioned as the Capital of the British Protectorate of Northern Rhodesia from 1911 to 1935 and features impressive Edwardian colonial buildings along the main road.
• Catch a thrilling speed boat trip above the Falls on the Zambezi River to view birds and wildlife, sometimes at great speed, then drift along, all on varying depths of water.
• Fishing safaris are a great hit outside Livingstone on the Zambezi so throw a line to catch Tiger Fish, Yellow Belly Bream, Three Spot, Pink-happy and Silver Barbel while game viewing all the while. 
• Book a once-in-a-lifetime experience walking safari to track white rhinos in the Mosi O Tunya National Park in Livingstone Zambia. Appreciate the joy of walking in the true Zambian wilderness and viewing wildlife in its natural habitat.