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Which helicopter flight over Victoria Falls is best?

Our pick for most visitors, and when another flight is the better choice.

The short answer

For most visitors the best choice is the classic 12–13 minute flight of Chikopokopo Helicopters from Victoria Falls Town in Zimbabwe: it circles the whole curtain several times, so both sides of the helicopter get the view, and guests staying in Livingstone are met at the border at no charge. A government fee of US$37 per person is added at check-in.

If you stay in Livingstone, Livingstone’s Adventure flies the short circuit from Maramba Airfield with pickup included and a lower local fee. If you want more than the falls, the 22-minute route of the Zambezi Helicopter Company follows the Batoka Gorge. For open air instead of a cabin, the microlight from Batoka Sky is the alternative, without your own camera on board.

See which flights still have places on your dates

Our pick for each kind of flight

The classic circuit over the falls

Helicopter Scenic Flight

Takes off minutes from Victoria Falls Town and circles the whole curtain several times, so both sides of the helicopter get the view. Guests staying in Livingstone are met at the border at no charge.

  • Flight time: 12–13 min
  • Takes off in: Victoria Falls Town (Zimbabwe)
  • Paid on site: US$37 per person
from $172 ★ 4.9 (4,023)
Book now
Gorge and wildlife

“Explore the Zambezi” (Zambezi Helicopter Company), 22 minutes

Flown by the Zambezi Helicopter Company from the Zambezi Helipad; the route follows the Batoka Gorge from rapid no. 8.

  • Flight time: 22 min
  • Takes off in: Victoria Falls Town (Zimbabwe)
  • Paid on site: US$50 per person
from $271 ★ 4.4 (9)
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If you stay in Livingstone

Livingstone’s Adventure short flight

Takes off from Maramba Airfield in Livingstone, with pickup from Livingstone accommodation included and a lower fee on site than on the Zimbabwe side.

  • Flight time: 15 min
  • Takes off in: Livingstone (Zambia)
  • Paid on site: US$15 per person
from $205 ★ 4.8 (69)
Book now
Open-air instead of a cabin

Microlight from Batoka Sky, 15 minutes, morning flight

Open cockpit with only the pilot beside you, from Batoka Sky in Livingstone. Own cameras stay on the ground; a photo package is sold on site.

  • Flight time: 15 min
  • Takes off in: Livingstone (Zambia)
  • Paid on site: US$7.85 per person
from $190 ★ 4.6 (130)
Book now

Which flight suits you?

Two questions: where you stay and how you want to fly. The answer comes from the flight times and departure points in the listings.

Question 1 of 2

Which side of the falls are you staying on?

Question 2 of 2

What do you want from the flight?
Your flight

Short circuit or longer flight

The 12–15 minute flights show the whole width of the falls, and the operators describe remarkably consistent loops. The longer flights of 22–30 minutes add what the short circuit leaves out: a run along the Batoka Gorge and time over the parks of the upper Zambezi. The fee on site also rises with the flight length on the Zimbabwe side, from US$35–37 to US$50 per person.

Zimbabwe or Zambia

Most flights take off on the Zimbabwean side, minutes from Victoria Falls Town, with hotel pickup as standard. From Livingstone, helicopters take off at Maramba Airfield and the local fees are a fraction of the Zimbabwean ones. Staying in Livingstone does not rule out the Zimbabwe side: several sellers meet guests at the border.

Helicopter or microlight

A microlight is the open-air alternative: pilot and one passenger in an open cockpit, from the Batoka Sky base in Livingstone. Own cameras and phones are not allowed on board; a photo package is sold on site. The seller recommends morning flights, when the air is calmer.

The fee on top

Almost every flight carries a fee that is not part of the online price: a government park fee and fuel surcharge on the Zimbabwe side, flight and fuel fees on the Zambia side. It is usually collected in cash at check-in. Every card on this site states the exact fee next to the price.

FAQ

What is the best helicopter flight at Victoria Falls?

For most visitors the classic 12–13 minute flight of Chikopokopo Helicopters from Victoria Falls Town: several full circuits of the curtain, and free pickup at the border for guests staying in Livingstone. From Livingstone itself, the short flight of Livingstone’s Adventure from Maramba Airfield is the better fit.

Is a 12-minute flight long enough?

For the falls themselves, yes: the short loops circle the full curtain so that both sides of the helicopter get the view. What a short flight leaves out is the Batoka Gorge and the parks along the upper Zambezi; for those, choose a flight of 22–30 minutes.

Is a microlight better than a helicopter?

It is different, not better: you fly alone with the pilot in an open cockpit, which feels closer to the falls, but you may not take your own camera or phone. A helicopter carries several passengers behind glass and lets you take photos yourself.

Related on this site

12–15 min flights

The classic circuit over the falls and the most-booked flight, from both sides of the border.

22–30 min flights

The longer flights: down the Batoka Gorge and over the parks along the upper Zambezi.

Livingstone

Helicopter flights from Livingstone, Zambia: departures from Maramba Airfield, local fees from US$6, transfers included, plus the open-cockpit alternative.

Find your flight over the falls

All flights side by side, with the fee on site.

See the comparison