Victoria Falls

Travel Advice for Seniors: Zimbabwe

We began our first safari to Africa with a stop in Zimbabwe to witness the majestic Victoria Falls . The Falls is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is created by the Zambezi river spilling dramatically over the cliffs into a boiling cauldron of water before moving on its way. The Falls are one of the world’s largest at a width of 5600 feet. 

We flew from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls and checked in to our hotel, the Ilala Lodge. It was one of the closer hotels to the Falls. The hotel was quite nice and the meals good. The pool area was very nice.

Victoria Falls itself was not much to speak of and sticking close by the hotel made the most sense. We were very anxious to view wildlife, but the only wildlife to see was a few wandering warthogs in the grassy area.

The visit to the Falls was an enjoyable, but short tour. It was a good thing it was a sunny day as you did get a little damp due to the mists coming up from the falling water. It was a beautiful sight with the rainbow coming up from the water and the crashing noise and mists.

That evening we had signed up for a dinner cruise on the Zambezi. This was a real treat. A sit down meal consisting of several courses with wine and a lovely sunset as backdrop. A great way to kick off what was to be a trip of a lifetime!

I wouldn’t plan on spending more than a day here. The Falls are worth seeing, but it doesn’t take very long to tour them. There isn’t a great deal to do in town and with so many safari opportunities close by, we were ready to move on.  

Where we stayed: Ilala Lodge. Breakfast included. Nice accommodation.

How we got there: Flight from US to Zimbabwe.This was part of a three-week private tour through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.

General Accessibility Information: Zimbabwe is generally not accessible. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.