Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, the vast curtain where the Zambezi thunders into a chasm, is shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Zambian side, reached from the town of Livingstone, offers its own thrilling perspective on this UNESCO World Heritage wonder. Here visitors walk out along the Knife-Edge Bridge for close, drenching views into the gorge, and, in the low-water months, brave swimmers can be guided into Devil's Pool, a natural rock pool right on the very lip of the falls, peering over the edge, an experience found nowhere else on earth.

What you actually see

• The Knife-Edge Bridge - the close, drenching walkway into the gorge.
• Devil's Pool - the dry-season swim at the very brink of the falls.
• The Boiling Pot - the swirling gorge at the foot of the falls.
• Livingstone Island - the island trips to the edge of the falls.

When to go

Timing matters greatly: February to July brings the fullest, most thunderous flow, though heavy spray can obscure views; August to December, the low-water season, reveals more rock but allows the famous Devil's Pool swim, which is closed at high water. The two seasons offer very different experiences.

Honest expectations

The Zambian side can slow to a relative trickle in the driest months, late in the year, when the Zimbabwean side holds more water, so it is worth checking the season, though low water is exactly when Devil's Pool opens. Devil's Pool, while guided, is genuinely exhilarating and not for the faint-hearted. The intimate, thrilling views and the unique brink-of-the-falls swim, though, make the Zambian side unforgettable.

Nearby

The town of Livingstone, the Zambezi and Zimbabwe's falls are close by.