Our three-week safari began in Zambia, so we decided to head there a few days early to see the sights on our own before joining the group. We’re sooooo glad we did! We saw so many things in just three short days - here are some of our recommendations.

• Stay at Avani Victoria Falls. It’s a beautiful property with zebras, giraffes, impalas, and monkeys roaming the property freely (yes, freely!), plus it’s a 5-minute walk to Victoria Falls, which you get free entrance to as a guest of the hotel.

• Cross the Knife Bridge at Victoria Falls. There’s no point of wearing one of those plastic rain ponchos - you WILL get soaking wet. But cross this bridge and you won’t regret it. The power of the Falls is something that can’t be missed during your stay.

• Be Adventurous. Livingstone is the adventure capital of Zambia, so if you want to whitewater raft, swim at the ledge of Victoria Falls, bungee jump in the Fall’s mist, or do a gorge swing or microplaning - you’ve come to the the right place.

• Get a Massage. Our hotel offered the most magical setting for a massage. After we waited for the zebras to move away from our private spa huts, we were spoiled with a massage just feet from the Zambezi River. We could hear the thundering Falls as we relaxed on the riverfront.

• Ride the Royal Livingstone Express. This old steam engine train will take you to the bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe over Victoria Falls. Enjoy beer and wine while learning a bit about David Livingstone and his mission to connect Egypt to South Africa via railway.

• Do a Lion Walk. Don’t miss the chance to interact with lions (in a responsible way)! You can learn about how they play hunt as youngsters and what is being done to increase the wild lion population.

• Go on a Safari! Last but not least, you can get picked up right from the hotel lobby and venture out into a national park to see if you can spot the Big 5. We didn’t do this in Livingstone because we already had a Serengeti safari planned, but we saw plenty of groups at Avani who had done this and they just raved about it.

All-in-all, Livingstone is the perfect place to go if you’ve never been to Africa before and you’re looking for the full experience at your fingertips. Africa is a HUGE continent and it can be daunting to figure out where to visit and how to get there, so take our word for it and get your buns to Zambia!