The Big Tree, Victoria Falls: visiting the old baobab

The Big Tree (Victoria Falls)

Photo: Google Maps

Type

Tourist attraction

Address

3RQR+2C7, Zambezi Dr, Victoria Falls

Area

Zimbabwe side of the falls

Google rating

4.4 (237 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026

On the map

Open in Google Maps

Google Maps lists no opening hours

Is the Big Tree worth visiting?

The Big Tree is worth a short stop if you’re heading along Zambezi Drive anyway. Wikivoyage calls it possibly the oldest and biggest baobab in Zimbabwe³, and it’s protected by National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe¹.

Keep your expectations in proportion. The booking site siyabona.com notes there are bigger and older baobabs in the area⁶, and a fence now surrounds the tree¹ to protect it from vandals.

How old is the Big Tree?

The Big Tree’s age depends on who you ask. The narrowest range comes from radiocarbon dating published in Dendrochronologia⁷ in 2021⁴: 1,100 to 1,200 years⁵.

Older estimates run higher, and the size figures don’t agree either. Here they are side by side:

The tree grows roughly 2 km¹ from the Zambezi River, so you won’t see the water from the trunk.

Getting to the Big Tree from Victoria Falls town

A taxi is the simplest way to reach the Big Tree, which sits just out of town³ on Zambezi Drive². If you’re based in the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls, these are your options:

• Taxi: cabs are plentiful³ in town; fares are in the table below.
• Riverside walk: a trail starts at the corner of Zambezi Drive, just outside the national park fence above the Devil’s Cataract, and runs just over a kilometre⁶ along the bank. The walk usually finishes at the Big Tree⁶, where you can arrange for your operator to meet you with a picnic or a lift back.
• Tour: several falls tours stop at the tree (see the next section).

Tours that stop at the Big Tree

Several falls tours include a stop at the Big Tree, so you can tick it off without a separate trip:

• An open bus tour runs along Zambezi Drive through part of Victoria Falls National Park and takes about 2 hours⁸.
• A tour listed on Peek lasts 2 hours 30 minutes⁹; the listing doesn’t name its operator.
• Wild Horizons’ falls tour may stop at the Big Tree for photos¹⁰.
• A guided falls tour by Mathole Experiences, sold on Lokalee, allows 20 minutes¹¹ at the tree.

For a guided visit to the falls themselves, you can book a private guided tour of the waterfalls; ask the operator whether it calls at the Big Tree on the way.

Near the Big Tree

The Big Tree fits neatly into a day around the falls and the river:

• Victoria Falls National Park: the main viewing area for the falls on the Zimbabwean side, open 06:00 to 18:00³ (checked October 2026). See the falls viewpoints in Victoria Falls National Park.
• Zambezi National Park: it lies upstream from Victoria Falls¹², a five-minute drive¹³ from town. Read the Zambezi National Park safari guide.
• Livingstone, Zambia: the town sits across the border³. Plan it with the full Livingstone guide, including a visit to the Livingstone Museum.

For everything else, browse the other things to do at Victoria Falls.

Questions people ask