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The best Victoria Falls safari Zambia and Zimbabwe visitors can book depends on how many days you have. With half a day, take the 3-hour Zambezi National Park game drive. With one full day, take a Chobe day trip or a long day in Hwange. With a night or more, camp inside Chobe or book the five-day Victoria Falls and Chobe package. Every pick below leaves from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Livingstone in Zambia.
Most visitors hit the same snag. The falls sit on the border, but the big safari parks lie in Zimbabwe and Botswana, not around Livingstone. Search results mix luxury lodges that cost thousands with day trips that cost a couple of hundred dollars, so it is hard to tell which one fits your trip. This guide sorts five options by length, price and traveler type, so you can compare them side by side.
Maximum Adventure Trails has run guided trips from Victoria Falls since 2019, and all five picks are ours. Local guides lead them, and we handle transfers and itineraries. Prices are per person in US dollars and are starting figures, so confirm the final rate when you book.
1. Zambezi National Park game drive
The Zambezi National Park game drive is the fastest safari near Victoria Falls. The park is about 5 minutes from town, and it is the park most travelers mean when they search for a Victoria Falls national park safari. You get a real game drive in 3 hours, not a whole day.
A 3-hour drive five minutes from the falls is the lowest-effort safari you can add to a falls trip.
What you get
You ride in an open 4×4 with a licensed guide, and the price covers return hotel transfers from Victoria Falls, water, soft drinks and a meal that matches your slot. Choose from three slots:
- Morning, 6:00am to 9:00am: from $105 per adult
- Afternoon, 3:00pm to 6:00pm: from $105 per adult
- Evening with bush dinner, 4:00pm to 8:00pm: from $160 per adult
Who it suits
It suits anyone with half a day to spare, including travelers who land late or leave the same afternoon. Children aged 5 to 12 pay $55 for a morning or afternoon drive, so it also works for families on a tight schedule.
Want more in one outing? The combination trip adds a rhino search, a night drive and a guided game walk for $137 per person, or $272 with a bush dinner. A walking safari is listed at $193. An $8 conservation fee is extra.
Cost
Budget for the drive plus one fee that you pay on the day.
- Drive: from $105 per adult for the morning or afternoon slot
- Park entry: $18 per person, paid separately
- Example: two adults on a morning drive pay $210 plus $36 entry, so $246 in total
2. Chobe day trip from either side
The Chobe day trip is the best one-day safari from Victoria Falls, and it is the only pick here that also leaves from the Zambian side. It crosses into Botswana to Chobe National Park, known for one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Africa.
Chobe is the one full-day trip that works equally well from Zimbabwe or Zambia.
What you get
Pickup is around 07:00 from your Victoria Falls hotel or your Livingstone accommodation. The day lasts 10 to 11 hours and pairs a Chobe game drive with a river cruise, where you also see hippo and birdlife.
The Livingstone version crosses at Kazungula and lists lunch and park fees as included, subject to the confirmed rate. The Victoria Falls version includes return transfers from selected hotels but not visa or immigration fees, where they apply.
Who it suits
Pick it if you have one free day and want the strongest wildlife for the money. Elephants dominate the river banks, and the boat gives you a different angle from the vehicle.
Staying in Livingstone? You do not need to cross to Zimbabwe first, because the Livingstone departure handles the border. Advance booking is recommended, especially in the dry season, and you should check your Botswana entry rules before you travel.
Cost
- Victoria Falls departure: from $180 per adult, $110 for children under 12
- Livingstone departure: $180 to $190 per adult, depending on the confirmed rate
- Example: two adults and a 10-year-old from Victoria Falls pay 2 × $180 + $110 = $470
3. Hwange National Park full-day trip
Hwange is the pick for a Zimbabwe safari from Victoria Falls with real depth. It is Zimbabwe’s largest national park, about 160 km and 2 hours from town, so the day is long, but the game viewing is the most varied on this list.
Hwange rewards the traveler who accepts a 13-hour day for seven hours of actual safari.
What you get
The trip runs 13 hours, with about 7 of them on safari. You get a morning and an afternoon game drive in an open vehicle through savanna, a professional driver-guide and return hotel transfers. Lunch is served at a scenic point or waterhole inside the park, and bottled water is included.
Who it suits
Choose it if you want a big park with open savanna and do not mind about two hours of driving each way. It suits repeat safari-goers and anyone who wants wild Zimbabwe beyond the falls.
For deeper access, the 2-night Hwange safari runs 3 days from Victoria Falls. You stay at Gwango Heritage Resort, take four guided game drives in an open 4×4 and eat full board. It starts at $800 per person, and park fees are $24 per adult per day, or $48 over two days.
Cost
- Day trip: listed from $270 per person, with the pricing table showing $290 for adults (12 and over) and $160 for children (5 to 11)
- Park entry: $24 per person at the gate, not included
- Tips and personal expenses: not included
- Example: two adults at the $290 rate pay $580 plus $48 in park fees, so $628
4. One-night Chobe camping safari
The one-night camping safari shows you Chobe after the day-trippers leave, and you need no camping experience. It is a 2-day trip from Victoria Falls with a night inside the park.
One night under canvas adds a dawn drive that a day trip cannot give you.
What you get
Day 1 starts with a 3-hour river cruise, then a buffet lunch at Cresta Mowana Lodge and a 3-hour afternoon game drive. You eat a camp dinner and sleep in a tent inside Chobe. Day 2 opens with a dawn game drive from 06:00 to 09:00 and camp breakfast, then you return to Victoria Falls.
- Included: return transfers, all park entry fees, tent, sleeping mat
- Not included: sleeping bag (bring one or ask about hire), Botswana visa fees if applicable, alcoholic drinks at camp
Who it suits
It suits adults and travelers aged 12 and over who want quiet wildlife time and early light for photos. Couples and friends who find a day trip too rushed will get the most from it.
Pack a sleeping bag or ask about hire before you book. Because the trip is only 1 day and 12 hours, it also fits inside a short falls itinerary.
Cost
- From $330 per adult, with a 5% discount available
- That is $150 more than the $180 Chobe day trip, which buys the overnight and the dawn drive
- Example: two adults pay $660 before any discount
5. Four-night Victoria Falls and Chobe package
The five-day Victoria Falls and Chobe package is the best fit for a first trip to southern Africa. It covers the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides of the falls plus a full-day Chobe game drive, in one organized plan.
If this is your first trip, buy the plan, not the parts.
What you get
You stay at Shearwater Village for five days. The package includes both sides of the falls, a full-day Chobe game drive in Botswana and a 13-minute Flight of Angels helicopter flight. A professional driver-guide, roundtrip airport transfer and all taxes and VAT are covered.
- Not included: international flights and tips
- Optional extras: Devil’s Pool at $130 to $175 per person (seasonal, August to January), rhino tracking from $160, lion walk from $160
Who it suits
It suits first-time visitors, couples, families and small groups who want one provider to handle the logistics. If you wonder whether the Zambian side is worth it, this plan lets you see both sides and judge for yourself.
It does not cover Zambia’s other big park. South Luangwa is a separate trip that needs a domestic flight, so it does not fit a falls-based itinerary like this one.
Cost
The package is listed at $1,100 per person. The final quote depends on your travel dates, group size and room type, so treat it as a starting point.
- Example: two travelers pay $2,200 before flights and extras
- Adding Devil’s Pool at the low-end $130 each brings the total to $2,460
Choosing your safari
Match the safari to your time. Half a day fits the Zambezi National Park drive. One full day fits Chobe from either side of the river, or Hwange if you want a deeper Zimbabwe safari. A night or more fits the Chobe camping trip or the five-day package. All five use local guides and include transfers from Victoria Falls or Livingstone.
Our team answers booking questions 24/7, so you can check dates and rates before you commit. When you know your dates and group size, browse our individual tours and book the trip that fits.
