The only country to enter an Olympic Games under one name and exit it as another, Zambia arguably occupies the position of adventure capital of Africa. While there are safaris aplenty in the area, there’s not much to rival the Victoria Falls region for scenery and adrenaline-boosting activities.
A visit to the mighty Victoria Falls is on many a traveller's list.
Thinking about visiting Zambia? I’ll take you through the best adventures the region has to offer. Buckle up as we go from the more laid-back activities to the ones offering a pure rush of adrenaline.
Friendly: Freewheelin’ around the falls
At 1,700m tall (5,577 ft) and 108m (354 ft) high is it any wonder that you can hear the water crashing from more than 40km (24 miles) away? Victoria Falls really is a breathtaking sheet of falling water. Go once and you’ll be converted to a zealous enthusiast.
A visit here falls into the lower end of the adrenaline basket, but seeing this chute in action is truly incredible. There’s a constant shower of mist around the area, resulting in wet and slippery zigzagging trails and bridges, even on completely dry days. If you’re in the area, you absolutely must visit this force of nature. Just think about your footwear carefully. I speak from experience when I say that flip flops are slippery when wet.
Follow the slippery trails around the falls. Just choose your footwear carefully!
Flighty: Helicopter ride
Zambia’s stunning scenery definitely lends itself to an aerial view. Many operators are concentrated around the city of Livingstone, so pop into town to organize a whirl around either the falls or even an airborne safari, if you’re so inclined.
The bubble-shaped windows that many of these helicopters now sport will certainly maximize your viewing angle, but may not help with any fear of heights you may have.
An aerial view puts this epic landscape into perspective.
Frenetic: Whitewater rafting
What fuels the mighty Victoria Falls? The equally mighty Zambezi River. If you’re after the best whitewater rafting in the world, you could certainly do worse than here. In fact, National Geographic rated this stretch of river number 10 on its best rapids list.
When the river floods between mid February and the end of June, nearly half of the rapids are classified as Grade 5. Some of these runs contain the double whammy of world-class rafting and stunning wildlife. In one of your less frenetic moments, you might see one of Zambia’s zoological residents relaxing on the riverbank.
The Zambezi rapids are classified as Grade 5. Photo courtesy Steve O.
Freaking Out: Bungee jump
Look, you know what this is, and you know whether you’ve got it in you or not, but if you’re going to pick a place to summon up the courage, Zambia is where you should rise to the occasion. And then drop. Very quickly.
An interesting quirk of the process is that since bungee jumps take place on the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, you’ll need to bring your passport before you jump in order to get into the “border zone.” No need to apologize to border guards if you’re not feeling talkative before your moment of courage!
The drop takes about four seconds. If you’ve got the wherewithal to actually admire the view as you go down, you’re doing a million times better than I did.
Taking the 111m or 364 ft jump at Victoria Falls. Photo courtesy On the Go.
Getting There
G Adventures runs a number of departures in Zambia encompassing a wide range of departure dates and activities to cater for different tastes. We’re thrilled at the prospect of showing you this big blue planet of ours — check out our small group trips here.
