A Zambezi Cruise from Zimbabwe or from Zambia?

For a dinner served on the boat, go from the Zimbabwean side: the Zambezi Breeze, the Zambezi Reflections, the Malachite and the Moon Dancer all leave from jetties near Victoria Falls town. From Livingstone in Zambia the regular evening cruise is a sunset cruise with drinks and snacks, such as Livingstone’s Adventure’s on the African Queen, from $75 a person (checked November 2026); its only dinner aboard is a Full Moon Dinner Cruise sold on enquiry. Staying in Livingstone and set on a dinner cruise? It is about 15 km by road to Victoria Falls town, over the Victoria Falls Bridge and through two border posts.

The calendar above is Livingstone’s Adventure’s sunset cruise on the Zambian side, aboard the African Queen or the slightly smaller African Princess, berthed upstream of the falls: two hours with drinks and snacks, and return road transfers from accommodation in the Livingstone area.

What each side offers

Pure Africa, Wild Horizons and Livingstone’s Adventure’s own pages and the ZimParks 2026 tariff, November 2026.

Both sides cruise the same river above the falls, with a national park on each bank: Zimbabwe’s Zambezi National Park on one side and Zambia’s Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the other. What differs is the boats and where they pick you up, not the water.

The Zambian side: the African Queen

Livingstone’s Adventure runs the African Queen and the African Princess from the Royal Landing, on the water’s edge upstream of the falls. On its own rates the sunset cruise is from US$75 a person, US$38 for a child, with canapés, drinks and the park fee included and road transfers in the Livingstone area; a Captain’s Cabin cruise on the private top deck is from US$100. Its Full Moon Dinner Cruise is from US$90 and booked by enquiry, and it publishes no menu or schedule for it, so ask before you plan an evening around it (Livingstone’s Adventure, November 2026).

Reviewers of the African Queen sunset cruise describe a relaxed two hours with snacks, chicken bites, samosas and pies among them, and hippos, crocodiles and elephants on a good evening; one who went in the rainy season found sightings limited, and another sat through a downpour.

Staying in Livingstone, dining in Zimbabwe

The dinner boats’ free transfers stop at the border: Pure Africa collects only from hotels in Victoria Falls town and not from Livingstone, and other operators charge extra for a Livingstone pickup. Its dinner boats board at the Pure Africa Waterfront, on the Zimbabwean bank upstream of the falls. The road from the centre of Livingstone to the centre of Victoria Falls town is about 15 km, crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge, with the Zambian border post at one end and the Zimbabwean one at the other. The Victoria Falls border has been open 24 hours since November 2025; allow time at both posts, which can be slow at night.

Visas for the crossing. The KAZA UNIVISA covers Zambia and Zimbabwe: US$50, valid for up to 30 days within the two countries, and sold at the Victoria Falls border posts and at the airports of Livingstone and Victoria Falls, among other ports of entry. US citizens do not need a visa for Zambia, while Zimbabwe issues them a visa at the border, US$30 for a single entry on the Zimbabwe embassy’s fee list. Check both governments’ immigration pages before you travel; fees change.

Pick your side

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.