10 Best Hotels at Victoria Falls for 2026

Victoria Falls is one waterfall straddling two countries, and the single most common UK-traveller mistake is treating the choice between the Zimbabwe side and the Zambia side as a binary. It isn't. The KAZA UniVisa makes crossing trivial, both sides have genuinely different strengths, and the best Vic Falls trip in 2026 visits both. Zimbabwe gives you the panoramic falls views and the colonial heritage hotels. Zambia gives you closer-water access, Devil's Pool, and the only luxury hotels inside an active national park. For 2026 — with the Royal Livingstone now firmly under Anantara management and Matetsi consolidating as the safari-meets-falls flagship — both sides have their best hotels in years.

We've scouted ten properties balanced across both sides. This is JetMeAway's shortlist. Compare live Victoria Falls hotel prices before you fall in love with one — or search Victoria Falls flights via Johannesburg (VFA) to lock in dates first. Pairing flights and hotel? Browse Victoria Falls package deals for combined savings.

The Scout's Take: Colonial Heritage or Riverside Wilderness?

Every Vic Falls hotel pitches itself on the falls. The question is whether you want colonial heritage with the falls in earshot or wildlife immersion with the falls as soundtrack.

If you're the kind of traveller who values the layered history of the place — Cecil Rhodes envisioning his Cape-to-Cairo railway from the terrace, Livingstone-era exploration, the sheer 121-year continuity of guests sitting in the same wicker chairs watching the same spray rise across the gorge — The Victoria Falls Hotel is the answer. Built in 1904 in full Edwardian style on the Zimbabwe side, it's a Leading Hotel of the World, walking distance to the falls entrance, and famous for an afternoon high-tea on the Stanley Terrace where the spray of the falls is visible in the distance. Mornings here are slow, formal, and steeped in colonial-era continuity that no newer property can fake.

Compare that to Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara — same falls, completely different experience. Royal Livingstone is the only luxury hotel literally inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the Zambia side: 173 colonial-style suites along the Zambezi River, with resident giraffes, zebras, and impalas wandering across the property line. Breakfast on the terrace genuinely involves sharing the lawn with giraffes; the sunset deck looks straight at the falls drop, the spray rising hundreds of feet into the dusk light. It's wildlife-immersion luxury, and the closest experience to a private national-park stay you can get at this price point.

For colonial heritage and the iconic terrace, Victoria Falls Hotel wins. For wildlife on the lawn and the closest sunset-spray view in the world, Royal Livingstone is the smarter call.

Our 10 for 2026 (Both Sides)

1. The Victoria Falls Hotel — Zimbabwe side. The legendary 1904 Edwardian colonial-era hotel, Leading Hotels of the World, walking distance to the falls entrance. Afternoon high tea on the Stanley Terrace is the regional benchmark.

2. Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara — Zambia side. The only luxury hotel inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Resident giraffes and zebras on property, sunset deck overlooks the falls drop.

3. Matetsi Victoria Falls — Zimbabwe side. 50,000 hectares of private game reserve along the Zambezi, 18 suites, the safari-meets-falls flagship of the region. Best fit for travellers combining a Vic Falls trip with proper game-driving.

4. Tongabezi Lodge — Zambia side. Riverfront treehouse-style luxury 12km upstream from the falls. Twelve unique suites — the Honeymoon House, the Tree House, the Bird House — each with private decks over the Zambezi. The romantic-luxury choice.

5. Stanley & Livingstone Boutique Hotel — Zimbabwe side. Private game reserve setting with colonial-era styling, just 16 suites. Smaller scale than Matetsi, more intimate, with reliable resident wildlife on the property.

6. Ilala Lodge Hotel — Zimbabwe side. The closest hotel to the falls — the spray is genuinely visible from the lawn. Mid-luxury value pick, walking distance to everything, the smart-money Zimbabwe-side choice.

7. Avani Victoria Falls Resort — Zambia side. Riverfront, walking distance to the falls, family-friendly mid-luxury with a clutch of restaurants and the strongest swimming pool of the Zambia-side hotels. Best fit for travellers with kids.

8. Tsowa Safari Island — Zimbabwe side. A private island in the Zambezi with just six tented suites, off-grid in the truest sense — solar power, no road access, boat-only arrival. The disappear-from-the-world luxury choice.

9. The Elephant Camp — Zimbabwe side. 16 luxury tented suites on a private concession, with the property's signature elephant interaction programme (controversial but well-managed: the elephants here are rescued from culling operations). Closest equivalent to a Botswana-Delta-style camp at Vic Falls prices.

10. Toka Leya Camp Wilderness Safaris — Zambia side. 12 tented suites inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, run by Wilderness Safaris (the best safari operator in southern Africa). The proper safari-camp luxury option, with morning game drives included as standard.

Beyond the Hotel: 10 Things to Do at Victoria Falls (2026)

Vic Falls rewards travellers who book activities ahead — most fill up days in advance in peak season. Here's the prioritised list:

1. Walk the Victoria Falls Bridge — Free, the KAZA UniVisa makes the crossing easy. The 1905 bridge spans the gorge between the two countries with views of the falls and the rapids below. Best at midday when the spray catches the sun.

2. Devil's Pool Swim — Zambia side only, August-January only. Swim to the literal edge of the falls and lean over a 108-metre drop. Book through Tongabezi Lodge or Royal Livingstone — independent operators are unreliable. $130-180 including the boat to Livingstone Island.

3. Zambezi Sunset Cruise — The iconic safari-meets-G&T experience. 2-2.5 hours upstream of the falls, hippos and elephants on the banks, sundowners served on board. Both sides offer cruises; Zimbabwe-side cruises depart from the A'Zambezi River Lodge jetty. $80-100.

4. White-Water Rafting — The Zambezi rapids below the falls are graded among the world's top white-water trips. Full-day trips run July to February. Class III-V rapids; not for nervous swimmers. $170-200.

5. Helicopter "Flight of Angels" — Livingstone himself wrote that "scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight" — the helicopter flight that bears his quote is the most-photographed Vic Falls activity. 12-25 minutes, $180-350. Worth every dollar.

6. Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park Game Drive — Zambia side. Smaller park than the Zimbabwe side reserves, but reliable elephants, the southern white rhino tracking on foot is the highlight (always with armed rangers). Half-day, $80-120.

7. Chobe National Park Day Trip — Botswana, 80km from Vic Falls (via Kazungula border). The largest elephant population in Africa — 120,000+ elephants concentrate along the Chobe River in dry season. Full-day trip, river cruise + game drive, $200-280.

8. Livingstone Island Picnic — Stand on the island where David Livingstone first saw the falls in 1855. Half-day trips from the Zambia side, including breakfast or lunch on the island. Often combined with Devil's Pool. $130-220.

9. Bungee Jump from Victoria Falls Bridge — 111 metres, the third-highest bungee in the world, into the Zambezi gorge. $160. Photo-package extra. Insurance-document the jump if your travel insurance has adventure-activity exclusions.

10. Boma Dinner with Drumming — Touristy but genuinely fun. Traditional southern-African buffet at the Boma restaurant near Victoria Falls Hotel — game meats, mopane worm tasting, marimba band, gourd-drum drumming circle that has the entire dining room on its feet by 9pm. $50-65.

Where to Stay: Victoria Falls Sides 2026

| Side / Area | Hotels here | Vibe | |---------------------------|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | Zimbabwe — Vic Falls Town | Victoria Falls Hotel, Ilala Lodge | Walk to the falls, colonial heritage, restaurants. | | Zimbabwe — Game Reserves | Matetsi, Stanley & Livingstone, Elephant Camp | Private concessions, safari-led. | | Zimbabwe — Tsowa Island | Tsowa Safari Island | Off-grid private island, boat-only access. | | Zambia — Mosi-oa-Tunya NP | Royal Livingstone, Toka Leya | Inside the national park, wildlife on property. | | Zambia — Livingstone Town | Avani, Tongabezi (12 km out) | Riverside, walking distance to falls, mid-luxury. | | Cross-border circuit | All of the above | KAZA UniVisa makes 2-night-each splits easy. |

Privacy Shield: Why Book Victoria Falls Through JetMeAway

Southern African luxury and safari hotels are aggressive on email retargeting — book the Royal Livingstone direct and your inbox starts surfacing offers from Anantara and Wilderness Safaris properties across Africa for months afterwards. The Anantara network, Leading Hotels of the World, and the major safari operators all run cross-property mailing lists.

When you book via JetMeAway, your personal data never touches the hotel's marketing systems until check-in. We hand off the booking through our partner Nuitee, which acts as a merchant of record. The hotel receives the reservation, not your Facebook pixel, your inbox, or your credit-card-company's marketing arm.

For Vic Falls in particular — where high-water-season pricing and once-in-a-lifetime-trip demand makes hotels especially keen to retarget early-shoppers — this matters. Research freely, book confidently, skip the six months of "we miss you" emails.

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