Oh, Mighty Zambezi! | Victoria Falls Helicopter Ride, 2024.

By Monique Maré
Published 23 June 2026

I've always wanted to go! Since I was 19 years old I was fascinated with the Victoria Falls, its sheer power! The wild rapids of the Mighty Zambezi in the middle of wild, untamed Africa. I love Africa. Born and bread on its soil, it's my homeland, my continent! In 2024 I had some money lying around and I was up for an adventure, click here, click there, okay accommodation booked, flight booked, I'm on my way! As simple as that! I'm camping in a tent for a month, walking distance from the falls. At night, when the Earth becomes quiet, it thunders, it makes your heart race. It sounds angry. In the morning, the birds numb the sound of its thunder. 

500 MILLION LITRES OF WATER PER MINUTE storms down its 108 meters high cliff. And it keeps on going - this thundering water cannon powers over a 1.7km cliff, the world's largest sheet of falling water! The pride of Zambia and Zimbabwe, it carves the border with its force! Stop for a second and check out these epic pics! Then continue reading.

Okay back to the story. So the day to visit the falls arrives and I book a taxi to take me to the gates at 5am - because it is dangerous to walk in the dark with the elephants around. First to arrive at the gates (of course ha ha ha), I am very aware of the thundering sound of the water, with my heart racing I step onto the first trail in the darkness. I have to use my phone's torch to see where I'm walking. Sunrise broke over the falls in the colours, the spray, the rainbow and light effects that nature showcased on that day - is lodged in my memory forever!

I spent the whole day at the falls - trust me - you are SOAKING WET after a day like this. That spray is like rain - coming down hard. Best practice: bring a rain coat! I was busy reading a book and just parked on a bench, reading next to the thunder, I won't ever forget that either. Look, just pack your bags and go!

I didn't end up in the helicopter on this day though. On another day, strolling through town, looking for a techy shop to get a cellphone charger, a guy came up to me and offered me a super cheap helicopter ride over the Vic Falls. Of course I'm saying YES! They had to fill the chopper - and I'm in. A brilliant time to test my GoPro too! Right, 3pm, driver picks me up at Shoestring Backpackers, where I'm camping and off we go! 

Everything happens at super speed, jump on the scale (because they have to distribute the weight correctly in the chopper). There are so many of them, wow! They land and take off every 10 minutes. Weight, wait in line - and I squeeze it in to ask the guy to film me walking toward the chopper - and there we go! Oh, and btw, what he filmed became my signature intro Life at 45 vid ;)

The helicopter ride was out of this world! But, I'm gonna let the video do the talking for me here. Enjoy the video and put this on your travel list!