Victoria Falls — known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, "The Smoke That Thunders" — is one of the natural world's most overwhelming spectacles: the world's largest waterfall (by total area of falling water), where the Zambezi River drops 108 metres into a gorge so deep that the spray cloud rises 400 metres and can be seen 50km away. This is UNESCO World Heritage, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and a bucket-list destination of the highest order.

Hotels on the Zimbabwe side (Victoria Falls Town) give the most dramatic close-up views of the falls — the spray-soaked Main Falls trail puts you metres from the edge. The Victoria Falls Hotel (built 1904) and the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge are landmark Zimbabwe properties. The Zambia side (Livingstone) is generally considered more spectacular for the full footbridge view of the Eastern Cataract and offers superior access to Livingstone Island and the famous Devil's Pool swim at the very edge of the falls.