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YELLOW FEVER VACINATIONS
These vacinations are not required for Livingstone, however if you want to learn more click here to download the PDF document (244kb) |
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VISA REQUIREMENTS
Click here for Zambia's visa and immigration requirements.
VICTORIA FALLS
Situated about 10km from the city of Livingstone is one of the world's seven natural wonders and one of the most spectacular natural sites in the world, "The Victoria Falls".
The Falls are 1.7 km wide with a volume of between 20,000 and 700,000 cubic metres per minute falling down a vertical drop of 100 metres. The spray of the Falls can be clearly seen from a distance of 30km and hence its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, "The smoke that thunders".
Take a walk across the knife-edge bridge for a spectacular view of the eastern cataract and up the main gorge. A walk down the steps to the Boiling Pot provides an interesting view from the base of the falls and the Victoria Falls Bridge spanning the gorge.
Downstream of the Falls, the river has carved a tortuous route through the soft areas within the basalt rock, forming a deep gorge in a tight zigzag course for kilometres. This is a result of the repeated cutting back of the line of the Falls and the successive formation and abandonment of seven previous broad waterfalls, a process that has taken about 100,000 years.
LIVINGSTONE TOWN
Originally known as the Old Drift, Livingstone owes its existence primarily to the Victoria Falls and was established as a staging point across the Zambezi River. The town is named after Dr. David Livingstone, the first European to see, name and publicise the Falls. The Scottish explorer's journey and first sight of the Falls in 1855 opened up Central Africa to other missionaries, hunters, and traders.
Livingstone was founded in 1905 at a safe distance from the then swampy banks of the Zambezi. In 1907 it became the capital of what was known as Northern-Western Rhodesia. In 1911 it became the capital of Northern Rhodesia, what is today called Zambia. In 1935 the capital was moved to Lusaka, but Livingstone retained its "Tourist Capital" status as well as much of its original colonial character.
History lovers will find Livingstone alive. Many buildings from the first decade of the centu ry are still in use. It was one of the first white settlements in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and for quite a while it was the only urban centre in the territory and the gateway to the north. The town has preserved much of its colonial character, but is a typical African town with an busy charm.
Rich in scenery and heritage, Livingstone today has become the tourist heart of Zambia. We welcome you to the city of heritage and culture.
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
by Dominique le Roux
Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. So mused Dr David Livingstone in a letter home from Zambia in 1856 after viewing the world’s largest waterfall in full spate. Dr Livingstone was probably the third European to set eyes on the Falls. A Portuguese guy and a hunter called Hartley had apparently seen them already but had not brought them to the attention of the outside world, whereas the Englishman, in typical colonial fashion, named the site after his queen. The local Zambian tribes of course already had a name for them: Musi-oa–Tunya, “The Smoke that Thunders”.
The thunder, that's a given. The smoke, however, is debatable. When I visit, it's rain, pure and simple. A thunder shower, in fact. And, like in a shower, you should get wet to the skin, I reckon. You should get drenched, soaked, washed in it. You should take off your shoes, you should feel the water and the air and the elements. And your heart should sing.
Standing drenched on the cliffs opposite, you’re finally ready to consider the view. It all seems to be about lines. Vertical ones. Down, down, down. Over 100m down, in fact. That's what you first look for; you look at the Falls and the falling. All those drops of water descending, making a vertical plummet line. But there are so many up lines too. All that rain, for example, flying upwards past your face. All those billowing clouds of pure wetness shooting skyward, anywhere from 400m and more upward, and then suddenly having a change of heart and falling down in great big drops on your head, down your neck, through your cleavage, soaking your underwear and every part of your being.
I get back to the vehicle, and the driver says "You have been born again." And it’s true. Born again and baptized. By full immersion, in fact.
Like so many others, it was from the Zimbabwean side that I had first viewed the only waterfall that has consistently been placed amongst the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. And like so many others, once was not enough. It's a sight (and a site) that fills your soul with awe. But my soul needed replenishing. I had to go back. Viewing those Falls that first time had been so memorable, but I had felt somehow that there was more. That somehow this was only the proverbial tip of the iceberg.
That More is on the Zambian side. The Victoria Falls is over 1.7km in width, and 1.2 of those kilometres are within Zambia. From that side, you stroll from the Eastern Cataract, and you keep strolling and keep walking, stopping all along at viewing points, and somehow it keeps going on and on and on. And then there is still more. As I walk, happily drenched, I look at some of the Bucket Listers that I pass, and realise this is further than they have walked in a while, and on slippery drenched earth at that. But who can resist?
Livingstone, you see, was to be one of the great cities of Africa. That railway line that, according to Cecil John Rhodes’ dream, would penetrate the dark heart of the continent, going from Cape Town to Johannesburg and all the way to Cairo, would take a sharp turn at Bulawayo towards what is now Livingstone so that the spray of the Falls could soak the carriages on the bridge and the souls within them. The line was built at the incredible rate of a mile a day, and the bridge was a feat of engineering. In fact, modern day civil engineers still regard it as one of the engineering marvels of the world.
Livingstone, of course, was the destination of choice for the IT crowd of the time. And how better to measure that popularity than in royal visits? Old King George V had six children. Five of them visited Livingstone. Or in international sporting events? This town was the site of the 1910 Sculling Champs. And it was here that Richie Benault took nine wickets in the Australia v Northern Rhodesia cricket match. Northern Rhodesia remains the only country in the world to remain unbeaten by the Australian cricket side! Or in the presence of filmstars and celebs? It was the venue of choice for the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Danny Kaye and Richard Chamberlain. Sharon Stone and Clint Eastwood came to make movies here. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton too. Oh, and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger and Southern Africa’s own Charlize Theron. Ewan McGregor slipped through unnoticed… But somewhere along the line, Livingstone too slipped into obscurity, a dusty little village hardly noticed, with all the attention on the media darling across the waters on the Zimbabwean side.
Let's get this straight: The Victoria Falls is on the international border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Zambezi River. Livingstone viewed the Falls from the Zambian side, from what is now Livingstone Island. The problem of course is that the town of Victoria Falls towards the end of the 20th Century became the one with the glamour, the cushy lodges, and all the adrenalin and action. Livingstone, on the other side, was a dusty little siding with a forgotten history. But, folks: that was ten years ago. Now’s the 21st Century.
Now Livingstone’s the world class destination with the awards, the stylish lodges, the High Tea, the action, the glamour, and the ubiquitous modern shopping centres. Livingstone’s the place where the new IT crowd goes, while those who don’t know better, or whose budgets means they can’t truly travel with any kind of ease, are relegated to the Zim side. What really sets Livingstone apart - what makes it unique - is the combination of a truly African experience, with those close-up-and-powerful views of the Victoria Falls and the surrounding area’s wildlife, all in the context of the widest range of accommodation and activities.
An iconic symbol of this revitalised Livingstone is the old Capitol Theatre. Built at a time when Livingstone was the capital of the country, its 350 velvet seats bore those of elegance and passion. Today you’ll still find the Harrington box, where one man booked the whole place out to counter criticism of his having married an 'African'. He was not averse to a good fight, however: there was that one occasion when he took out his handgun and shot the image of Hitler on the news bulletin. Today the action’s in the form of English Premier League football. "There's much dancing and shouting and jumping up onto the stage to celebrate goals," explains Peter Jones, restorer of the Capitol Theatre and de facto historian of the town.
Jones perfectly represents this merging of historic and modern. His lodge, The River Club, was originally a humble farm. Now he celebrates the royal visitors and grand tennis games of yesteryear and relates the stories of scandal and glamour. But the lodge features in the coolest mags. The River Club wins best this, most stylish that in international awards. This year he’ll again bring Oxford and Cambridge rowing teams to compete against South Africa’s best, just as he did three times previously. And more than likely, wildlife will interrupt play, just as those 27 elephants did by swimming across the path of the Cambridge team in 2005. What better illustration could there be of this town’s unique combination of world class activity with superb wildlife viewing?
Another icon of the changed Livingstone and its wide array of accommodation options is Dominic Mulwisa of Chapa Classic Lodge. His card says ‘Director-Operations’, but I can tell you he’s the owner, founder and driving force of this neat in-town lodge. In his previous life as a lecturer in mechanical engineering, Mulwisa found himself travelling around Zambia a fair deal, staying at hotels and guesthouses and thinking simply “I can do better.” First, he investigated what else was on offer. “Believe me, I was not impressed. I saw the weaknesses and thought ‘let me see what I can do.’” In 2002 he did just that, borrowing money from the bank and Zambia’s Tourism Development Fund to start up what was then a small three-roomed operation. Now Chapa has expanded to 24 rooms, a conference centre for up to 60 people, curvaceous swimming pool, flowering gardens, all with free wi-fi everywhere.
“Livingstone is transformed,” says Russell Young of Maramba River Lodge, the oldest in the area. “Ten years ago it was a grotty, dirty, terrible place.” Livingstone now has helicopters and microlights to fly you over the Falls in impeccable style. Sunset cruises in luxury, with snacky bits and starched barmen who point out the trees and crocs and interesting birds. Italian and Indian and Chinese and French and American-styled restaurants. Pubs and clubs, lodges, backpackers, jewellery stores, movie theatres and every kind of adrenalin-pumping activity. And still Chief Mukuni down the drag, looking like a movie star in his Lion King poster over the main road.
Livingstone, you see, is where there is still both glamour and the reality of life lived in the elements. Where high water right now is causing flooding and the temporary closure of the white water rafting operation, where in 1925 Prince Edward of Wales was having such a good time at the dance, he demanded the clocks be set back an hour so as to avoid the curfew; where the golf club just three years ago was little but roofless walls and a goat track but after 40 years has been restored to a beautiful 18 hole course. Where you look down the bustling main street and see a tall and inspiring cloud that is actually the smoke that thunders. Where you gape in wonder at the powerful and primeval scenes so lovely that must have been touched by angels in their flight.
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