When my husband and I bought an African Safari package at a charity auction and started planning our trip, we quickly realized that if we were flying all the way to Africa, we needed to check out multiple destinations. After a bit of research, Victoria Falls quickly went to the top of our list.

We booked three nights at the Victoria Falls Safari Club. The hotel was perfect. We arranged an airport transfer directly with them and arrived in the afternoon, just in time for a complimentary afternoon tea while looking out over the watering hole.

That night, we attended the Boma Dinner, which is located right next to the hotel. It’s a bit touristy but was a perfect intro to our Africa trip. Dinner begins and ends with drumming and dancing which you are encouraged to take part in. They also offer a huge buffet with lot’s of local food to sample including smoked crocodile tail, warthog steak, and sautéed mopane worm (a local delicacy).

The next morning, we got our first view of the incredible waterfall. We decided to splurge and do a helicopter tour of the falls. It was amazing to see them from above and what an incredible sight. I’d also never been in a helicopter before. It was a wonderfully smooth ride. On the way back, we spotted a group of giraffes.

Of course, we also did a tour of the falls by foot. In June, the falls are quite full and the spray is magnificent. We were quickly drenched by the spray.

After our tour of the falls, we walked across the bridge to Zambia. We had to go through two passport checks but it was worth it to check one more country off our list. You can also see the falls from the Zambia side, but most of the view is from Zimbabwe. In order to see both countries, you do need to get a visa (which you can do at the airport when you land).

There were tons of things to check out in town as well. There is an artists village with local craftsmen (and women) who are happy to barter. We also loved checking out the local brewery.

We also did a sunset cruise to see hippos and crocodiles. We choose to do the Ra-Ikane cruise which is a fairly small boat. We were able to travel close to the edge of the water and really get some great sightings.

Each night in Victoria Falls, we attended the Sundowner (drinks while watching the sunset) at our hotel. The sun in Africa is incredible and our hotel offered a wonderful view.

On our last morning, we watched a family of elephants walk from our side of the hotel all the way to the larger watering hole at the main lodge. It was fun to be able to watch them for such a long time.

We loved this part of our Africa trip and it was the perfect compliment to our African Safari.

Has anyone else been to Africa recently? What are your recommended spots to check out? Let us know in the comments!