My shoes had puddles of water in them. Not damp. Puddles. We were standing at the edge of Victoria Falls in matching rain coats that were doing absolutely nothing, hoods blown back by the force of the wind and spray, completely soaked through from the inside out. Bryson and Connor were laughing. Rob and I were laughing. Our guide, who had seen this exact scene a thousand times, was also laughing. And honestly? It was one of the best moments of the whole trip.
This is Part 2 of our Southern Africa series. We started in Cape Town - if you missed that post, go back and read it, because Cape Town sets the stage for everything that follows. But Victoria Falls? Victoria Falls surprised me in the very best way.
We were traveling at the end of rainy season, and Zimbabwe had experienced an exceptionally wet January - flooding that pushed river levels significantly higher than normal. When I learned that, I genuinely worried we would not be able to see the falls at all. That fear turned out to be unfounded, but it does illustrate something important: the time of year you visit Victoria Falls dramatically changes the experience. High water means spectacular volume and spray but limited visibility of the actual falls themselves. Low water, typically later in the year, reveals more of the rock face and gorge. Neither is wrong - they are just different. Knowing which experience you want is part of how we plan a trip like this.
Brief breaks in the overspray gave us glimpses of the falls - and rainbows. They were everywhere. You had to be quick to catch them.
The Smoke That Thunders
Victoria Falls is known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, which translates to "The Smoke That Thunders." Standing there, drenched and windswept, that name makes complete sense. It is not just water falling - it is a physical force. The mist rises so high and so thick that it creates its own weather system around you. When the wind shifted, we would get a brief clearing and catch a glimpse of the actual falls, and I would scramble for my phone - only to have the spray close back in before I could get the shot. Eventually I stopped trying and just stood there in it.
I had spotted the spray from the plane on our approach and thought, genuinely, that something was on fire in the distance. That white plume rising from the horizon - it looks nothing like what you would expect a waterfall to look like from the air. Nothing prepares you for the scale of it.
The challenge of catching glimpses of the waterfall between clouds of overspray made it fun for the kids. By the end, we felt like we had just survived a hurricane - and they were proud of it.
The boys were absolute troopers. Both had the sense to wear their Crocs - smart kids. Rob's shoes and mine, on the other hand, were completely waterlogged. Luckily it was a sunny day and they managed to dry out before our afternoon plans. The rain coats our guide provided were well-intentioned, but the wind from the force of the falls meant hoods would not stay up, so the water just poured straight in anyway. My advice: wear water shoes or Crocs, and keep your camera ready for those brief windows when the spray clears - because the rainbows that appear in those moments are worth every bit of the soaking.
Completely soaked and completely happy. This is the Victoria Falls experience at peak water season.
Palm River Hotel: More Than a Home Base
We stayed at the Palm River Hotel in a two-bedroom Deluxe Suite sitting right on the banks of the Zambezi River, about four kilometers from the falls. And here is where Victoria Falls started to do something I did not see coming: it slowed us all the way down.
After the pace of Cape Town - which was extraordinary, full, and worth every bit of energy it took - Victoria Falls felt like exhaling. The property is beautiful in a quiet, unhurried way. Big indigenous trees line the river. There is a pool. There is a swing near the water that Bryson and Connor had to jump on every single time we walked past it. I mean every time. And I loved that about it.
Palm River Hotel at dusk, the pool, and the terrace - the kind of place that invites you to slow down.
The boys were different there. They were reading. Swimming. Jumping on that swing. There is something about a place that strips away the noise and lets kids just be kids, and Palm River Hotel did that for ours. I kept thinking about Savannah - the big trees, the river, the unhurried feeling of a town that knows it does not need to rush. Victoria Falls has that same quality.
That connection to Savannah only got stronger when one of the young women working at the hotel mentioned she had spent time at the JW Marriott in Savannah - a property I have always loved for its funky, cool energy and location. We spent way too long comparing notes on the city from the banks of the Zambezi River, thousands of miles from home. It was one of those small-world moments that you remember long after the trip is over.
The two-bedroom suite had separate spaces for the boys - a detail that matters more than you think after a long travel day.
The suite's bathroom and shared living space -
comfortable, well-designed, and suited for a family that has been on the move.
The dining room and interiors at Palm River - airy and considered design that feels perfectly suited to the environment.
The two-bedroom Deluxe Suite configuration at Palm River is one of the reasons I would recommend this property for families. Two bedrooms that connect through a shared lounge and private verandah means everyone has their own space - which matters enormously after you have been traveling together for a week. The suite is thoughtfully designed: proper bathrooms with real bathtubs, a shared terrace, and that setting on the Zambezi River. The hotel also offers Deluxe Rooms, additional suite categories, and a Villa with a private pool for those who want that level of privacy. There is a configuration that works for most family sizes and travel styles.
Wildlife We Were Not Expecting
I want to be honest about something, because I think it will actually help you plan better: I did not realize how much wildlife surrounds Victoria Falls. I knew we were going to a waterfall. I did not fully understand that Victoria Falls sits within a network of national parks and that the surrounding area is genuinely wild.
Every evening at Palm River, the warthogs arrived to graze on the lawn. But the moment that genuinely stopped me was at dinner, when a small herd of wild elephants came right onto the property. On safari, you expect this. At a hotel on a river next to a town, it is something else entirely.
Left: our nightly warthog visitors. Right: wild elephants on property during dinner. Not something we planned for.
Full disclosure: I plan Africa trips for a living and somehow did not fully appreciate how much wildlife surrounds Victoria Falls until I was standing in it. Safari-adjacent wildlife at a riverside hotel? Did not see that coming. This is exactly why being there matters - and why I trust Hills of Africa Travel as my partner for Africa itineraries. My expertise is knowing my clients deeply and building complex, multi-destination journeys that work seamlessly. Their expertise is Africa itself - the destinations, the operators, the nuances that only come from years of boots-on-the-ground knowledge. Together, we build trips that neither of us could plan as well alone. Victoria Falls is now a destination I can recommend with real confidence - and real detail.
Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary: A Surprise We Did Not See Coming
Victoria Falls was the undeniable highlight of this stop - but the Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary gave it a run for its money. We were genuinely surprised by how much we enjoyed it and how personal the experience felt.
Wild Horizons is a sanctuary and orphanage built on a conservation principle: the most powerful way to inspire people to protect elephants is to let them connect with one. The elephants here were rescued - some orphaned, some recovered from difficult circumstances - and they are cared for by handlers who have built deep, long-term relationships with each animal. Crucially, the land borders an unfenced national park, meaning the elephants are completely free to come and go as they choose. They are not contained. They stay because they want to be there, and that distinction matters enormously in how the experience feels.
We were educated before we ever got close to an elephant. The handlers explained the threats facing elephant populations today, the history of each animal in their care, and the structure of elephant herd relationships. Then we walked out into the bush, and these massive, gentle animals were just... there. Right there.
Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary - and the family, appropriately thrilled about the whole thing.
The feeding experience is something I will describe to every client considering this stop: the boys learned there are three ways to feed an elephant. The trunk acts as a vacuum and the elephant draws the treat right up into it. You can load treats into the end of the trunk and they carry it to their own mouth. Or - and this was the crowd favorite - the elephant opens its mouth and you throw the treats directly in. They tried all three. Repeatedly.
Up close with these gentle giants, an elephant hug,
and one boy's first time climbing into a safari vehicle - a fitting preview of what was coming next.
The Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary is appropriate for children nine and up and is one of the activities I will include on every Victoria Falls itinerary going forward. It is run with genuine commitment to conservation - not a tourist production - and the educational component before the encounter is meaningful. Children come away understanding why these animals need protection, not just that elephants are large and impressive. That combination of experience and education is exactly what I look for when building activities for family travel.
Sunset on the Zambezi: The Ra-Ikane Cruise
On our first evening, we walked from the hotel reception across the lawn to a small jetty on the Zambezi - a short walk, everything perfectly easy - and boarded the Ra-Ikane for our sunset cruise. The boat was built to replicate the Ma-Robert, David Livingstone's original vessel, and it carries that spirit: old world, unhurried, the kind of experience that feels like it belongs to a different era entirely.
The Zambezi is stunning. Massive trees line the banks. Hippos surfaced close enough that we could hear them. We spotted crocodiles. And at some point, sailing upriver, our guide pointed out that we had crossed into Zambia. I am counting it.
The Ra-Ikane on the Zambezi at sunset.
Snacks, drinks, hippos, and that unmistakable plume of smoke rising from the falls in the distance.
In the distance, you could see the white mist rising from Victoria Falls - the same plume I had mistaken for a fire from the plane. Even from the river at golden hour, it still looked like smoke. We had snacks and drinks on board, watched the sun go down over the water, and by the time we got back to the hotel we were so well fed and so content that we ordered a light room service dinner and called it a night. Sometimes when you are traveling with kids, knowing when to have a quiet evening in is the right call. That night it was exactly right.
We crossed into Zambia at sunset. The hippos were right there. That white plume from Victoria Falls was visible on the horizon. We had wine in hand. It was one of those evenings that feels like it cannot possibly be real.
What Victoria Falls Actually Is
I came here thinking of Victoria Falls as a stop between Cape Town and safari. I left thinking of it as a destination in its own right - one that deserves more than the two days we gave it. On the way to the airport, the boys said, unprompted, that we should have stayed an extra day in Victoria Falls instead of Cape Town. That landed. It is something I will factor into every Africa itinerary I build going forward.
A fellow travel advisor who visited just a few days after we left posted a video of a herd of elephants crossing the Zambezi during high water, their trunks raised above the surface like snorkels. I watched it three times. I was equal parts jealous and grateful - because honestly, if one more extraordinary thing had happened in Victoria Falls, I might not have made it to the Kruger at all.
Next up: Tintswalo Safari Lodge in the Manyeleti Game Reserve. Four days in the bush, our own private game vehicle, and some sightings I am still processing. That post is coming.