Current Time in Livingstone, Zambia

Livingstone is a city in the Southern Province of Zambia, located on the southern bank of the Zambezi River approximately 10 kilometers upstream from Victoria Falls, one of the greatest natural wonders on earth. With a population of approximately 135,000 inhabitants, Livingstone is Zambia's main tourist city and serves as the primary gateway to Victoria Falls from the Zambian side of the border. The city was named after David Livingstone, the Scottish explorer and missionary who became the first European to see Victoria Falls in November 1855 and named them in honor of Queen Victoria.

Victoria Falls, known in the local Tonga language as Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders), is the defining attraction of Livingstone and one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world. The falls are formed by the Zambezi River plunging approximately 108 meters into a narrow gorge approximately 1,700 meters wide, creating the largest curtain of falling water on earth. At peak flow during the rainy season (February to May), the falls generate an enormous cloud of spray visible from over 30 kilometers away and create a perpetual rainbow in the mist. The thunder of the falling water can be heard from a considerable distance, explaining the evocative local name. Victoria Falls was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1989 and is shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Zambian side of Victoria Falls offers a different and in many ways more intimate experience than the Zimbabwean side. The Knife-Edge Bridge, spanning the boiling point (the first gorge below the falls), provides exceptionally close and dramatic views of the eastern cataract and allows visitors to feel the full force of the spray. The Main Falls viewpoints along the Zambian bank offer perspectives on the width of the falls that are not available from Zimbabwe. During the dry season, when water levels drop, it becomes possible to walk across certain sections of the exposed rock above the falls, and the adventurous can swim in the Devil's Pool, a natural rock pool at the very lip of the main falls.

Livingstone has established itself as one of Africa's premier adventure tourism destinations. The Zambezi River above and below the falls offers some of the world's best whitewater rafting, with extreme Class V rapids in the gorges below the falls providing an exhilarating experience that draws rafters from across the globe. Bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge (111 meters above the Zambezi), microlight flights over the falls, helicopter flights, gorge swings, abseiling, and sunset cruises on the upper Zambezi above the falls contribute to an extraordinary range of adrenaline and nature-based activities.

The Livingstone Museum, the oldest and largest museum in Zambia, houses extensive historical collections including artifacts from the Lozi Kingdom, colonial-era exhibits, and materials relating to David Livingstone and the history of exploration in central Africa. The Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, bordering the river on both sides of the falls, is home to elephants, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and the region's last wild white rhinoceros, protected within a fenced reserve within the park.

Livingstone's extraordinary natural wonder, excellent adventure tourism infrastructure, wildlife opportunities, and historical significance as the gateway to Victoria Falls make it one of the most exciting and rewarding destinations in southern Africa, a city where the grandeur of the African continent is expressed in its most elemental and overwhelming form.