What Can You Do in Victoria Falls: 15 Cozy Microadventures

Eating, touring, exploring, and ... going to the Post Office? Here's what you can do in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

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What can you do in Victoria Falls? Hang out with this jaunty warthog, for starters!

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, is one of the world's great adventure travel destinations. Vic Falls arguably offers the most scenic and heart pounding zip-lining, bungee jumping, aerial adventures, and white water rafting in the world. For some travelers, this all takes place against a backdrop of incredible luxury - gorgeous, plush resorts, genteel and swanky cocktail bars overlooking the gorge, and elegant restaurants whose service recalls a bygone era of glamour and refinement. 

I, however, experienced none of this in Victoria Falls.

I was far too terrified to take part in anything remotely adventurous and far too frugal to indulge in any luxury offerings. The truth is that Victoria Falls activities are a bit tricky for value-minded travelers like myself who are eager for cozy microadventures. There is a fair bit on offer for transcontinental backpackers eager for cheap hostels, beers, and thrills. There's also plenty for indulgent spenders to drop their money on. But when it comes to the modest-spending scaredy-cat (that would be yours truly....) figuring out what you can do in Victoria Falls can be a challenge. These 15 activities are a good place to start. The list includes both things I did personally as well as some that I haven't yet experienced but seem to fit the bill. 

Visit the Jafuta Heritage Centre

The Jafuta Heritage Centre is a tiny free museum- and I do mean tiny! - that's part of the Elephant's Walk shopping plaza. It claims space among the posh shops and eateries and guests are welcome to walk in and learn about the Shona, Ndebele, Tonga, and Lozi people. It offers a much welcomed dose of history and culture among all the souvenirs and safari vendors and - if I'm being completely honest - I was happy to take a break from all the outdoor activities to do something that involved air conditioning! There aren't many free Victoria Falls activities and I'd say that this is the best.

Sail down the Zambezi 

There are many ways to experience the Zambezi River. You can sign up for a rafting or kayaking excursion (terrifying!). You can view it by helicopter (expensive!). You can also go bird watching or horseback riding, or partake in any number of special interest activities that occur on or near the the water. But the most relaxing, laid back, and affordable activity is a Victoria Falls sunset river cruise.

We did just that and our hotel made the booking for the Shearwater Zambezi River Cruise on our behalf. We were picked up on a shuttle bus and ferried to the departure point. We were thrilled to be greeted by singers and dancers at the pier, as thrilled that our Zambezi sunset cruise would include unlimited basic alcoholic and soft drinks, plus a small platter of appetizers per table. We were less excited by the communal table set up and the need to make polite small talk throughout the evening (can I get a shout out from my fellow introverts!?) But all of this, good and bad, faded away with the true highlight of the evening - seeing the elephants! 

This was one of our very first nights in Africa and while we had already seen baboons and warthogs, elephants eluded us. They came out in spades for our Zambezi river cruise. One elephant actually sat down on his bottom and slide into the river to come meet us! (Okay, he kinda toppled to one side so he could flop into the river, cool off, and ignore us but who's keeping track). An unforgettable evening and my top choice for the Victoria Falls activity you should do on day one of your trip - it was the perfect combination of scenery, sunset, songs, and sweet, adorable animals!

Visit with the Victoria Falls animals

I know what you're thinking - how can a list addressing what can you do in Victoria Falls not start by suggesting you go to Victoria Falls National Park to see the signature waterfalls? In short - because it's obvious. I KNOW that if you're going to Victoria Falls, you're going to make a beeline for Victoria Falls National Park. You don't need my blog post for that! I want to help you discover the area's many cozy microadventures and one that's at the top of my list is hanging out with the Victoria Falls animals, specifically the ones who are living in the Park. 

During our visit, we not only saw animals, we got up close and personal with them. Not intentionally, mind you (never approach, feed, or otherwise interact with a wild animal). But we would be walking along the marked path and they'd be hanging out right beside it, happily munching away. For full perspective, this was our very first morning in Africa and we had headed to the Falls bright and early as it was of course the top sight we wanted to see. We were really focused on the waterfall and to come across the baboons, warthogs and birds was such an incredible bonus that we ended up spending twice as much time in the park as expected, exploring the gardens, grounds, cafe, gift shop, informational displays, and watching a talented crafts-person making plant holders, just so we could enjoy the atmosphere and see more animals. 

Sample Zimbabwean coffee 

Dean's Cafe (formerly Africa Cafe) in the Elephant Walk shopping plaza was on my Victoria Falls cozy-travel list since we first started planning our trip. I am thrilled to report that they did not disappoint! They serve Americanos, cappuccinos, lattes, and more made with coffee beans grown in Zimbabwe's eastern highlands. You can also order more funky drinks such as red cappuccinos made from rooibos tea. Another highlight is their baobab powder cheesecake. It was delicious, like an ultra-vanilla-y cheesecake with hints of meringue. Having coffee and cake at Dean's was SUCH a me-moment and I was so happy that it was every bit as wonderful as I had imagined.

We also had lunch there - the local bream fish with spicy peanut sauce for me and a burger and fries for Ryan. Both were very tasty, though Ryan's burger wasn't 100% beef (the meat was stretched with something - maybe lentils? Oats? Another meat? We couldn't say! Still, it tasted okay). We ended up dropping by here a couple of times as we ran errands in town and never regretted getting coffee and treats.

Eat, drink, and be merry at Boma

A mix of giant buffet restaurant, dinner theatre, superb drumming, and tourist-focused cheesiness, we really, really loved our night at the BOMA Dinner and Drum Show.  We started our evening with a warm greeting and a plate of mini-appetizers including corn fritters, samosas, peppered impala with apricot jam, and smoked crocodile, as well as a traditional shot of Chibuku (sorghum) beer.

From there, we were on our own to sample from the buffet, which included everything from butternut squash soup (which was served in adorable mini cauldrons), fresh fish, garlic bread, and potato wedges to local specialties including guinea fowl stew, warthog steak, wild boar sausages, maize meal, and mopane worms. Yes, worms! They were served salted and well roasted almost to the point of being a bit charred. Ryan described their flavour as "burnt, nutty potato chip". Objectively, as a meal I'd give the buffet at BOMA Victoria Falls about a 5 or 6 out of 10. It was good, but not phenomenal - which is the truth about every single tourist-focused buffet out there. But for variety and access to local ingredients, it earns a solid 10. We got to try dishes and ingredients we would struggle to find anywhere else and it was a fun, intriguing meal. 

The singing, dancing, and riveting drumming also scored high in our books. The musician's skills were so strong that when they performed, the room was entirely silent and you could just feel the energy of everyone being transfixed by the talent. Later, the BOMA staff passed around drums for everyone to practice on and gave a basic lesson (which I and pretty much everyone else failed). There were a few times when we felt the experience at Boma was a bit "Disney", but overall we really enjoyed the experience.  The best Victoria Falls restaurant choice for uniqueness, variety, and entertainment.

Visit the Post Office

A post office? Really? YES! Hear me out. First, I have to admit that the Victoria Falls post office is an utterly unremarkable building and, chances are, few of the post cards you mail from there will ever arrive at their destination. Only about half of ours made it back to Canada - and it took them about 6 months to arrive. (But, hey! That's better than our post cards from Zambia, which took about 9 months for one out of six to arrive). But on the plus side, post offices are intrinsically cozy and the one in Victoria Falls is no exception. It's a slice of everyday local life in the middle of an otherwise visitor-focused town. This is where you go to buy insurance, collect your pension, deal with drivers licenses, and much, much more. Hang out on the steps for a while, suffer through a few touts coming up to you in hopes of selling decommissioned currency, and just take in the scene. 

Be a part of the Victoria Falls bungee scene all while having brunch

The Lookout Cafe (operated by Wild Horizons) offers phenomenal views of the Batoka Gorge, the Zambezi River, and Victoria Falls Bridge. Over breakfasts of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, along with a latte in a fancy glass for me, we soaked in the stunning scenery. It really is one of those locations that make you gasp in admiration when you first take in the breadth of the view. 

While enjoying breakfast on their open-air veranda, we watched with a mix of admiration and horror as hearty travellers made the most of Wild Horizon’s adrenaline-fueled activity options located on site. As there is absolutely nothing on this earth that could convince me to jump out into the abyss, I can’t comment on the quality of the different Victoria Falls bungee and rope based activities they offer. But everyone seemed to survive and even have a good time!

I’m SO happy that we made The Lookout Cafe one of our stops. I initially chose it because our Victoria Falls hotel had a rather paltry breakfast (not an uncommon occurrence) and I thought since we were on route to the border anyway, it was as good a place as any to visit. But as I gazed down from the terrace to watch the tiny specks which were the white water rafters on the Zambezi, I suddenly had a very clear appreciation about why Victoria Falls adventure activities are so spectacularly popular. It’s not just because of the fantastic park or the nearby wildlife. This is one of the world’s best extreme sports locations and the chance to see it in action (but not actually take part!) was a real bonus. Plus, breakfast was also very good - not exceptionally great but far better than our hotel and on par with the offerings at the other nice restaurants in town. Breakfast mains rang in around $10, and fancy coffee drinks $3. (Note that The Lookout Cafe is closed for renovations until January 2020 but the activities remain unaffected. )

The driveway to The Lookout Cafe is very close to the border and the main entrance to Victoria Falls National Park. However, it’s not really suitable for walking. For one thing, the hot, dusty road is much longer than you initially think and, for another, there are ample signs prohibiting walking due to danger from wild animals. Any taxi that would take you to the park or the border can take you to The Lookout Cafe and the cost should be the same (we paid about $5 from the center of town). 

To return to Victoria Falls or carry on to the border and across the bridge, the cafe staff can call a taxi for you (it should only be a few dollars) but more likely than not you can take the free Wild Horizons shuttle van provided it’s not out on a run to bring more people to the activities center. 

Take in live music at the Shearwater Cafe

Multiple visits and great meals but apparently we only got a shot of me, studying the menu!

We quickly came to love the Shearwater Cafe in the heart of Victoria Falls town. It's stylish, sophisticated, offers a diverse menu, and is right next to a number of amenities, including activity agents, a taxi stand, the post office, and more.  We popped in there for an early morning breakfast before we met our safari group to travel into Botswana and we returned for a late lunch after our safari, eager for the little luxuries of fresh orange juice, fancy cappuccino, milkshakes, burgers, and pizza after a week camping in the 40 degree weather.

However, our favourite visit was for dinner, where we took advantage of a $15 table d'hote ($12 if you hit up the early bird special between 5:00 and 6:00 PM!) and stayed for live music. The local performer shared his musical chops along with plenty of social commentary. Of all the Victoria Falls activities, this might be the most underrated. We learned that musicians nickname Victoria Falls "Vic-Vegas" and heard about life traveling around the country for gigs with a few sly bits of political commentary here and there. After a few visits, this cafe definitely felt like *our* spot in town.

Shop for traditional Zimbabwe wooden carvings

Victoria Falls is well known as a handicraft and shopping destination. It's one of the best destinations in all of south eastern Africa for wooden carvings and there's an abundance of stone carvings, woven goods, and folk art available as well. If you're crossing the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe - an exercise we know very well, having done it four times - you'll see a few little makeshift craft stands along the way. The stone and wooden hippos here are pretty basic and you can snap them up for a low cost and the vendors are more than happy to accept a wide range of currencies. If you have coins leftover from Zambia or Botswana that can't be turned in at the foreign exchange counters, this is the place to spend them. However, for the highest quality goods, head to the Big Curio Market, behind the Elephant's Walk shopping plaza. You can find anything from tiny little wooden elephants to massive giraffes easily exceeding six feet. Friendly bargaining is the norm and the quality of the products is generally very high. 

However, take a moment to think before you buy an over-sized sculpture. Yes, DHL and FedEx both have offices in Victoria Falls so in theory if you want that giant stone lion, you can get it home. However, we popped into the DHL office to inquire about shipping home a shoe box sized package of odds and ends and we were quoted $340US for our 4kg bundle of goods. Nuts! We ended up bringing it with us to Johannesburg, where we sent it home using the public post office and paid $30 for sea shipment - air mail would have still been a bargain at about $100.

Have your fortune told

This is something I read about long after my visit so I can't offer any personal experience behind this suggestion. However, at the Elephant Walk shopping plaza, you can visit the Sangoma Fortune Teller. As per their online map, they're located behind the cafe not far from the washrooms and the Jafuta Heritage Centre. You can also find fortune tellers offering their services at BOMA.

Visit Victoria Falls' Snake Pit at feeding time

There's no way I was going to look up a picture of the Snake Pit so this shot of a map of Victoria Falls will have to do.

This really isn't my thing but to each their own! Consider this one more a regular microadventure and not really a cozy one. The Snake Pit is in the center of Victoria Falls (not far from the popular Three Monkeys restaurant and bar) and according to other travelers, it's not a bad way to kill an hour. The snakes are all rehabs or rescues, either from smuggling operations or simply having entered someone's home without invitation. The daily feeding activity takes place at 2:30.

Explore Zambezi National Park

Victoria Falls sees a lot of day trippers and short term travelers on route to other destinations and safaris. As such, some of its own nearby parks are overlooked. Zambezi National Park is a good example of an under-visited park that really deserves more love. You can expect to see sable, elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and - if you're very lucky - lion, leopard, and cheetah. This site is a good source of travel information, including game drive routes and accommodations.

See the rhinos at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve

The Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve is sometimes called the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve because of its proximity next to the Stanley and Livingstone Boutique Hotel (which, honestly, looks absolutely gorgeous and so, so plush and future rich-me will basically move in here but that's another story....) The Reserve protects a herd of the critically endangered black rhino and you could have a mini "big five" safari there.  But it's tricky to find info on taking a game drive. I've seen this Victoria Falls activity listed in all the guidebooks but I can't track down how you actually book the experience. I'd start with the hotel (hey, you're going to want to make dinner reservations here regardless) and take it from there. I'd say the effort is well worth it, as it's nearly impossible to see rhinoceros in the wild and this is a rare chance to do so.

Take a VERY fancy train ride: The Victoria Falls Bushtracks Express

What do you get when you combine a beautifully restored 1953 steam train with the legendary Victoria Falls Bridge plus sunset and swanky drinks? Definitely some amazing travel memories! I have to admit I loved the sound of the Bushtracks Express train ride but at $125 per person, it would have been an expensive night out for us and, let's face it, we crossed the bridge so often on foot it was hard to say if I'd still enjoy doing it by train. Ultimately, we passed. But I still love the uniqueness of it and I think it would be a great option for anyone who was staying at one of the resorts a bit further out of town and wanted to experience the bridge. And the online pictures make it look VERY cozy!

Have dinner with a local family

This might just be the coziest microadventure of all, and one that I really wish I had been able to take part in. Activity organizer Wild Horizons offers visitors the chance to have lunch or dinner with a local family for the affordable rate of $23 to $35 per person. Their staff will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to a local family's home outside of Victoria Falls for a traditional meal. Their website says that there will be both dishes you're likely familiar with, such as beef stew, as well as local ingredients that are common in every Zimbabwean kitchen. 

There are many cultural programs I am hesitant to recommend because they often little more than a tightly orchestrated look at village life, often with children being used as props. However, I am encouraged by the description of this program because it really seems to focus on having an extended time to just sit and chat with locals over dinner, not unlike how you'd chat with friends at home. If you have the chance to participate in this program, please let me know what you think!

Tips for booking and organizing Victoria Falls tours

A few words about booking Victoria Falls tours .... There are only a small handful of Victoria Falls activity providers and outfitters but a large amount of third and forth party booking agents, plus any number of promoters, recruiters, and marketers. Shockwaves, Wild Horizons, and Shearwater are the best known outfitters and bookers in town. That isn't to say that you have to go through them. We had our guest house book most of our activities on the same day as we wanted them, which we found to be an easy, no fuss way to go about it. As well, our guesthouse charged us the same rate as if we had booked directly. I suspect that hotels are likely given a wholesale discount and thus can charge the listed rate and still make a small profit but I can't say for sure.

However, our friend Graeme took a different approach. He strolled past the multiple third party booking agent offices that line the streets by the Shearwater Cafe in the late afternoon, casually inquiring about prices for sunset river tours. He knew that there would be a lot of marketers keen to offload any remaining tickets and he wasn't particularly concerned with the small details that distinguish one Victoria Falls sunset cruise from another. His flexibility and willingness to get prices from a couple of vendors - who soon knew that he was shopping around - paid off in the form of discounted tickets. Go Graeme!

Regardless of which path you choose, it pays to do a bit of research so you're familiar with prices. We used both our Lonely Planet Southern Africa guidebook and poked around a few websites. You should always inquire if the price includes any applicable national park admissions and if it includes hotel pick up and drop off (most do and this is a nice treat as taxis within town start at about $5). You should also always ask for a receipt to confirm your payment and participation date. 

What can you do in Victoria Falls? EVERYTHING!

If your list of Victoria Falls activities included nothing but visiting the National Park and taking in the stunning waterfalls, that would be enough. This is one attraction which has not been over-hyped and it's one of the true natural wonders of the world. But the waterfalls are just one tiny part of what Victoria Falls has to offer. There's adventure sports galore, endless luxury - and so many warm, memorable, intimate, cozy affordable microadventures that you can easily spend several days here, making the town your own.
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If you enjoyed this piece, you'll also like:

Crossing the Zimbabwe-Zambia Border On Foot
Botswana Camping Safari Shower Lessons
Walking With Rhinos in Zambia
The Wax Apple Cafe: Our Favourite Maun, Botswana Latte Spot

Victoria Falls Accommodation Suggestions

I am obsessed with everything about the Stanley and Livingstone Boutique Hotel. So cozy! So luxurious! So exclusive! Victoria Falls refinement at its best.

Victoria Falls Backpackers offers  private, affordable double rooms, as well as camping and dorm accommodation options. Good bar, lively atmosphere. 

The A'Zambezi River Lodge falls somewhere in the middle in terms of pricing and atmosphere and is only Victoria Falls accommodation with a riverfront location - ask for higher rooms with a view.