Zambia's Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
Help Me PlanMosi-oa-Tunya National Park Destination Guide
Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the smoke that thunders”—protects the Zambian side of Victoria Falls and a strip of Zambezi riverbank. At just 66 km², it is Zambia’s smallest national park yet one of its most visited. Spray forests, viewpoints and easy access to river wildlife make it ideal for pairing with Chobe or the Lower Zambezi.
Getting to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
By Air: Mosi-oa-Tunya sits on the banks of the upper Zambezi in Zambia. Guests are welcomed at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and assisted to a cross-border flight to Livingstone, Zambia. The airport is approximately 10 km from the park, and the drive can take up to half an hour.
By Road: Guests are transported from Livingstone Airport in a private, air-conditioned vehicle by an experienced guide. The drive to area lodges is a relaxed introduction to the environment and offers chances to spot wildlife en route.
Weather & Best Time To Visit
Timing depends on what you want to see. For the **Falls at peak flow**, visit in **March–April** when spray is immense (some trails such as the Boiling Pot/Devil’s Pool may be inaccessible). For **game viewing**, the **dry months** bring wildlife to water sources and offer clearer sightings; winter evenings can be chilly, while summers are hot and sometimes humid.
Spray forests flourish near the Falls; on the Zimbabwe side the famous rainforest lies opposite the Main Falls, with pockets of spray woodland on the Zambian side near the Eastern Cataract. Plan for wet walking conditions during peak flow.
This sanctuary protects Zambia’s only white rhino population. Other wildlife includes zebra and giraffe, and seasonal elephant along the river. On drives by the Zambezi you’ll often see hippo in channels and crocodile on sandbanks, plus bushbuck, vervet monkey and notable birds such as African finfoot and, rarely, Taita falcon.
Experiences to Savor
Along the Zambezi, river trips reveal hippo and crocodile at eye level, while viewpoints capture the spray and rainbows rising from the gorge at peak flow.
Smokescreen
The ever-present precipitation of Victoria Falls is seen and felt throughout the area. White “clouds” billow from the gorge and feed lush spray forests that frame many viewpoints.
Committed to conservation
Rhino reintroductions have faced challenges, but determined management continues anti-poaching and monitoring. Today this is the only place in Zambia to seek white rhino on guided walks.
