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Victoria Falls Travel

How to get there? is one of the most common questions we are asked, we hope to shed some light on this below...

The three major access options to Victoria Falls are quite obviously Air, Rail and Road we have broken them down into these sections below.

Click on this link Vic Falls travel questions for commonly asked travel questions.


Getting to Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls Travel by ** Air **

Airports

Victoria Falls Town (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone Town (Zambia) both have international airports. These are serviced by several flights a day from various destinations, see the schedule below.

You can fly into either of these airports and catch a short road transfer (needs to be booked) across the border, if your accommodation is booked in the other country.

Victoria Falls Airport (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone Airport (Zambia) are the closest to the Falls themselves. But, you can also fly into Kasane Airport (Botswana), and take an hour long road transfer into Victoria Falls town (this road transfer does involve a border crossing). This is an important initial decision.

Other Major Airports

Zimbabwe has two other international airports in Harare and Bulawayo. However, these are hundreds of kilometres away, and getting to Victoria Falls from there would require an additional expensive flight, or a long and expensive road transfer.
Likewise, Zambia's Lusaka Airport is also a roughly 10 hour road transfer or an additional flight from Livingstone Town. Flying to these airports, therefore, would not be ideal if you want to get to Victoria Falls or Livingstone.

Map with Airports that are nearest to Victoria Falls - Victoria Falls Guide on how to get there

Which Airport to Use and Where to Stay

Flights into Zambia are sometimes cheaper than the flights into Zimbabwe, however higher prices for accommodation and activities, can balance the sums. Plus, if you are staying in Zimbabwe, you need to factor in the transfer fees and the time it takes to cross the border.

If you are unsure as to which country to stay in please visit this page Zimbabwe or Zambia it should help you to make a decision.

You might need a visa (check here) which is given to you at the airport and then catch your transfer into town. The time this process takes all depends on how full the flight is, so at peak times of year with full aircraft it can take a couple of hours to clear customs and catch your bus into town, in quieter times this can be done in under an hour, so just bear this in mind when booking any activities on the afternoon you arrive. Generally there is sufficient time for a sunset cruise or a helicopter flight.

Flight Schedules

Below are detailed flight schedules of the airlines that fly into Victoria Falls Airport.

Updated on 14th September 2023

The different airlines that fly to Victoria Falls (and the surrounding area) are:

• SA Airlink (Victoria Falls, Kasane and Livingstone)
• Kenya Airways (Victoria Falls and Livingstone)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Victoria Falls)
• FastJet (Victoria Falls, Hwange and Kariba)
• FlySafair (Victoria Falls and Livingstone)
• Eurowings (Victoria Falls in the high season)
• Proflight (Livingstone)
• Mack Air (Kasane and Victoria Falls)
• Air Botswana (Kasane and Maun)
• South African Airlines (Victoria Falls)
• CemAir (Victoria Falls)

Victoria Falls Flights

CemAir (5Z)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Victoria Falls & Johannesburg
JNB - VFA 11H20 13H00 M - W T F S S
VFA - JNB 13H30 15H10 M - W T F S S

Ethiopian Airlines (ET)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Addis Ababa, Victoria Falls & Bulawayo
ADD - VFA 8H30 12H10  - T - T F S S
VFA - BUQ 13H10 13H55  - T - T F S S
BUQ - ADD 14H55 20H45  - T - T F S S

Eurowings Discover (4Y)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Frankfurt, Windhoek & Victoria Falls
FRA - WDH 21H00 7H05+1 M - W - F - -
FRA - WDH 21H55 9H05+1 M T W T F S S
WDH - VFA 9H15 11H15 - - W - F - S

FastJet (FN)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Victoria Falls & Harare
VFA - HRE 15H00 16H05 M T W T F S S
VFA - HRE 15H10 16H15 M T W T F S S
HRE - VFA 8H40 9H50 M T W T F S S
HRE - VFA 8H50 10H00 M T W T F S S
Victoria Falls & Johannesburg
VFA - JNB 10H30 12H05 - T - T - S S
VFA - JNB 13H00 14H35 M T W T F S S
VFA - JNB 13H20 14H55 M T W T F S S
VFA - JNB 15H05 16H40 M - W - F - -
JNB - VFA 9H55 11H35 M T W T F S S
JNB - VFA 11H10 12H50 M T W T F S S
JNB - VFA 12H40 14H20 M T W T F S S
Victoria Falls & Nelspruit
MQP - VFA 12H45 14H30 M T W T F S S
VFA - MQP 10H30 12H15 M T W T F S S
Victoria Falls & Maun (SUSPENDED)
Victoria Falls, Hwange, Kariba
For flights between Harare, Victoria Falls, Hwange and Kariba, see these Fastjet Flights

*Please note: FastJet schedules tend to change more frequently than most, and schedules depend on the season. When booking, you may find different times for the flights on their website.

FlySafAir (FA) (Flights Start October 2023)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Johannesburg & Victoria Falls
JNB - VFA 12H45 14H20 - T - T - S -
VFA - JNB 15H20 17H00 - T - T - S -
Johannesburg & Livingstone
JNB - LVI 12H40 14H25 M - W - F - S
LVI - JNB 15H25 17H20 M - W - F - S

Kenya Airways (KQ)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Nairobi, Victoria Falls & Cape Town
NBO - VFA 7H30 9H45 M - W - F - -
VFA - CPT 10H30 13H40 M - W - F - -
CPT - VFA 14H30 17H20 M - W - F - -
VFA - NBO 18H05 22H20 M - W - F - -

MackAir (MBK)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Victoria Falls & Kasane
BBK - VFA 11H00 11H20 M T W T F S S
BBK - VFA 15H15 15H35 M T W T F S S
VFA - BBK 12H00 12H20 M T W T F S S
VFA - BBK 16H00 16H20 M T W T F S S

SA Airlink (4Z)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Victoria Falls & Johannesburg
JNB - VFA 11H35 13H20 M T W T F S S
VFA - JNB 14H00 15H40 M T W T F S S
Victoria Falls & Cape Town
CPT - VFA 9H45 12H40 M T W T F - S
VFA - CPT 13H15 16H20 M T W T F - S

South African Airlines (SA)

Route Depart Arrive Days
Victoria Falls & Johannesburg
JNB - VFA 10H50 12H25 M - - T - - S
JNB - VFA 10H50 12H25 - T W - F -
VFA - JNB 13H10 14H50 M - - T - - S
VFA - JNB 14H05 15H40 - T W - F -

Airports Key

ADD Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (Ethiopia)
BBK Kasane Airport (Botswana - Kasane, Chobe)
CPT Cape Town International (South Africa)
FRA Frankfurt Airport (Germany)
GBE Sir S Khama - Gaborone International Airport (Botswana - Gaborone)
HRE Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport - Harare International Airport (Zimbabwe)
HWN Hwange National Park Airport/Hwange Main Airport
JNB O R Tambo - Johannesburg International Airport (South Africa)
KAB Kariba Airport (Zimbabwe)
MQP Kruger Mpumalanga - Nelspruit Airport (South Africa)
MUB Maun Airport (Botswana - Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve)
NBO Jomo Kenyatta - Nairobi International Airport (Kenya)
VFA Victoria Falls International Airport (Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls)
WDH Hosea Kutako - Windhoek International Airport (Namibia)

For research on all these destinations use Travel Start search engine, it makes life a lot simpler.

See our Getting Around Page on the best way to get from the Airports into town.

This link takes you to a schedule of flights in and out of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

For more detail information on flight schedules, visit this Victoria Falls Flight schedule page.

Victoria Falls Travel by ** Rail **

Regular train services no longer run between South Africa and Victoria Falls no matter what you might read in some Guide books.

There is however a luxury train service that travels directly to Victoria Falls from South Africa which is the Luxury Rovos Rail. This is not a regular shuttle service but rather a holiday in itself. Johannesburg to Victoria falls takes 3 days and I must say is an absolutely wonderful trip.

Rovos Rail train trip through the African wilderness - Pretoria to Victoria Falls Zimbabwe

Rovos Rail through the wilderness

The more affordable Shongololo Express (managed by Rovos Rail) offers a long journey through Mozambique and Swaziland from Pretoria to Victoria Falls, in 3-star luxury.

Shongololo Express dining carriagem - Pretoria to Victoria Falls luxury railway journey

Inside the Shongololo Express

There is normally an overnight train from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls. However, this service is currently suspended until further notice. During normal circumstances, this is an option but it is certainly not luxurious. The trains are a bit run down – but it is a unique African experience if you are up for it and is perfectly safe, our son has done it before. You would be able to buy your ticket to Victoria Falls from the office at the station. This ticket to Victoria Falls is fairly cheap with a first class costing approximately $10.

The train station in Victoria Falls is right next to Victoria Falls Hotel and the Kingdom Hotel and less than a kilometre from the town centre.


Victoria Falls travel by ** Road **

Travelling to Victoria Falls by road is also an option. Fuel is usually available, however some garages do run out so always make sure you have enough to get to the next fuel point (be sure to check up on our NEWSFLASH page for up-to-date information). The price does fluctuate as with fuel prices around the world. Don't forget to take cash with you as most may not accept credit or debit cards.

Fuel is available from several the garages in the Victoria Falls town centre.

In South Africa and Botswana fuel stations accept all major credit and debit cards.

Zimbabwe has some strict requirements for vehicles entering the country, please read about these here Zimbabwe Vehicle Regulations.

The major roads in Zimbabwe are still in good condition and are perfectly acceptable to drive on. Traffic around the major centres like Harare and Bulawayo is nowadays quite congested.

Bus Services

For those who just want to get from point A to point B, there are cheap buses that travel daily, leaving in the morning as well as in the evening between Victoria Falls and Harare, passing through Bulawayo and the smaller towns in between. These are not luxury buses, and they do not offer any extra amenities, except some music. They will make a few short stops along the way for recess and for passengers to get a bite to eat. Read Victoria Falls bus for more information.


The border post options available

Beitbridge Border Post (Open) - Between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Very Busy but efficient…Worth avoiding if you can.
Plumtree Border Post (Open) – Between Botswana and Zimbabwe. Mostly quiet and efficient, although still best to arrive early morning or late afternoon.
Pandamatenga Border Post (Open) - Between Botswana and Zimbabwe. Very quiet but efficient…once when we came through here at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon we were the only vehicle that had been through that day and we had to wake up the customs officials. The road on the Zimbabwe side for about 80 kilometres is dirt and is quite tough going, on the map it looks like a short cut but in reality it is not.
Kazungula Border Post (Open) – Between Botswana and Zimbabwe. Moderately busy but efficient. This is only 70 Kilometres from the Falls so is an ideal place to refuel and shop for supplies.
Victoria Falls Bridge (Open) – Between Zambia and Zimbabwe… Busy and moderately efficient. Essential for getting into Zambia to do activities on that side or visa versa.



Try this useful Distance Calculator to help plan your trip

Please read these Victoria Falls Travel Reviews from other travellers who have just been there.


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