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Livingstone Tourism Information

Quick Facts: Livingstone

  • Livingstone is a historic colonial city in Zambia, Southern Africa
  • Livingstone is the capital of the Southern Province of Zambia
  • The magnificent Victoria Falls / Mosi-oa-Tunya are located 10 km north of the Zambezi River
  • The Livingstone District covers a region of 688.02 km2 with a population of about 140 000  
  • Ethnic groups: Toka Leya, Lozi, Tonga, Bemba, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Chewe, Luvale and Lunda speaking tribes
  • Victoria Falls / Mosi-oa-Tunya ( 'the smoke that thunders')
  • Wildlife safaris / game drives in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Birdwatching in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Batoka Gorges below the Victoria Falls in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Zambezi River above the Victoria Falls including river cruises, sports fishing, kayaking
  • Victoria Falls Field Museum featuring geology and archaeology around the Falls
  • Flights over the magnificent Victoria Falls including helicopter and microlight flights
  • Livingstone Museum
  • Maramba Cultural Centre
  • Mukuni Village
  • Victoria Falls Bridge
  • Railway Museum of the Mulobezi Railway
  • North-Western Hotel
  • Saint Andrews Church
  • The High Court of Livingstone
  • Old Government House of Livingstone
  • Craft markets such as Mukuni Victoria Falls Craft Village
  • Livingstone Golf Course
  • Livingstone Zoological Park
  • White water rafting on the the Zambezi River
  • Bungee Jumping

Distance to Airport: 34 km

Distance to City: 15 km

Introducing Livingstone

Livingstone is a historic colonial city in Zambia, Southern Africa.  Livingstone is the capital of the Southern Province of Zambia and has developed into a tourism centre of great interest due to the magnificent Victoria Falls / Mosi-oa-Tunya which are located 10 km north of the Zambezi River.  It is a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Victoria Falls. Livingstone in Zambia has an approximate population of about 100 000.

The Livingstone District in Zambia's Southern Province covers a region of 688.02 km2.  The district population is about 140 000 with a population density of about 160 persons per square kilometre. 

Tribes in Livingstone, Zambia

Zambia's Livingstone district is a cosmopolitan town with different ethnic groups. This diverse ethnicity includes the Toka Leya, Lozi and Tonga.  Additionally, there are also the Bemba, Ngoni, Tumbuka, Chewe, Luvale and Lunda speaking tribes.

Places of interest and attractions of Livingstone

Livingstone is home to many attractions and places of interest such as:
  • Victoria Falls / Mosi-oa-Tunya which is protected and served by the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the city's south-western edge
  • Wildlife safaris / game drives in the wildlife section of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Birdwatching in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Batoka Gorges below the Falls in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
  • Zambezi River above the Falls including river cruises, sports fishing, kayaking
  • Victoria Falls Field Museum featuring geology and archaeology around the Falls
  • Flights over the magnificent Victoria Falls including helicopter and microlight flights
  • The Livingstone Museum is devoted to archaeology, ethnography and history and contains a magnificent collection of memorabilia relating to David Livingstone. In front of the museum there is a statue to him, as well as to Czech ethnographer Emil Holub, erected in 2005
  • Maramba Cultural Centre featuring traditional dancing, singing, costumes
  • Mukuni Village with its annual Lwiindi Ceremony in July
  • Victoria Falls Bridge
  • Railway Museum of the Mulobezi Railway
  • North-Western Hotel: built 1909 by 'Mopane' Clarke 
  • Saint Andrews Church: built 1910-11 in memory of David Livingstone
  • The High Court, Livingstone: built in 1910
  • Old Government House, Livingstone: the main government office and governor's residence 1907-1935 when Livingstone was the capital of North-Western Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia
  • Craft markets such as Mukuni Victoria Falls Craft Village
  • Livingstone Golf Course
The Victoria Falls
 
One of the great seven natural wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls is located about 10 to 12 km from the centre of Livingstone, Zambia. The Scottish explorer Dr. Livingstone named these magnificent waterfalls in Southern Africa after the Queen Victoria of England. The local toka-leya people call it Shungu-Na-Mutitima while the Kololo, a migrating tribe from the farsouth, called it the Mosi-oa-tunya which can be translated as 'the smoke that thunders'.

Wildlife: The Livingstone Zoological Park
 
The Livingstone zoological park is located on the bank of the Zambezi River upstream from the Victoria Falls. The Livingstone zoological park is 10 square kilometers in size within the Mosi-oa-tunya National Park.  The vegetation in the Livingstone zoological park consists mainly of Mopane woodland interspaced ambos and termite mounds. A network of roads constructed for the convenience of animal viewers’ transverse the park and converts all habitats.  The Livingstone zoological park was established by the Victoria Falls trust in 1955.  In 1972 the Livingstone zoological park became part of the Mosi-oa-tunya National Park.
 
Mukuni Village
 
The Mukuni Villiage is located about 11 km from the town of Livingstone and provides an idea of a typical Zambian village and the way of life of an indigenous people. 

Makumbi Boat Cruise

The Makumbi boat cruise offers a great opportunity to explore the Zambezi islands with its animals like hippos, crocodiles and birds.

White water rafting on the the Zambezi River

White water rafting on the the Zambezi River is an adventurous expedition along great rapids and spectacular scenery.

Livingstone Museum

The Livingstone Museum is located in the heart of Livingstone itself featuring four permanent exhibition galleries.

Pre-history or archaeology gallery:

The Pre-history or archaeology gallery at the Livingstone Museum in Zambia displays objects which have been excavated from various parts of Zambia.  These reflect life styles and economic activities of man from Stone Age to Iron Age.

Natural history gallery:

In the museum's Natural history gallery one can find displays of rare mammals, reptiles, birds and insects of Zambia.
 
Ethnography and art gallery:
 
The Ethnography and art gallery at the Livingstone Museum displays various cultural and traditional materials of the people of Zambia.
 
History gallery:
 
In the History gallery of the museum one can find the collection of materials on Zambia’s history and in particular a collection of notebooks, sketches and other memorabilia of Dr. Livingstone.
 
The Railway Museum in Livingstone, Zambia
 
The Railway Museum in Livingstone is situated 1 km away from the Victoria Falls road.  The Railway Museum in Livingstone tells Zambia’s unique railway history. It also displays not only the restored historic Zambezi sawmills locomotive shade buildings and their adaptation to new use, but the entire history of the railway with its beginnings in Europe, its story in Zambia and Zimbabwe, its social and economic effect, and the technical aspects as they evolved over the years. Stream engines of diverse backgrounds and rolling stock can be seen here.
 
Bungee Jumping
 
Bungee Jumping in Zambia is an exhilarating, breath taking nosedive from a height of over 100 meters down the Zambezi River.  Bungee Jumping is offered from the Zambia – Zimbabwe Bridge which is situated 12 km from Livingstone.