- Prices start from $480 per person per night at riverside lodges such as Victoria Falls River Lodge, rising to $2,100+ at the finest, Matetsi River House
- Zimbabwe side delivers the widest, most iconic front-on spray views; the Zambia side offers Devil's Pool on the lip of the falls, swimmable roughly October to January
- Combine easily: Chobe (≈1 hour), Hwange (≈90 minutes), the Okavango, Kafue and the Lower Zambezi are all within reach for a wider safari
- The Flight of Angels — a 15-minute helicopter flight over the gorge — is the single most breathtaking way to grasp the scale of the falls
- Peak dry season (July–October) is best for safari and clear views; the green season (November–April) brings the falls at their thundering, full-flow peak
Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders" — is the largest curtain of falling water on Earth, a 1.7-kilometre wall of the Zambezi River dropping into a basalt gorge on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. You hear it before you see it, feel its spray from a kilometre away, and watch its permanent cloud of mist rise hundreds of metres into the sky, visible from the aircraft long before you land. But the falls are only the beginning. Around them lies one of Africa's richest safari hubs: the elephant-lined Zambezi upstream, Zambezi National Park and Mosi-oa-Tunya on either bank, and — within an hour or two — Chobe, Hwange and the great parks of Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
We have assembled, compared and ranked the ten best Victoria Falls safari packages available for 2026 and 2027 — private, luxury, all-inclusive, family, honeymoon, combo and day-safari packages. Each is a real, bookable itinerary. For the finest lodges in depth, see our Top 10 Victoria Falls luxury lodges; for the activities, our Victoria Falls adventure guide; and for the getting-there logistics, our Cape Town to Victoria Falls and Victoria Falls tours from South Africa guides.
How We Ranked These Packages
Each package was assessed across five criteria: location and access (proximity to the falls, riverside frontage, national-park positioning and game access), accommodation standard (lodge character, setting, exclusivity and service), inclusions (how genuinely all-inclusive the rate is — activities, meals, drinks, transfers and park fees), experience match (whether it suits couples, families, honeymooners, first-timers or combination travellers) and value (what you receive at the price point). Rankings reflect the best overall score per traveller type, not simply the most expensive lodge.
1. Matetsi River House — Private Zambezi Luxury
Best for: The finest private Victoria Falls package — an exclusive-use riverside house on the Zambezi, staffed and all-inclusive.
Matetsi Private Game Reserve spans 55,000 hectares of pristine Zambezi frontage upstream of the falls on the Zimbabwe side, and River House is its crown — a four-suite, exclusive-use villa with its own chef, guide, vehicle and infinity pool over the river. This is the Victoria Falls package for those who want the region's greatest natural wonder without ever sharing a game drive, a dinner table or a sundowner deck. The Zambezi slides past the loungers, elephants cross to the islands in front of the house, and the reserve's own game — lion, buffalo, sable, giraffe — is yours to track in complete privacy.
A stay at Matetsi River House pairs the exclusivity of a private home with the full Victoria Falls experience: guided tours of the falls, Zambezi cruises, game drives on the private reserve, and the option to fly the gorge by helicopter. It is barefoot luxury at the very top of the market, ideal for a multi-generational family or a group of couples who want to take over an entire riverside address on the greatest river in Southern Africa. For more of the region's finest addresses, see our Matetsi Victoria Falls review.
Best season: May–October for peak game and dry-season comfort; year-round for the river and the falls. Ideal for: Private groups, multi-generational families, couples wanting total exclusivity. Highlights: Exclusive-use riverside villa, private chef and guide, Zambezi frontage, private-reserve game drives, infinity pool over the river.
2. The Elephant Camp — Big Tuskers on the Gorge
Best for: Intimate luxury with a private game area, spectacular gorge views and a famous elephant welcome.
The Elephant Camp sits on a private concession between Victoria Falls town and the Batoka Gorge on the Zimbabwe side, with twelve tented suites — each with its own plunge pool — looking out over the vast, tawny sweep of the gorge and the permanent column of spray rising from the falls in the distance. It is one of the most refined small camps in the region, close enough to the falls for everything to be within easy reach yet set in its own quiet wilderness where the resident big tuskers and general game roam free.
A package here delivers the full Victoria Falls experience — falls tours, Zambezi cruises, helicopter flights and the town's adventure menu — from a base that feels genuinely wild and private. Rates are largely all-inclusive, meals and house drinks are excellent, and the setting on the lip of the gorge, with the spray of the falls on the horizon, is one of the most memorable in Victoria Falls. It is a superb choice for couples and honeymooners who want luxury and character without the scale of a big hotel. See our The Elephant Camp review for the full picture.
Best season: Year-round; May–October for the best game and driest days. Ideal for: Couples, honeymooners, luxury travellers wanting a small private camp. Highlights: Private plunge-pool suites, Batoka Gorge views, spray of the falls on the horizon, intimate all-inclusive luxury, close to town and activities.
3. Victoria Falls River Lodge — Riverside Icon
Best for: The classic riverside Victoria Falls package — Zambezi National Park frontage from $480 per night.
Victoria Falls River Lodge is set inside Zambezi National Park on the Zimbabwe side, directly on the banks of the upper Zambezi a short distance above the falls — one of the most enviable positions in the whole region. Luxury tented suites and family villas line the river, each with a private deck and plunge pool over the water, and the game of Zambezi National Park — elephant, buffalo, hippo, and the birdlife of the river corridor — comes right to the lodge. It is the package we most often recommend as the ideal balance of riverside luxury, national-park setting and genuine value, with rates from around $480 per person per night.
From here the falls are a short transfer, the Zambezi cruise leaves from your own jetty, and game drives run in the national park on your doorstep. It is a lodge that delivers the full Victoria Falls experience — river, wildlife and the falls themselves — without the top-tier price of the exclusive-use villas, which is exactly why it ranks so highly for couples, families and first-time visitors alike. Our Victoria Falls River Lodge review has the complete detail.
Best season: Year-round; May–October for peak game and dry-season river cruising. Ideal for: Couples, families, first-time visitors wanting riverside luxury and value. Highlights: Zambezi National Park riverside setting, private plunge-pool decks, game on the doorstep, sunset cruise from the lodge jetty, excellent value from $480.
4. Thorntree River Lodge — The Zambia Side
Best for: The Zambia-side package — Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park frontage, Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool.
On the Zambia side, Thorntree River Lodge sits within Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the banks of the upper Zambezi, a short distance above the falls near Livingstone. Contemporary riverside suites look over the water, white rhino roam the national park within a short drive, and the lodge is perfectly placed for the Zambia side's signature experiences: the Knife-Edge Bridge walk into the spray, Livingstone Island, and — in the low-water season — a swim in Devil's Pool on the very lip of the falls.
A Zambia-side package built around Thorntree suits travellers who want the more intimate, close-up experience of the falls, the adventure of the island trips, and the white rhino of Mosi-oa-Tunya, all with the easy border crossing to see the Zimbabwe side too. Livingstone's colonial charm, its museum and its markets add a cultural dimension that complements the natural spectacle. For how the two sides compare, see our Zimbabwe or Zambia side guide.
Best season: August–January for Devil's Pool and low-water access; year-round for the river and rhino. Ideal for: Couples, adventurers, those wanting the Zambia side and Devil's Pool. Highlights: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park setting, white rhino, Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool in season, Knife-Edge Bridge, easy border crossing to Zimbabwe.
5. Ilala Lodge — Walk to the Falls
Best for: The closest classic hotel to the falls — walk to the rainforest gate, with safari-town convenience.
Ilala Lodge is the closest hotel to the falls on the Zimbabwe side — close enough to walk to the rainforest entrance in a few minutes, with the spray of the falls visible from parts of the garden and the elephants of Zambezi National Park sometimes grazing on the lawns at night. It is an elegant, long-established lodge with an outstanding restaurant, a swimming pool and the unbeatable convenience of being right in the heart of Victoria Falls town, moments from the falls, the shops, the activity operators and the historic Victoria Falls Bridge.
A package based at Ilala suits travellers who want to be able to walk to the falls, dine well, and step straight out into the town's full menu of activities — helicopter flights, the bridge, rafting, the sunset cruise — without a long transfer to and from a distant lodge. It offers excellent value for its location and comfort, and works beautifully as the falls portion of a wider safari that continues to Hwange, Chobe or Mana Pools. It is a dependable, central, characterful choice for first-time visitors.
Best season: Year-round; the falls are walkable and spectacular in every season. Ideal for: First-time visitors, couples, those wanting to walk to the falls and be central. Highlights: Closest hotel to the falls, walk to the rainforest gate, superb restaurant, heart-of-town location, easy access to every activity.
6. Old Drift Lodge — Zambezi National Park
Best for: A wild, game-rich riverside package inside the national park, with the falls a short drive away.
Old Drift Lodge occupies a private riverside concession deep inside Zambezi National Park on the Zimbabwe side, further upstream than most of the town lodges and correspondingly wilder. Its raised tented suites, each with a plunge pool, look over a stretch of the Zambezi where elephant, buffalo, hippo and even lion are regular visitors, and the sense of being in a genuine wilderness — rather than a town hotel near the falls — is its great appeal. Game drives run in the national park, boat cruises leave from the lodge, and the falls are a comfortable transfer away.
This is the package for travellers who want the falls but who also want a real safari feel — dawn game drives, the river alive with wildlife, and a camp that puts nature first. It balances beautifully against a night or two in town, and combines naturally with a wider safari to Hwange or Chobe. For couples and wildlife enthusiasts who don't want to trade the safari for the spectacle, Old Drift delivers both. Rates are largely all-inclusive with activities.
Best season: May–October for peak game viewing; year-round for the river and the falls. Ideal for: Couples, wildlife enthusiasts, those wanting a wild riverside base near the falls. Highlights: Zambezi National Park concession, plunge-pool river suites, game drives and boat cruises, genuine wilderness feel, falls a short drive away.
7. Tongabezi Lodge — Livingstone Romance
Best for: The most romantic Zambia-side package — legendary houses on the Zambezi, ideal for honeymoons.
Tongabezi is one of the most celebrated lodges on the Zambezi, set on a beautiful stretch of the river a short distance upstream of the falls on the Zambia side, near Livingstone. Its individually designed cottages and open-fronted houses — some perched over the river, each with its own character and butler — have long made it a byword for romance and understated luxury. The river slides past private decks, meals are served in secluded settings on sandbanks and river islands, and the whole experience is crafted around intimacy and place.
A Tongabezi package is the honeymoon and celebration choice on the Zambia side: Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool in season, private candlelit dinners on the river, sunset cruises, and the falls themselves a short drive away. It pairs romance with the Zambia side's signature experiences, and for couples marking a milestone it is one of the most memorable addresses in the whole Victoria Falls region. For more honeymoon options across both sides, see our Victoria Falls honeymoon safari guide.
Best season: August–January for Devil's Pool and low water; year-round for romance and the river. Ideal for: Honeymooners, couples, milestone celebrations. Highlights: Iconic river houses, private butlers, candlelit river dining, Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool in season, unmatched romance.
8. Lokuthula Lodges — Family Self-Catering
Best for: Families and groups — spacious self-catering villas with the flexibility and value families need.
Lokuthula Lodges offers spacious, self-catering thatched villas on the Zimbabwe side, set in a natural area adjoining the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate with its famous waterhole and views over the bush. The two- and three-bedroom villas — each with a full kitchen, living area and private balcony — give families and groups the space, flexibility and value that a hotel room cannot, while still offering access to shared pools and the restaurants and activities of the neighbouring estate. It is a short drive from the falls and the town centre.
A Lokuthula package is built for families travelling with children, multi-generational groups, and anyone who wants the freedom to self-cater and set their own pace while still being minutes from the falls. Children have room to move, meals can be relaxed and informal, and the shared facilities and the waterhole game viewing at the neighbouring lodge add plenty to do. It is comfortably the best-value family base at Victoria Falls, and combines easily with a game-lodge portion at Hwange or Chobe for a full family safari.
Best season: Year-round; school holidays book early, so reserve ahead. Ideal for: Families with children, multi-generational groups, self-catering and budget-conscious travellers. Highlights: Spacious self-catering villas, full kitchens, shared pools, neighbouring waterhole game viewing, excellent family value, close to the falls.
9. Victoria Falls & Chobe — 7-Night Combo
Best for: The classic Southern Africa combination — the greatest waterfall paired with Africa's greatest elephant park.
The single most popular way to build a Victoria Falls trip into a full safari is to pair it with Chobe National Park in neighbouring Botswana, roughly an hour away across the border. Chobe holds one of the largest concentrations of elephant on Earth, and its river cruises on the Chobe River — with hundreds of elephant, buffalo and hippo crowding the banks at sunset — are among the finest wildlife experiences in Africa. Seven nights lets you enjoy the falls properly and then move to a Chobe riverfront lodge for game drives and boat safaris.
This combination delivers the two headline experiences of the region — the spectacle of the falls and the wildlife of the Chobe — in one seamless, well-connected trip. The transfer is short and straightforward, the two destinations complement each other perfectly, and the result is a week that feels complete without ever being rushed. It is the itinerary we recommend most often to first-time visitors who want both the wonder and the wildlife. See our Victoria Falls & Chobe Safari (5 Days) and Victoria Falls & Chobe Honeymoon (7 Days) tours.
Best season: May–October for peak Chobe game and dry-season river cruising. Ideal for: First-time visitors, couples, families, honeymooners wanting falls plus safari. Highlights: Victoria Falls tours and cruises, Chobe River elephant spectacle, riverfront lodges, game drives and boat safaris, short easy transfer.
10. Victoria Falls Helicopter & Game Drive Day Safari
Best for: Short stays and add-on days — the Flight of Angels helicopter plus a national-park game drive in one day.
For travellers with limited time — a stopover, a short stay, or an extra day to fill — the helicopter-and-game-drive day safari packs the two most rewarding Victoria Falls experiences into a single unforgettable day. The Flight of Angels is a 12-to-15-minute helicopter flight over the falls and the Batoka Gorge, and it is the only way to truly grasp the scale of Mosi-oa-Tunya: the full 1.7-kilometre curtain, the zig-zag gorges below, and the Zambezi snaking away to the horizon. Paired with a morning or afternoon game drive in Zambezi National Park or Mosi-oa-Tunya, it delivers the falls from the air and the wildlife on the ground.
This package is the perfect add-on to any Victoria Falls stay, or a superb use of a single free day, and it can be combined with a sunset cruise for a complete day of the region's highlights. It suits everyone from families to photographers, and it is the fastest route to the two experiences most visitors say they remember most. For the full menu of activities, see our Victoria Falls adventure guide.
Best season: Year-round; the helicopter flies in all seasons and the falls are dramatic in every one. Ideal for: Short stays, stopovers, add-on days, photographers, first-time visitors. Highlights: Flight of Angels helicopter over the falls and gorge, national-park game drive, optional sunset cruise, the region's highlights in a single day.
Victoria Falls Safari Package Prices — 2026/2027
Victoria Falls offers a wider range of price points than almost any safari destination — from excellent-value riverside lodges to some of the finest exclusive-use villas in Southern Africa. Here is what to expect per person per night, largely all-inclusive, in 2026/2027:
| Package Tier | Duration | Price Range (per person, per night) | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Riverside Lodge (Victoria Falls River Lodge, Ilala) | 3–4 nights | $480 – $700 | Accommodation, most meals, falls tour, sunset cruise, transfers, park fees |
| Premium Camp (The Elephant Camp, Old Drift, Thorntree, Tongabezi) | 3–4 nights | $700 – $1,200 | All above plus plunge-pool suites, game drives, house drinks, superior guiding |
| Exclusive-use / Ultra-luxury (Matetsi River House) | 3–4 nights | $1,500 – $2,100+ | All above plus private villa, chef, guide and vehicle, private-reserve game, all drinks |
| Family Self-Catering (Lokuthula Lodges) | 3–5 nights | $180 – $350 | Self-catering villa, shared pools, waterhole game viewing (activities extra) |
A classic three-to-four-night Victoria Falls stay for two, largely all-inclusive, typically ranges from $3,000 to $16,000 depending on lodge tier. A full Southern African journey adding Chobe, Hwange or the Okavango runs $8,000–$30,000 for two. Signature activities — the Flight of Angels helicopter, white-water rafting, Devil's Pool and a Chobe day trip — are usually optional add-ons, letting you tailor the adventure and the price. Because we book direct with the lodges, you pay no resale markup.
Why Book With Beyond Africa?
We have been placing guests at Victoria Falls — on both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides, and in its finest riverside lodges — for many years. We know which lodges have the best river frontage, which packages combine most naturally with Chobe, Hwange or the Okavango, and which combination of lodge tier and duration delivers the most for a given budget. When you book through us, the entire journey — the falls, the activities, internal flights, border crossings, transfers and any safari extension — is arranged as a single coherent experience. Talk to us about your Victoria Falls safari for 2026 or 2027.
