2 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
The UK FCDO says Zambia’s towns and main parks are generally safe by day and advises against walking at night; in Livingstone the second matters for a reason of its own, because elephants and hippos use the riverfront road after dark. Take a taxi between the town and the lodges. The FCDO also says adventure sports around the falls carry real risk — Devil’s Pool, the gorge swing and the bungee are run by established operators, and the river is not somewhere to improvise. Malaria is present, most of all in the rains. The UK advice against travel in Zambia covers nowhere near Livingstone.
Comfortable: Livingstone town centre · Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park · The riverfront lodges upstream of the falls, inside their grounds
Walking the road between the town and the riverfront lodges after dark, where elephants and hippos cross
Devil’s Pool — only with the operator, only at low water, and never on your own
Baboons at the falls entrance, which will open a bag with food in it
Touts and money changers at the bridge and the border post
Boiling Pot — the path is steep and slippery, and closed at high water for a reason
The camps are unfenced and so is much of Mfuwe: hippos graze on the lawns at night, elephants walk between the chalets, and an escort to your room after dark is the rule, not a courtesy. On a walking safari you follow the scout in single file and do exactly what you are told. The heat in the late dry season is serious — the valley floor passes 38°C — and malaria is present all year, worst in the rains. The UK FCDO warns of poor roads and frequent fatal crashes, and that driving outside towns after dark is particularly risky; fly in rather than drive from Lusaka.
Comfortable: Mfuwe · South Luangwa National Park
Walking between your room and the main area after dark without the escort, at any lodge, in any season
Hippos on the riverbank and on the lawns at night, which are the animal that injures people here
Luangwa River — crocodiles along every bank; nobody swims and nobody stands at the edge
The road from Lusaka, a long day which the UK advice warns against driving after dark
The heat in the late dry season, when the valley passes 38°C — drink more than seems reasonable
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
