Livingstone between waterfall landscapes and city history

Livingstone offers a variety of reasons to explore the city and its surroundings: museums and guided walks provide insights into the city’s history, while nearby Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park offers waterfall landscapes and nature experiences. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between these highlights and deciding what you would like to shape your stay.

Waterfall and rainforest nearby

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is located near Livingstone. It includes the Eastern Cataract of Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the smoke that thunders.” The waterfall’s spray sustains lush rainforest there. The waterfall and rainforest give the park a different landscape focus from the museums and historical walks in the city.

Parts of the park can be explored in different ways: in your own vehicle, on a safari to observe wildlife, on a guided walking safari with an armed ranger, or on a boat trip on the Zambezi. This gives you several ways to explore, from staying in a vehicle to a guided walking tour or a trip along the river. The park is also home to the Old Drift Crossing Point and a cemetery where the first European settlers are buried. These historic sites add another perspective on the history of the area to the nature and safari experiences.

Museums and city history in Livingstone

The Livingstone Museum is considered the country’s largest and oldest museum and dates back to the 1930s. It also houses a large collection of David Livingstone memorabilia donated by the Livingstone family. If you are interested in the city’s history, you will find both a historical connection to the museum itself and a collection dedicated to David Livingstone here.

A different collection is on display at the Livingstone Railway Museum on Chishimba Falls Road. Exhibits include old steam locomotives, historic passenger carriages, railway memorabilia and old photographs from the city’s pioneering days. Together, the two museums cover different subjects: the Livingstone Museum focuses on David Livingstone and the history of the museum, while the Railway Museum focuses on railways and photographic records from the city’s early history.

Walks and other interests

On walks through Livingstone, you can explore colonial architecture and the city’s history. These walks can be booked through most agencies; check availability if you would like to include one in your plans. A crocodile park in Livingstone features large crocodiles, snakes and other reptiles. The city also has an 18-hole golf course. Alongside museums and city history, these offer other options to consider when planning your trip.

The location details offer a starting point for finding a holiday apartment: museums and walks focus on Livingstone itself, while the waterfall, rainforest and safari options mentioned above are nearby in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. So consider whether city history or park landscapes should be the focus of your stay. If you would like to include both, you can take these different interests into account together when choosing your base in Livingstone.

For the wider travel overview: Livingstone.