Victoria Falls, one of the largest falls in the world. Although we had seen Niagara Falls, we heard that the size of Niagara Falls was incomparably small compared to Victoria. We headed to Zimbabwe to see the difference in sizes.
Visa
We applied for single entry visas for 30 days this time. No advance application or specific documents were necessary other than a passport and US$30 at the entry. There were a visa for multiple entries. Please refer here for further detail.
Itinerary – Detail
* M = Morning, A = Afternoon, E = Evening
| Dec 12 M | Arrived at Johannesburg, South Africa and then transfer a flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe |
| A | Arrived at Victoria Falls airport, Zimbabwe |
| E | Explored Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe |
| Dec 13 M | Explored Victoria Falls National Park |
| A | Moved to Kasane, Botswana for Chobe National Park |
Costs
The costs for 2 day were US$239.10 for two. The summary of costs by category is below.
| Category | US$ | US$(day/person) |
| Sightseeing | 60.00 | 15.00 |
| Food | 7.10 | 1.78 |
| Accommodation | 30.00 | 7.50 |
| Transportation | 80.00 | 20.00 |
| Visa | 60.00 | 15.00 |
| Others | 2.00 | 0.50 |
| Total | 239.10 | 59.78 |
Sightseeing
The cost of sightseeing was only for the admission fee of Victoria Falls National Park. The park accepted a credit card for the payment.
Food
For all meals, we purchased cooked food and pastries at a supermarket close to the hostel we stayed, Shoestrings Backpackers Lodge. The cooked food and pasties at a supermarket were relatively cheaper. However, it may cost more to eat out at a restaurant in Victoria Falls town.
Accommodation
1 night in a shared room with 4 beds at Shoestrings Backpackers Lodge. The bathroom was also shared.
- Victoria Falls town: 1 night US$15 / person
In Victoria Falls town, we did not search any hostel since we reserved the hostel online in advance. Based on our research, the hostel was the cheapest in the area. WiFi was not included in the price although the hostel website said so. We purchased an access code for 2 hours for US$2 separately from the hostel.
Transportation
Victoria Falls town did not have any public transportation, and only options were taxi or walk.
- Taxi from airport to Shoestrings Backpackers Lodge: US$20
- Taxi from the hostel to Victoria Falls: US$5 / ride
- Taxi from the hostel to a border with Botswana: US$50 / ride
A taxi driver from the airport offered a ride from US$30 at first then the price went down to US$20 after negotiation. The trip time of the taxi to the hostel was about 20 min. The price was relatively high but the car itself was clean and comfortable. A security guy at the airport helped us to take a taxi.
We originally planned to walk to Victoria Falls because the distance from the hostel was approximately 2km. However, we took a taxi because we were told that there were carnivore animals on the route between the town and Victoria Falls. The hostel helped us to book a taxi and told us the price range of the taxi. For a taxi to come back to the town, it seemed easy to catch a taxi at a parking of Victoria Falls National Park without any advance reservation.
The same taxi driver offered us for a ride to the border with Botswana. The price was offered at US$60 and went down to US$50 after negotiation. We originally heard that the trip time from the hostel to the border was about 2 hours but it actually took one hour and a half. The car was big but not clean (normal cleanliness in Africa). There were many soldiers on the way to the border and they thumbed up for a free ride. The driver picked up one soldier on the way without asking us and told us that it was normal to give a ride to soldiers.
Visa
Two single entry visas (American and Japanese) for 30 days (US$30 * 2 = US$60).
Others
A 2-hour access code to WiFi. WiFi was not included in the accommodation price although the hostel website said WiFi was included. The speed of the internet was slow but we still could make some research for Botswana.
Summary
USD was used in Zimbabwe because of the termination of local currencies for the hyper-inflation occurred a few years ago. The costs for travel were not inexpensive maybe because of Victoria Falls, worldly well-known travel destination. The cost per day was below US$25 for accommodation and food.
For transportation, a taxi was needed every time because there was no public transportation. You can avoid any extra charges by advance research of the prices.
Our only destination in Zimbabwe was Victoria Falls for this trip, and we did not research any other locations. We would like to visit other locations in Zimbabwe if we find attractive destinations and have a chance. However, Victoria Falls and the town were not attractive enough for us to go back again. If we go back there one more time, we would go there after the rainy season because Victoria Falls this time had much less water.