In a town on the Zambezi where elephants still wander the main street past a restaurant called Three Monkeys, Victoria Falls is slowly outgrowing its old role as a place to see the falls and move on. Its change rides on a broader turn in Zimbabwe, where inflation has fallen to levels not seen in decades and new investment is reaching the riverbank. Whether the town can hold the travellers it is beginning to attract, and host the cricket matches that will test its readiness, remains an open question for a place that is still becoming what it may be.
Victoria Falls grows from one-day stopover into a multiday destination with new dining, lodges and a World Cup venue
Two elephants strolled past a restaurant called Three Monkeys
Mark
Why does a travel piece about elephants and coffee belong in an economy conversation?
Mimi
Because the town's growth is framed against Zimbabwe's recovery: inflation averaging about 736% in 2024, and 3.7% in September this year.
Mark
And the tourism side? What's actually changed?
Mimi
Stays have stretched from about two nights to three or four, there are an estimated 4,000 to 4,500 beds, and a new 13-villa lodge, Albida, opened in September.
Luke
Careful with those numbers. The stay length and bed count come from Anald Musonza, who works for a company that sells those stays. They're one operator's figures.
Mark
Fair. Does the piece show the economy caused the tourism boom?
Luke
No. It places them side by side. Nothing here proves one drove the other.
Mimi
The economic figures are attributed too: Bloomberg quoting Citigroup's David Cowan, the central bank, the Minerals Marketing Corporation. The 8% inflation figure was an expectation, not a result.
Mark
What about the cricket stadium?
Mimi
It's still being built and is due to host four matches in the 2027 World Cup.
Luke
Still unfinished, so readiness is unknown. And the writer was hosted by Victoria Falls Safari Collection, which readers should weigh against the enthusiasm.
The Pulse
- Visitors who once passed through in a single day are now being asked to stay three or four nights, and the town is scrambling to hold them.
- A stadium still under construction must be ready to host four Cricket World Cup matches in the sweltering October and November of 2027.
- Inflation has dropped to 3.7% and the central bank has cut its lending rate, giving operators room to build lodges, restaurants and activities.
- New luxury villas with plunge pools and all-inclusive packages are opening, signalling that the town's future rests on premium guests.
In a town on the Zambezi where elephants still wander the main street past a restaurant called Three Monkeys, Victoria Falls is slowly outgrowing its old role as a place to see the falls and move on. Its change rides on a broader turn in Zimbabwe, where inflation has fallen to levels not seen in decades and new investment is reaching the riverbank. Whether the town can hold the travellers it is beginning to attract, and host the cricket matches that will test its readiness, remains an open question for a place that is still becoming what it may be.
The waiter's warning was half joke, half truth: two elephants were walking the main street of Victoria Falls town, past a restaurant called Three Monkeys. The writer had come from a moonlit walk to see the moonbow, and the scene seemed to capture a place that is still wild and dusty yet changing fast.
The change is visible everywhere. A new skate park greets arrivals from the airport, surfers ride the Zambezi's rapids beside crocodiles, and a string of new spots has opened, from a surf-shack bar serving single-origin coffee to a brewery, a distillery and a shopping area where prices are in dollars and not cheap. Evening shows fill the calendar.
The shift is also economic. Zimbabwe's inflation, which averaged around 736% in 2024, has fallen to 3.7% in September, and the central bank has lowered its lending rate. Mineral exports have surged, and the government says it is on track under an IMF programme.
For Anald Musonza of Victoria Falls Safari Collection, the town has completely evolved. It now has an estimated 4,000 to 4,500 beds, and average stays have grown from about two nights to three or four. Activities range from river cruises and canopy tours to helicopter flights, rafting and day trips to Chobe in Botswana. In September the company opened Albida, thirteen private villas with plunge pools, all-inclusive and built for privacy.
What remains is the stadium. Still under construction, it must be ready for four matches in 2027, and it will show how ready the town truly is.
The waiter set the bill on the table and offered a warning: two elephants were next to three monkeys, so be careful. The writer and companions had come in for a nightcap after walking the rainforest at full moon to see the moonbow over Victoria Falls, an evening that began with a red moon rising over the plains. As a way of emptying a bar at closing time, it seemed a clever gambit. It also turned out to be accurate. A pair of elephants walked down the main street of Victoria Falls town, past a restaurant called Three Monkeys.
That scene, the writer suggests, captures the town: still wild, with the feel of a dusty frontier settlement, but developing fast. One sign is the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, still under construction, which is due to host four matches of the 2027 Cricket World Cup. The tournament runs in October and November, a sweltering stretch along the Zambezi.
The town's growth sits against a wider economic shift in Zimbabwe. Bloomberg recently reported a turnaround taking hold, quoting Citigroup's chief Africa economist, David Cowan. Annual inflation, which averaged about 736% in 2024, was expected to fall to 8% this year, and Zimbabwe was expected to post a cash budget surplus. Harare says it is on track to meet goals set under a 10-month IMF staff-monitored programme, approved in April; the country passed its first review in July.
In September the central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 27.5% from 30%, citing relatively stable inflation, after a five-percentage-point cut in June. Annual inflation was 3.7% in September, up from 2.9% in August, which was the lowest since 1980. The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe also reported that mineral export earnings, excluding gold and silver, more than doubled to $4.735bn in the first nine months of the year, driven by lithium and stronger commodity prices. Export volumes rose 23.4% to 4.738-million tonnes.
In town, the writer saw the change firsthand: a new skate park on the drive in from the airport, and surfers riding the Zambezi's rapids alongside crocodiles. The food and drink scene is expanding too. Goat, formerly Mama Africa Restaurant, is a surf-shack-style spot with live bands and coffee from Victoria Falls Coffee Company, which shares the space and roasts its own beans; its signature, Ngwenya, is a single-origin coffee from a small estate in Chipinge in the Eastern Highlands. The Smokehouse serves The River Brewing Co beers, including a baobab-fruit River Lager. The Victoria Falls Distillery offers gin, charcuterie and cheese boards in a big-city wine bar setting. Shopping is at Elephant Walk and the sculptors' market, where everything is priced in dollars and, the writer notes, is not cheap. Evening entertainment includes Simunye: The Spirit of Africa and The Boma Dinner & Drum Show at Victoria Falls Safari Collection.
The town was once a single-attraction stopover: see the falls, eat, leave the next day. Anald Musonza, sales and marketing director of Victoria Falls Safari Collection, says the change has been a complete evolution, driven by investment in infrastructure, dining and bespoke accommodation. He says the variety of river cruises, canopy tours and cultural experiences means the place cannot be done justice in 24 hours. He puts the town's bed count at an estimated 4,000 to 4,500, spanning legacy hotels, boutique lodges, luxury tented camps and self-catering villas. Average stays, historically about two nights, are stretching to three or four for leisure travellers.
Beyond the falls and rainforest, which Musonza calls the crown jewels, come sunset cruises, helicopter flights and cultural dining, plus kayaking, rafting and bungee jumping. The writer made a day trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, 85km away, and visited Stanley and Livingstone Game Reserve to see black rhino. Zambezi National Park may offer lion, buffalo, giraffe and antelope.
In September, Victoria Falls Safari Collection opened Albida, which Musonza says answers growing demand for luxury and privacy. It has 13 private villas in woodland, each with a plunge pool and views onto Zambezi National Park. It is all-inclusive, covering activities, a Flight of Angels helicopter flight and daily spa visits, with butler service and tailored itineraries. The writer was hosted by Victoria Falls Safari Collection. The stadium, ahead of its four 2027 World Cup matches, is the next test of how ready the town is.
Notable Quotes
We've witnessed a complete evolution in how people experience Victoria Falls.— Anald Musonza, sales and marketing director, Victoria Falls Safari Collection
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