This is the big question on most travellers’ minds – to fly into Zimbabwe (Vic Falls) or Zambia (Livingstone). Both airports are not far from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Victoria Falls, so it can be a little confusing if you don’t know some background info in order to make the best decision for your trip. If the falls are high on your “must-see” list, you get a better ‘full view’ of the falls from the Zimbabwe side, but you can only walk down to below the falls from the Zambian side.

Zimbabwe has the lion’s share of viewpoints. Visit Victoria Falls National Park and wander the well laid out footpaths through dripping rainforest and out onto a cliff face-on to the tumbling Main Falls. To get exceptionally close to the cascades of water, however, you need to visit the Zambian side of the falls.

The answer: purchase a dual visa on arrival to allow you entry into both countries.

It is safe to assume that safari and game-viewing is what most travellers are after on their trip to Africa and you can easily do that in Zambia’s Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. There are no big cats at Mosi, but you can expect to see herds of elephant, giraffe, buffalo and zebra, as well as pods of hippo and crocodiles basking on sunny riverbanks. There’s also the opportunity to track black rhino on foot – a thrilling experience!

However this game viewing can’t really compare to wildlife-packed Chobe, which is an easy daytrip from either the Zimbabwe or the Zambian side of Vic Falls. Or you might want to continue from Victoria Falls to the Zambian parks of the South Luangwa and peaceful Lower Zambezi or maybe stay in Zimbabwe and visit Hwange or go on an adventurous river safari in Mana Pools.

Whether you choose to stay in Zimbabwe or Zambia, the minor hassle of a border crossing is more than rewarded by a visit to both sides of the falls.