Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park: The Zambian Side Of Victoria Falls
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is Zambia's smallest national park, covering 66 square kilometres on the south-western edge of Livingstone. It protects the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, the rainforest that the spray sustains, and a wildlife section where giraffe, zebra, buffalo and a small population of white rhino roam.
The park has two sections with separate entrances: one beside the falls, with clifftop paths and the Knife-Edge Bridge, and a wildlife section at the north-western end. Hippo and crocodile can be seen from the riverbank.
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park Facts
- Size: 66 square kilometres
- Location: Zambian bank of the Zambezi River, beside Livingstone
- Status: Part of the Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls World Heritage Site
- Accommodation: Livingstone Lodges
Wildlife In Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
Wildlife includes elephant, giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest, zebra, bushbuck, warthog, vervet monkeys, baboons, hippo and crocodile, along with a small population of southern white rhino. The gorges below the falls are breeding sites for raptors such as the Taita falcon and Verreaux's eagle. Elephants and hippos can seriously injure people, so explore the park with a professional guide.
Main Attractions Of Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
- Victoria Falls
- Zambezi River
- Gorge viewpoints and the Knife-Edge Bridge
- White rhino
- Birdlife
UK health guidance (NaTHNaC) rates the whole of Zambia, including Livingstone, as high risk for malaria. Read our Zambia malaria guide and malaria in Africa before you travel.
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park FAQs
Where is Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park?
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park lies on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi River, on the south-western edge of Livingstone. It takes in the Zambian side of Victoria Falls and follows the river from the Songwe Gorge below the falls to the Sinde River upstream.
How big is Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park?
Mosi-oa-Tunya covers 66 square kilometres, making it Zambia's smallest national park. It protects riverine forest, woodland and grassland along the Zambezi, and it has two sections with separate entrances, one beside the falls and one for wildlife. Kafue, Zambia's largest, covers 22,400 square kilometres.
What is in each section of the park?
The falls section holds the spray-fed rainforest opposite the Eastern Cataract, the Knife-Edge Bridge and the steep path down to the Boiling Pot. The wildlife section, at the north-western end, is where you look for giraffe, zebra, buffalo and antelope.
What does Mosi-oa-Tunya mean?
Mosi-oa-Tunya is the local name for Victoria Falls and means “The Smoke That Thunders”. The park takes its name from the falls it protects, and the name is used throughout Zambia. Sources disagree on which local language it comes from.
Is Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park a World Heritage Site?
Part of it is. The Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, inscribed by UNESCO in 1989, covers 6,860 hectares shared with Zimbabwe, and 3,779 hectares of that lie in this park. The rest is in Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls and Zambezi national parks.
What wildlife lives in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park?
The park is home to elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, impala, waterbuck, warthog, baboons, hippo and crocodile, plus a small population of southern white rhino. The rhino were brought in from South Africa after Zambia's native black rhino had been wiped out. Elephants often cross the river from the Zimbabwean side.
How does Mosi-oa-Tunya compare with Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park?
Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park is more than eight times the size of Mosi-oa-Tunya, at 560 square kilometres. It lies upstream of the falls on the Zimbabwean bank and holds lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. Mosi-oa-Tunya offers the Zambian-side falls and gorge viewpoints and white rhino in a far smaller area.
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