Zambezi river cruise: which one should you book?

Above the falls, not below

Worth saying clearly, because it worries people: cruises run on the calm stretch upstream of the waterfall. There is a very firm line of buoys, a very alert skipper and no scenario in which the sunset cruise goes over the edge. The dramatic bit of the river is the rafting, and that happens in the gorge below.

What you get instead is a wide, slow river with islands and reed beds, elephants crossing between them, hippos objecting to your presence, and crocodiles pretending to be logs. It is the most relaxed two hours in Victoria Falls.

Sunset cruise: the default, and the right default

US$52 per person plus US$12 park fees, about two hours, late afternoon, with drinks and snacks included. It is the single best-value activity in town and the one we put into almost every package.

The boats are busy and sociable. If that is the opposite of what you want, read on.

Premium and private: fewer people, same sunset

The premium luxury cruise is US$80 per person for two to three hours: smaller boat, more space, better catering, fewer elbows. Honeymooners and photographers tend to migrate here on night two after seeing the standard boat.

Then there is the Ra-Ikane, the classic small boat that some of our luxury packages use for the high tea cruise. Worth asking about if you care how the boat looks in your photographs as much as what it looks at.

Dinner cruise: three hours and a proper meal

US$110 per person plus US$12 fees, three hours, set menu or buffet depending on the operator, local drinks included. It sits in the slot where the sunset cruise would be and replaces dinner, which is the trick to fitting it into a short stay.

If your evening plan is entertainment rather than quiet, swap it for The Boma at US$60 and do the standard sunset cruise beforehand. Many guests do exactly that on their first full day.

What will you actually see?

Elephants, often crossing in family groups. Hippos, constantly. Crocodiles, basking. Fish eagles, kingfishers and bee-eaters working the bank. And the sunset, which over the Zambezi is unreasonable in the best way — the spray plume from the falls catches the last light downstream.

Wildlife is wildlife, so nothing is promised. Hippos, though, are as close to a guarantee as this river gets.

Which cruise should you book?

• First trip, one evening free: the standard sunset cruise, US$52.
• Celebrating something: the premium boat, US$80.
• Short stay, want dinner sorted: the dinner cruise, US$110.
• Travelling with children who get bored: the standard cruise. Two hours is the right length.

All three are on the price list, and the cruise is included in most of our lodge packages.