Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia: Victoria Falls, Wildlife and Heritage

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia: Victoria Falls, Wildlife and Heritage: History & Culture

Discover Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia: Victoria Falls, Wildlife and Heritage

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park sits in Zambia’s Southern Province, right next to the city of Livingstone. The name means “The Smoke that Thunders”. The park covers 66 km² and runs for about 20 km along the Zambian bank of the Zambezi River. It protects the Zambian half of Victoria Falls, and the other half lies across the river in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park.

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park at a glance

• Country: Zambia
• Province: Southern Province, beside the city of Livingstone
• Size: 66 km²
• Length along the river: about 20 km of the Zambian bank of the Zambezi
• Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989 (ref. 509, natural criteria vii and viii), listed together with the Zimbabwean side
• Managed by: the Zambia Wildlife Authority

What to see in the park

The park has two very different sides. One is the waterfall and its rainforest. The other is a wildlife section with riverine forest, miombo woodland and grassland.

The Zambian half of Victoria Falls

The falls are the reason most people come. On the Zambian side, the falls are ringed by rainforest and reached by two named points:

• Knife-Edge Bridge: one of the best-known spots for experiencing the falls up close.
• Boiling Pot viewpoint: a viewpoint on the gorge below the falls.

Because the falls span the border, the park and its Zimbabwean neighbour share a single World Heritage listing. Many visitors see both sides. Border-crossing details are not covered here, so check current requirements before you plan a crossing.

Wildlife section

Away from the river spray, the park’s wildlife section has a different feel. The habitats here are riverine forest, miombo woodland and grassland. Animals you can look for include:

• Angolan giraffe
• Burchell’s zebra
• Buffalo
• Impala
• Warthog
• Sable

The park also holds southern white rhino. Wikipedia reports ten, as of 2022, and they were imported from South Africa. Numbers can change, so treat that as a snapshot rather than a current count.

Along the riverbanks you can see hippo and Nile crocodile. Vervet monkeys and baboons are common in the park.

Birds of the gorge

Thirty-five raptor species breed in the gorge. They include Taita falcon, Verreaux’s eagle and peregrine. If you carry binoculars, the gorge is worth a look between waterfall viewpoints.

History and heritage

The park has a human story as well as a natural one. Two landmarks stand out:

• Old Drift Cemetery: marks early European settler burials.
• David Livingstone statue: erected in 2005.

The name Mosi-oa-Tunya itself, “The Smoke that Thunders”, describes the spray and roar of the falls. It is a good reminder that this landscape was named long before it became a park.

Planning your visit

Some practical points are still to be confirmed, so we have left them out rather than guess. Before you go, check these with the Zambia Wildlife Authority or your accommodation:

• Current entry fees and opening hours
• The best months for the falls, wildlife and any water-level-dependent activities
• Your route from the nearest airport, and any border-crossing rules if you are visiting the Zimbabwean side too

Livingstone is the natural base for the park, since the park lies right beside the city. Allow time for both the falls and the wildlife section, as they offer very different experiences within the same 66 km².

Why visit Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

Few places in Southern Africa combine a World Heritage waterfall, rainforest, big herbivores, rhino, river wildlife and a gorge full of breeding raptors in one compact park. Add the historic Old Drift Cemetery and the Livingstone statue, and a visit gives you nature and history together, with Livingstone’s town services close by.

Whether you come for a short look at the falls from the Knife-Edge Bridge and the Boiling Pot viewpoint, or for a longer day watching giraffe, zebra and hippo, Mosi-oa-Tunya rewards a slower pace. Pair it with the Zimbabwean side of the falls if you want the full picture of what the Zambezi does at this spot.

Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.