Zambezi River Sunset Dinner Cruise Victoria Falls

The Upper Zambezi River

The Zambezi is one of Africa's great rivers, rising in the far north-west of Zambia and flowing some 2,500 km to the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. Above the Victoria Falls it forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and spreads out to well over a kilometre wide, a calm, slow-moving stretch dotted with wooded islands, reed beds and sandbanks where hippos rest.

This is the stretch your boat explores, a world away from the thundering gorge just downstream. The water is broad and gentle, which makes a Zambezi River cruise smooth and comfortable even for guests who are nervous on boats. Your host points out landmarks and islands along the way, and the river's width means wide-open skies, ideal for watching the colours change as the sun sets.

Zambezi National Park and River Wildlife

The Zimbabwean bank upstream of town belongs to the Zambezi National Park, created in 1979 to protect the river frontage and the mopane woodland behind it. Elephants regularly come down to drink and sometimes swim between islands, hippo pods snort and yawn in the shallows, Nile crocodiles bask on the banks, and buffalo, waterbuck and bushbuck graze near the water.

Birdlife is superb too, with African fish eagles calling from tall trees, pied and malachite kingfishers, herons and storks. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the late afternoon is when many animals head to the river, so the sunset cruise is one of the best ways to see wildlife in Victoria Falls without a safari vehicle. Bring binoculars and keep your camera ready from the moment you board.

Sunset on the Zambezi

As the cruise gets under way, the sun drops towards the Zambian bank and the sky turns gold, orange and deep red, reflected across the wide water. Silhouettes of palms and elephants against the sunset are the classic image of the Zambezi, and the upper deck gives you an uninterrupted view while the crew serves soft drinks and light refreshments.

Sunset times vary from around 17:45 in the winter months to about 18:45 in summer, and the cruise is timed so you are on the water as the light fades. The best time to visit Victoria Falls for sunset cruises is the dry season from May to October, when skies are clear, animals gather at the river and evenings are mild; in June and July it can feel chilly on the water once the sun has gone.

Four-Course Dinner on Board

Once the light has faded you are shown to your set table for a four-course dinner prepared freshly in the boat's galley: typically a starter, a soup, a main course and a dessert, with dishes that change with the season and the chef. Courses are served at the table by the crew, so you can relax and enjoy the evening sounds of the river around you.

Please tell us about any dietary requirements when you book, or at least 24 hours before the cruise, so the kitchen can prepare suitable dishes; requests made later cannot be guaranteed. If you are celebrating a special occasion, the six-course fine-dining option on a smaller single-deck boat offers a more intimate setting and is available in the booking panel on this page.

Victoria Falls Town and the Falls

Victoria Falls town grew up in the early twentieth century around the railway and the Victoria Falls Bridge, completed in 1905. Today it is a compact, walkable town of lodges, craft markets and activity centres, and the gateway to the falls themselves, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Zambia since 1989.

At about 1.7 km wide and up to 108 m high, the falls form one of the largest curtains of falling water on earth. Is Victoria Falls worth visiting? Without doubt, and the dinner cruise is a perfect evening after a morning walk in the rainforest opposite the falls. Between February and June the spray can rise high enough to be seen from the river, a reminder of the power just a few kilometres downstream.