Victoria Falls Town: A Modern Local’s Guide

When you’re staying in a luxury hotel on a private property on the banks of the Zambezi River, it’s easy to double-down and make Palm River Hotel your hideaway for a few nights, never leaving the comfort of your pool lounger or the views available to you from our Zambezi River Deck. We understand, and if that’s the kind of getaway you need, we are on board and ready to make your stay as relaxing and fulfilling as possible.

However, if you are drawn to explore a more urban side of Victoria Falls, you will find the delights of our beautiful border town all-encompassing, from cultural hubs and galleries to fun spots to try craft beer, great shopping centres and (lest we forget) the Falls themselves – one of the most breathtaking natural spectacles on the planet!

If your style of travel is all about relaxed local absorption, this Victoria Falls guide is for you. The activities below are authentic, rooted in local culture and laid-back – everything a modern traveller values.

Elephant’s Walk Shopping and Artist’s Village is a wonderful spot to spend a morning in Victoria Falls. Tucked behind the main road (just around the corner from our sister property, Ilala Lodge Hotel) this pedestrian courtyard is tranquil, picturesque and ideal for those who like to flit between shops and galleries with a coffee in-hand.

Here you’ll find boutique galleries, stores stocking locally-made clothes, sculpture studios, jewellery workshops, a bookshop, a specialist grocer, the Ndlovu Theatre and Jafuta Heritage Centre (a small but absorbing museum; free entry) – all gathered around a lush central courtyard with a somewhat Insta-famous “Tree of Orchids” in the centre.

If you pride yourself on your good eye and appreciation for craftsmanship, you’ll be utterly inspired by all the incredible work being done here. Artists from the Batoka Creatives Studio and Ndoro Designs work on-site, and you can watch stone carvers and woodworkers create beautiful sculptures in real time; everything from small works that will fit in your suitcase to pieces of immense scale that could be used as the talking piece of a home’s hallway.

The open-air curio markets on either side of the village are where bargaining is expected and part of the experience; the Women’s Market in particular has beautiful hand-beaded jewellery, bowls, and textiles.

When you’ve browsed your fill, Brooks Café & Deli inside the village does good coffee and yummy café meals in a shaded, secluded space.

Image Credit: Instagram | @emmagatlandphotography

Food can tell you a lot about a place. The answers to questions like what’s seasonal, how is it prepared, and how is it shared, all give glimpses into the spirit of a people. Victoria Falls has a growing food scene, with an array of dining experiences available to the curious traveller, ranging from café-style to gourmet.

For something local, packed with flavour and guaranteed to fill your cup as well as your belly, the Dusty Road Township Experience in Chinotimba, the largest and oldest township in Victoria Falls, can’t be overlooked. Food is cooked the Zimbabwean way: on open fires and in cast iron pots, with sadza, slow-cooked meats, and bright seasonal vegetables at the centre of the table. The setting is colourful and full of warmth, and the restaurant has a genuine social purpose, with a focus on female empowerment and community uplift. Be sure to book ahead.

Image Credits: Instagram | @the.salty.zebra.co 

Back in town, The Three Monkeys Restaurant & Bar at the corner of Livingstone Way and Adam Stander Drive has established itself as the go-to local haunt for both residents and travellers. It’s spacious, fun, energetic and transitions well from day to night dining. The food is tasty and well-executed and it draws a genuinely mixed crowd, young and old.

For a long, lazy lunch with a view celebrated in the name, the award-winning The Lookout Café perched above the Batoka Gorge can’t be missed. The setting is second to none for those who want a sense that they are close to the mighty Falls; and with the zipline arcing across the background, you can always amuse yourself by watching adrenaline junkies overcome their nerves. This is as dramatic as Victoria Falls dining gets!

For street food and something more casual, a wander through the town centre will turn up roasted maize, fresh fruit, and the kind of impromptu snacking that tastes best eaten standing up while trying not to mess on your shirt and asking your travel companions, “Who’s got the napkins?”

Image Credits: Instagram | @victoriafallsguide

Is there anything that eases you into an afternoon like an ice-cold beer? All over the world, craft breweries attempt to capture the spirit of the place in which their beer is made through barley, hops and water and Victoria Falls is no different. (Except the water we use is directly from the mighty Zambezi River, and according to local connoisseurs, this makes all the difference!)

The River Brewing Company, based at Elephant’s Walk, produces a small range of ales and lagers: clean, cold, and considerably more interesting than the standard options. Though there is always a place for those, too. They’re also partnered with The Smokehouse, a steam-punky eatery with meals that pair well with a frosty. If you’re looking to wind down for an afternoon, this is where we suggest you come.

Alternatively, The Shearwater Café in the town centre, conveniently positioned near the activity agents and taxi rank, is another reliable spot for a drink in a stylish, easy-going environment: good smoothies, yummy light café food, and strong WiFi if you need it.

Image Credits: Instagram | @theriverbrewingco & @thesmokehouse_vicfalls

One of the more disarming things about Victoria Falls town is that the wildlife doesn’t stop at the national park boundary. Warthogs graze the verges with an air of complete ownership, troops of baboons conduct their own expeditions through car parks and gardens and monkeys move through the treetops along the main road with practised efficiency. And then, occasionally and memorably, an elephant will simply materialise on a street corner, halting traffic in both directions while it goes about its business.

This is not a managed wildlife experience or a safari park. Victoria Falls sits at the edge of the Zambezi National Park, and the town is genuinely embedded in a wild landscape. The animals that pass through are following routes and patterns established long before the roads were laid. Walking around town, it pays to be aware and to give them space, but their presence is also one of the things that makes Victoria Falls unlike anywhere else in the world.

(The image below is of our hotel grounds with a few ellies paying us a visit, too! Image Credit: Viviene Barberis)

As every modern traveller knows, exploring a new place is less about ticking off activities and “must-see’s” and more about getting your feet on the ground, seeing where they lead you and engaging with the people who call it home. In Victoria Falls, the spirit of our town and, indeed, our country, is forever found in the warmth of our locals, their hospitality and the natural splendour of our location in the world.

Any Victoria Falls guide will tell you that you can cover the main streets, the market, a good lunch, and a craft beer in a comfortable half-day, or stretch it into a full day if you add the Falls themselves, a guided rainforest walk, or a browse through the activity agents to plan tomorrow’s adventures.

Our shuttle runs into town daily, and the team at Palm River Hotel can point you toward anything on this list – or suggest something we haven’t mentioned.

Image Credits: Instagram | @victoriafallsguide 

Staying with us gives you the best of both worlds when it comes to a Victoria Falls holiday. You will experience the tranquil and majestic riverside of the Zambezi at the hotel – private and secluded – as well as the colours, flavours and sounds of urban life when you decide to make the trip into town.

Browse our accommodation options and get in touch with our team at onlinereservations@palmriverhotel.com to book your stay. Alternatively, you are welcome to make use of our online booking platform.

We hope you discover both relaxation and delight at Palm River Hotel and in Victoria Falls!