Chobe day trip from Victoria Falls: plan, prices, border

A falls-side day to pair with Chobe

The plan below covers the other day you’ll want: the Zimbabwe side of the falls, from Victoria Falls Airport and back. The Chobe day itself runs as an operator’s tour with its own transport, so it’s set out step by step further down.

A plan built from public sources: opening hours from Google Maps and driving times from OpenRouteService routes (no traffic). Not a trip report.

Day 1

1. Start in Victoria Falls Airport
2. About 20 min by car, 23 km⁴
3. 1

   Victoria Falls Main Entrance

   Attraction · Zimbabwe side of the falls

   Opening hours: Mon–Sun 06:00–18:00²⁰

   Open in Google Maps

4. About 2 min by car, 1 km⁴
5. 2

   Victoria Falls Bridge

   Attraction · Zimbabwe side of the falls

   Opening hours: Mon–Sun 00:00–24:00²⁰

   Open in Google Maps

6. About 3 min by car, 2 km⁴
7. 3

   Gorge Swing & Zipline Victoria Falls (Wild Horizons)

   Attraction · Zimbabwe side of the falls

   Open in Google Maps

8. About 1 min by car, 0.1 km⁴
9. 4

   The Lookout Cafe - Wild Horizons

   Meal stop · Victoria Falls town

   Opening hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–21:30²⁰

   Open in Google Maps

10. About 4 min by car, 2 km⁴
11. 5

    Elephant's Walk Shopping & Artist's Village

    Attraction · Victoria Falls town

    Opening hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–17:00²⁰

    Open in Google Maps

12. About 25 min by car, 22 km⁴
13. Back to Victoria Falls Airport

The order keeps the driving short. The airport legs are the longest: about 20 min by car, 23 km out to Victoria Falls Main Entrance, and about 25 min by car, 22 km⁴ back from Elephant’s Walk.

In between, the stops sit within a few minutes of each other:

• Victoria Falls Main Entrance to Victoria Falls Bridge: about 2 min by car, 1 km⁴
• Gorge Swing & Zipline to The Lookout Cafe: about 1 min by car, 0.1 km⁴
• The Lookout Cafe to Elephant’s Walk: about 4 min by car, 2 km⁴

Rainforest entry through the main gate is US$58⁵ (checked October 2026) for international day visitors. Check the Victoria Falls park opening hours before you set off.

At the bridge, the page on the bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia covers the walk across, and the Victoria Falls Bridge bungee jump guide covers the drop. Wild Horizons suggests three to four nights⁶ at Victoria Falls, which leaves room for this day and a Chobe day.

How the Chobe day works, step by step

Botswana is a few kilometres⁷ from Victoria Falls, which is why Chobe works as a day out. Every operator runs roughly the same day, though Visit Victoria Falls says the order of the cruise and game drive may change⁸ depending on the previous day’s sightings.

1. 1

   Hotel pickup

   Pickup is from hotels in Victoria Falls or Livingstone, then the drive to the Kazungula border post, about 70 km away.

2. 2

   Kazungula border

   Border processing typically takes 30–45 minutes. A Botswana guide meets you at the border.

3. 3

   Chobe River cruise

   A boat cruise on the Chobe River, usually in the morning.

4. 4

   Riverside lunch

   Lunch at a hotel on the riverbank; Visit Victoria Falls uses Chobe Safari Lodge.

5. 5

   Afternoon game drive

   A game drive in Chobe National Park in safari vehicles.

6. 6

   Back to your hotel

   Back through the border and on to your hotel.

Chobe day trip prices and operators compared

Prices vary more than the day itself does, so compare before you book. Of the operators here, Tamuka Travel is the one that lists a child price too.

Trip lengths differ as well, partly because some operators count from hotel pickup and others don’t say.

Wild Horizons says its Chobe Day Trip price includes:

• Return transfers²
• A game drive and a boat cruise²
• Chobe National Park fees² (the Botswana national park fees)
• Lunch²
• Kazungula Bridge levies⁹

If you’d rather book online with free cancellation, this tour includes lunch:

Day tour · 10 hours

Victoria Falls: Chobe National Park Day Trip with Lunch

4.7 (890 reviews) on GetYourGuide, checked October 2026

Free cancellation · Pickup included

FromUS$170

See dates on GetYourGuide

Crossing at Kazungula: visa, queues and cash

The KAZA UniVisa costs USD 50¹¹. On the Zimbabwe side it’s issued at Harare airport, Victoria Falls airport, Victoria Falls Border and Kazungula Border¹¹.

Border time varies. Wild Horizons allows 30 minutes¹² in its transfers, while Maximum Adventure Trails puts processing at 30–45 minutes¹³, depending on queues. Delays are most likely in peak season, July to October¹².

When is the best time for a Chobe day trip?

For wildlife, Wild Horizons recommends June to September⁶. That overlaps with winter, which runs May to August¹⁴ with mild, largely dry and sunny days.

The rainy season runs November to March¹. If you go in the busy months, leave slack for border queues rather than booking something tight for the evening.

Doing Chobe without a tour

You can book a cross-border transfer to Kasane and sort the rest yourself, but there’s less to fall back on once you’re there.

Transfer company	One way	Time, including the border	Source
Maximum Adventure Trails	US$50 per adult13	2–2.5 hours13	maxadventuretrails.com (tour company)
Victoria Falls Tours & Transfers	US$50 per person, minimum 215	1.5–2 hours15	victoriafallstransfers.com (tour company)

What to know in Kasane:

• There’s not much public transport¹⁶.
• Taxis wait at the northeast corner of the Spar¹⁶, and fares are agreed in advance.
• Chobe River cruises from Kasane typically last 3 hours¹⁶, running through the sunset.
• Game drives in Chobe run from three hours to a full day¹⁶.

Not crossing the border? Wildlife and water near town

Victoria Falls sits at the western tip of Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River⁷, so there’s plenty to do without a passport stamp:

• A morning game drive¹⁷ in Zambezi National Park, which starts with a light breakfast.
• Rafting: Wild Horizons’ trip includes transfers to and from Victoria Falls town¹⁸, and the white-water rafting trip guide covers the rest.
• Devil’s Pool on Livingstone Island, the natural pool at Victoria Falls.

Questions people ask