In April of this year I returned to Livingstone in Zambia for my first visit in several years. What a change. For those unfamiliar with this part of Africa, Livingstone is a small town on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. When Zambia was known as Northern Rhodesia, Livingstone was the capital. A smart little city with tree-lined avenues and colonial buildings, it was largely considered the place to live. A short distance away, on the other side of the Livingstone Bridge, was the town of Victoria Falls in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
Until the 1980s, Victoria Falls was a pretty basic one-horse town, and the only decent place to stay was the old Victoria Falls Hotel. In the late 80’s and 90’s these two towns couldn’t have been more different. By then, both countries had become independent. Independence was good for the city of Victoria Falls, tourism soared, and many excellent hotels and hostels sprang up in the
Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls. Meanwhile, Livingstone went into decline. Lusaka had become the capital of Zambia and attracted businesses and individuals. Livingstone was left looking rather desperate. The expat community had long since left the area and little industry had developed to support the growing local population. By comparison, there were many jobs in the city of Victoria Falls to support local Zimbabweans.
Victoria Falls itself has and always will be a major draw for travelers, but the recent political unrest in Zimbabwe has been a boon for Livingstone. For the past two to three years, investors have invested money in the area. In addition to some very good small accommodations along the banks of the Zambezi River, the new five-star Royal Livingstone hotel deserves a special mention. It was built on the old foundations of the rather monotonous Mosi O Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders) hotel. For someone who is not a fan of big hotels as a rule, I had to eat a humble pie in this one. Designed following the colonial lines that are still very evident in the city, the hotel has the best imaginable location. From the mature gardens you can see the spray of the falls, and the service and food could not have been beat either in Europe or the US.
Livingstone now has direct daily flights from Johannesburg and the local market is full of people spending their well-earned wages. The city feels like a great place to be. It might have taken me most of my life to regain her pride, but I really feel that she will now maintain this new prosperity.
[http://www.aardvarksafaris.com/articles-zambia-livingstone]