South African Airways

The spectacular Victoria Falls span 1km across and stand more than 100m tall, making them the biggest in the world. Turn left after the entrance gate to walk across Knife Edge Bridge (don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds) to Knife Edge Island for the best view of the falls across the gorge. Then backtrack and follow the other path to get much closer to the actual water cascades.

The Livingstone Museum is the oldest and biggest museum in the country, dating back to the 1930s. There are several fascinating displays showing life in a recreated village, historic maps dating back to 1690 and the fight for independence. Near the end you reach the David Livingstone memorabilia donated by the Livingstone family. It includes a large collection of his writings and gems, like his now woefully inadequate looking medical bag.

This is a small nature reserve by African standards, so you can explore it in a day. It includes the Victoria Falls and stretches for 12km along the Zambezi above the falls. You drive close to the river bank for much of the circular route, looking out for hippos, crocs, elephants, zebra, giraffe and numerous antelope species. Visitors can drive around in their own vehicles or go on an organised open-vehicle game drive.

African sunsets are splendid and a memorable place to view one is from a boat on the Zambezi River. The Lady Livingstone is a terribly elegant option, moored by the David Livingstone Safari Lodge, but open to non-hotel guests. You chug along past hippo, crocs and elephant. You pay to be on a specific deck, with a rising quality of snacks and declining number of fellow passengers the higher up you go.

Whether you want to go white-water rafting, canoeing or tiger fishing, the tour operators in town or in the hotels can organise it for you. Don’t worry, they won’t let you paddle too closely to those deceptively calm little currents that suddenly head straight for the unavoidable waterfalls.

Mukuni is a royal village founded in the 13th century. It’s home to about 7 000 Leya people. The chief allows visitors into his village to see how his people have lived for generations and to learn a little about their traditions, customs and beliefs. A guide and the villagers themselves will happily show you their huts and explain how they are built. They’ll also introduce you to craftsmen at work and off a taste of some traditional foods and beer. This is a working village, not a purpose-built tourist attraction.

Wild Horizons runs a brilliant zip lining operation whizzing you along nine lines that span the gorges high above the Zambezi River. If you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open, the scenery is spectacular. It’s an amazing feat of engineering too, with the platforms firmly attach to the rock faces. The guides who accompany you are charming and chatty.

This hotel is built in a gorgeous old colonial style of wood and thatch, but on a very grand scale. There’s an invitingly warm infinity pool on the bank of the Zambezi, a bar and dining areas that overlook the river, a well-equipped gym and a very lovely spa.

A helicopter flight over the falls may be one of the few things that really is a trip of a lifetime. The flight lasts for about 13 minutes. There’s a 25-minute option which flies over the falls then turns downstream over Batoka Gorge to follow the mighty river as it carves its way between steep cliffs. Finally, you fly over a game park where you might spot elephant, hippo, crocodile, buffalo and giraffes.

Walking on the rocks right on the lip of the waterfall in dry season is a scary kind of thrill, even when you know you’re safe, but wading out to Devil’s Pool is madness. Which is probably why some people do it. This natural pool is literally right where the river tumbles over, with some boulders that will – in theory – prevent you being swept away. The guides holding your feet are a useful back-up. Don’t try it until you’re fit and brave. It’s only do-able in the dry season, when there’s less chance of dying.

You can argue about the moral rights and wrongs of elephant riding, but Zambezi Elephant Trails and Lion Encounter seems to run a very ethical operation. The two founding elephants were orphaned as babies in a cull years ago and the others were orphans or rescued animals. The walks are magnificent, lumbering along almost silently through the trees and tramping through the river, with the elephants often stopping to eat from the trees. The centre also gives a good talk about its work and its elephants.

Walking with lions is another ethical teaser. The Zambezi Elephant Trails and Lion Encounter offers the walks to raise money for its efforts to breed lions and introduce them into the wild. The project is still in its infancy so it’s impossible to say how well the lions will make the transition from captivity to carefree living. You walk with cubs of about six weeks old while the carers introduce them to nature. At a year old they move as a pride into a semi-wild, but safe environment, before being released into game reserves.