Cruise along the Victoria Falls aboard the " African Queen". Other boats sailing in the Zambezi River. Sunset cruises are a popular pastime in this part of the world, and there's something extremely pleasant about enjoying a beverage while watching hippos cavort in the Zambezi under a spectacular sunset. Cruises can be organized through the various travel agencies around town in both Livingstone and Victoria Falls. My favorite from the Zimbabwe side is Ilala Lodge's Ra-Ikane. A lovely intimate cruising experience with excellent food. On the Zambia side I enjoyed the Lady Livingstone. For less of s sunset cruise, more of a booze cruise, opt for the cheaper, larger boats. The Victoria Falls lie in between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Southern Africa. The falls are part of two national parks, Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia and Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe. The Victoria Falls are just over 1 mile wide (1.7 km) and 355 feet (108 m) high. During the wet season over 500 million liters (19 million cubic feet) of water plummets over the edge into the Zambezi River. This incredible amount of water generates a huge amount of spray which shoots 1000 feet into the sky and can be seen 30 miles away, hence the name Mosi-oa-Tunya (Smoke that thunders). The unique geography of the falls means you can watch them face-on and get to enjoy the full force of the spray, noise and spectacular rainbows that are always present. The best time to view the Victoria Falls is during the rainy season from March to May, when they are at their most impressive. Up until about 10 years ago Zimbabwe was by the far the most popular country to visit the Victoria Falls from. There are plenty of luxury hotels and the infrastructure is good. You can walk to the falls from town along well marked paths and the view is certainly the best from this side because you can stand opposite the falls and see them head on. But, the political situation in Zimbabwe has meant that tourists are opting to visit the falls from the Zambian side. In 2006, hotel occupancy on the Zimbabwean side hovered at around 30%, while the Zambian side was at near-capacity. As of 2011, Zimbabwe's lodges are filling up, running smoothly, the town is safe and you get much better value on accommodation than on the Zambian side. Visiting the falls from Zambia has some advantages, namely the tickets to enter the park are cheaper and accommodation in the town of Livingstone at least, is also traditionally less expensive. But note the town is about 10km from the Falls, so you have to get a ride down. You can see the falls from above as well as below in Zambia, and the surrounding forested areas are more pristine. At certain times of the year, you can even swim in a natural pool right before the edge of the upper falls. As a town, Livingstone is an interesting place. It used to be the capital of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and its streets are still lined with Victorian-era colonial buildings.