Livingstone

Livingstone was founded as a colonial administrative town near the falls and kept its name and its early twentieth-century bones: a wide main street of verandahed shopfronts, some restored and some faded, with the Livingstone Museum at its centre holding the country's best collection - archaeology, ethnography and a room of the explorer's own letters and instruments. Most visitors treat the town as a base for the falls, rafting and river cruises, but a morning spent walking it, visiting the museum and the craft market, gives useful context for everything else. Zebra and giraffe wander the nearby Mosi-oa-Tunya park along the river.

What you actually see

• Livingstone Museum - the national collection and the explorer's papers.
• The old main street - colonial-era shopfronts and verandahs.
• Mosi-oa-Tunya park - white rhino, zebra and giraffe along the river.
• The craft market - carvings, basketry and copper work.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the main visitor window, with the falls at full volume around March to May and lower water from September. Summer rains bring heat and humidity. The town works year round as a base.

Honest expectations

The town itself is functional rather than beautiful, and visitors expecting a charming colonial showpiece will be disappointed - it is a working Zambian town with tourism attached. Persistent selling around the falls entrance and craft market is common; a firm and friendly no works. Taxi prices should be agreed before setting off. Most activities are booked through lodges at a markup, and going direct to operators often costs less.

Nearby

Victoria Falls on the Zambian side, the Zambezi upstream and the Zimbabwe border crossing.