Batoka Gorge: hikes, rafting and the gorge below the falls

A zigzag of gorges below the falls

The gorge is where the Zambezi River goes after it drops over Victoria Falls. Below the falls the river runs through a zigzagging series of gorges, named in the order the river reaches them¹.

Down in the canyon the Zambezi flows swiftly, and reefs keep breaking up the current². The calmer reaches are a different matter: hippos and Nile crocodiles are abundant along most calm stretches of the Zambezi².

Places in the gorge you’ll hear named:

• The Boiling Pot, a deep pool where the water entering the Second Gorge makes a sharp right turn¹.
• The terrace of the Victoria Falls Hotel, which looks out over the Second Gorge and the Victoria Falls Bridge³.
• A power station in the Third Gorge¹ below the falls.

How do you get to the gorge from town?

The easiest way is by road to The Lookout Cafe on the rim: its track forks off the main road to the bridge just before the falls car park⁴. The cafe lists free parking⁵.

You don’t need a car for the organised trips:

• Guided hike: you’re picked up from your Victoria Falls hotel, or you meet at the car park at the main entrance to the falls⁶.
• Gorge swing: Wild Horizons includes scheduled transfers from Victoria Falls town and hotels⁷.
• Shearwater’s hike: Tourism Update reported that it starts about 20 km downstream of Victoria Falls⁸, so it’s a transfer, not a stroll.

You can find the gorge on the Victoria Falls map, drawn along its cliff line.

Views from the rim at The Lookout Cafe

The Lookout Cafe is the simplest way to see the gorge without going down into it. It sits on the edge of the gorge, and you look down on the Zambezi far below, with the Victoria Falls Bridge in the distance⁵.

The cafe opens 08:00–21:30 (checked October 2026), takes last dinner orders at 19:30 and is open on public holidays⁵.

Other ways to see the gorge from above:

• The Bamba Tram’s 90-minute¹⁰ sunrise or morning Bridge Run, with views of the falls and the gorge.
• Wild Horizons’ helicopter flights, which depart daily near the gorge¹¹.
• The Victoria Falls Bridge, a steel arch with a view of the falls from its centre⁴.

Batoka Gorge hikes

A guided hike gets you down to the river on foot. The booking site Manawa lists a walk run by Try Rafting, with a choice of routes:

Route	Distance	What it’s like
Outside the gorge	4 km6	Easy and mainly flat6
In the heart of the gorge	5 km6	Moderate, about 100 m of elevation gain6

Expect about 3 hours of walking, and allow around 5 hours⁶ for the whole outing.

Shearwater has run gorge hikes too. Tourism Update reported that its Boiling Pot hike ran in the low season, roughly August to December, and that the steep climb out can be managed by anyone with reasonable fitness⁸.

White-water rafting on the Zambezi

Whitewater rafting puts you on the Zambezi itself, at the bottom of the canyon. Wild Horizons describes it as an adventure through officially graded Class V rapids, and the day involves steep descents into and out of the gorge¹².

For sides of the river, operators and what the day looks like, see the guide to rafting trips down the gorge.

Swing, abseil, zipline and bungee

Most of the area’s cliff-edge adrenaline happens here: bungee jumps, swings and zip-wire rides take place from the bridge and the surrounding gorge⁴.

• Gorge swing: it takes place at The Lookout Cafe and runs all year round⁷.
• Abseiling: Bushtracks Africa calls it a hands-on vertical descent down the sheer rock face, done at the same site as the Flying Fox and Gorge Swing¹³.
• Zipline: Wild Horizons’ cable runs 425 m across the gorge, 120 m above the Zambezi¹⁴.
• Bungee: jumps go from the Victoria Falls Bridge.

The Wild Horizons gorge swing price already includes the park fee and your transfers:

Who the gorge suits

How well the gorge suits you depends on the way you choose to see it:

• Families: the guided hike is open to ages 5 and up⁶, and the easy route stays outside the gorge.
• Walkers: Manawa says hikers need to be in good physical condition⁶, and the route into the gorge climbs back out.
• Wheelchair users: The Lookout Cafe on the rim says it is wheelchair accessible⁵, so you can see the gorge without the climb.

Hydro power plans for the gorge

The Batoka Gorge hydro scheme is a plan, not a building site you can visit. Here’s where it stands:

• The plan: two 1,200 MW power stations, one on each side of the river¹⁶.
• The status: in July 2026 the Zambezi River Authority said it was still sounding out investors on how to finance and deliver the scheme¹⁶.
• The location: Wikipedia places the planned station about 54 km downstream of Victoria Falls¹⁷.

The Zambezi River Authority is owned jointly and equally by Zimbabwe and Zambia, and it also owns and runs the Kariba Dam, a concrete arch dam in the Kariba Gorge¹⁸. Further downstream, the river enters Lake Kariba, created in 1959² when that dam was completed.

Nearby places with their own pages

The gorge starts right below the falls, so several of the area’s other sights are next to it:

• Crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge: the bridge spans the gorge, and the bungee jumps go from it.
• Victoria Falls National Park: the main viewing area for the falls on the Zimbabwean side, open 06:00 to 18:00⁴.
• Livingstone across the border in Zambia: the town across the border from Victoria Falls⁴.
• Livingstone Museum hours, fees and getting there, once you’re on the Zambian side.
• Zambezi National Park next to town: one of the national parks surrounding Victoria Falls town¹⁹.

For the rest of the area, browse the other things to do near the falls.