Ngonye Falls : The Zambezi's Hidden Waterfall

Mention the Zambezi River to most people, and the first thing they’ll do is name drop Victoria Falls.

But, trace the Zambezi a couple hundred kilometres upstream, to western Zambia’s remote Barotseland, and not far from the Angolan border, you’ll find another impressive water feature: Ngonye Falls (also known locally as Sioma Falls).

Until recently, this waterfall was pretty hard to get to without spending several days slogging through sand. Despite being only 300 kms from Livingstone (the closest town to Victoria Falls) the first 150 kms of road was (and still is) deeply potholed, with nothing but a sand track to continue on from there.

Most people only make it to this part of Zambia on their way up to Liuwa Plain, regarding it as a necessary half-way point. And, until a few years ago, getting north of Ngonye Falls meant crossing the Zambezi River with a pontoon, and hoping you didn’t lose your car to the current.

Chilling in the rock pools on the edge of Sioma Falls is the perfect way to spend the day - as long as you’ve got snacks and drinks nearby

More recently, the Chinese tarred a road from the Namibian border, all the way up to Mongu, installing a brand new bridge for crossing the Zambezi. Although Ngonye Falls is still quite far from the rest of Zambia (the capital Lusaka is 10 hrs drive), accessing the area from Namibia or Botswana can be done in just a matter of hours.

The drive up to Ngonye Falls from Sesheke follows the western bank of the Zambezi River for most of the way, traversing small villages in the middle of nowhere.

Around the falls themselves, there are a few basic campsites, most of which are graced by wide sandbanks along the river, and provide a perfect base to kick back, relax and chill out for a few days.

First views of Sioma Falls from the eastern side. Watch carefully and you just might catch Cape Clawless Otters fishing in the rapids

Unlike Victoria Falls, Ngonye is still pretty wild. There’s a distinct lack of infrastructure which only adds to the charm of arriving, and a lack of crowds who might otherwise stop you from having it all to yourself. Finding your way into the viewpoints if you haven’t been before, or aren’t with a guide can be difficult, so paying a few kwacha for someone at the gate to show you the is definitely worthwhile - especially in months of higher water (January to June).

Once at the falls, they’re the perfect place to bring a picnic and a cooler box, and spend the whole afternoon sitting in the shallows. Water levels on the Zambezi change throughout the year (highest water is usually March/April) and will impact how easy it is to access different viewpoints, as well as where you’ll be able to access rockpools by the edge of the falls for your own private natural jacuzzi.

Once you’re done with the falls themselves, retreat back to your campsite and watch the sky change colour, while you get the campfire started for the evening.

For more details, watch the short video below, and then, read on.

ACCESS TO NGONYE FALLS

Getting to Ngonye Falls doesn’t really require a 4x4, however having a 2x4 with decent clearance as a minimum will take the stress out of driving the sand tracks and waiting to bottom out. If you’re heading on to Liuwa Plain afterwards, then a 4x4 is definitely needed, and will give you the freedom to explore tracks around the area without worrying about being stuck far from the nearest help.

If you don’t have your own vehicle, then Katima Mulilo in Namibia (150kms south), and Kasane in Botswana (300kms away, past Katima) are the closest and easiest places to hire a rental from.

Getting here by public transport isn’t really possible, and with campsite and the falls themselves being far from the tar road, expect to have to walk for quite some time to get to where you need to go. Bumping into wildlife on foot isn’t likely - but is still a possibility.

CROSSING INTO ZAMBIA FROM BOTSWANA & NAMIBIA FOR NGONYE FALLS

From Kasane in Botswana, it takes about three hours of driving time to reach Ngonye Falls, but you’ll need to allow extra time for the border crossings into Namibia at the Ngoma / Wenela border post, and from there, Zambia. Usually, crossing into Namibia goes quite quickly, but expect the paperwork for getting into Zambia to take at least an hour or more.

Entering Namibia with a foreign registered vehicle requires paying cross border charges, which were ZAR / NAD 320 per entry in 2020. You can find the latest charges here.

Crossing from Namibia into Zambia at the Sesheke border post comes with a fair bit of paperwork and requires having both USD and Zambian Kwacha in hard currency. This border into Zambia is a fair bit easier than the Kazungula Ferry from Botswana to Zambia, but still takes time and patience (and smiles!) to negotiate.

The first thing you’ll need to do, is have your passport stamped. The average cost of a visa for Zambia is USD$50 (payable in USD) unless you come from a visa-exempt country (like Ireland). You may need to pass a body temperature check to be determined ebola / yellow fever / insert-random-lurgy-here free before you proceed. It’ll just depend on the day and who is on duty.

Certified lurgy-free, with these impossible to forge health clearance certificates pre passport stamping

Once you have your passport stamped, you can move onto the car paperwork.

You can find a list of the required documents for obtaining your CIP (Customs Import Permit) here.

First, you’ll need to go to the correct counter to register your vehicle and pay carbon tax, which is payable in Zambian Kwacha (ZMK). For ZMK, there is an ATM at the border post which usually works, otherwise you can exchange most major currencies for kwacha with the host of hustlers at the border post. No need to look too hard for them. Whether you need their services or not, they’ll find you.

You may need a police clearance for entering Zambia (again, this depends on who is on duty, so best to have it in case) which is a statement from local police in the country of your vehicle’s registration to confirm that your car is not listed as stolen.

After you’ve paid carbon tax in ZMK (the amount is determined by your engine capacity) you’ll need to settle road tax for entering Zambia at a different counter. The road tax amount is determined by which country your car is registered in, and can be anything from USD$20 - $50 (payable in USD). Botswana registered vehicles are charged the highest out of all SADC countries.

Once you’ve paid your road tax, you’ll need to go to the insurance counter to pay for Zambian car insurance. It doesn’t matter if you already have a policy that covers you for travel outside the country where your vehicle is registered, you will have to buy Zambian insurance irregardless. Zambian insurance is payable in ZMK, with cover for a minimum of three months, and up to a year depending on your needs. Usually this costs just over 100 ZMK.

Once you have your insurance, you’ll be given a paper disk which you need to attach to the windshield of your car for the duration of your stay in Zambia.

On leaving the border post, you’ll need to pay council tax (in ZMK) at the small building just before the border gate. If you’re making a return journey back through this same border post, you can pay for both exit and re-entry in one go (keep the receipt). If you will exit Zambia through another border post, then just pay the one-way fee, as the amount payable for council tax differs depending on the border post.

Once you have your visa, your passport stamped, your carbon tax paid, your road tax certificate, Zambian insurance and proof of council tax paid, you can proceed to the exit gate, where you’ll need to register your car’s details, along with your passport details in the log book, before you can proceed through the boom gate.

Congratulations, you’ve just passed Zambian red tape 101. From here you should be pretty much home free. The only extra thing you may need to worry about is the council tax charged at another boom gate on the tar road just south of Ngonye Falls. Whether or not you’ll have to pay this will depend on whether the boom is over the road, and whether the hut is manned. It’s anyone’s guess whether this road block is actually legal, as reports abound that the local ‘chief’ decided on a whim to erect the boom to make some side cash from people passing through. Whatever the case, if the box is manned and the boom is closed, you won’t be able to pass without paying, and this fee is settled in kwacha as well.

FUEL & SUPPLIES

As Ngonye Falls is pretty remote for Zambia, there’s not much to be found out this way. The best place to fill up on fuel and supplies is in Katima Mulilo before you cross the border from Namibia into Zambia. There are a few small huts by the roadside where you might be able to get a few beers, or maybe some cooking oil and basic dry goods, but don’t count on much more. You’ll need to plan to be fully self-sufficient until reaching Mongu if heading north, or until getting back to Katima Mulilo if returning south. Most campsites do offer firewood and may sell basic drinks, but don’t expect any fancy cocktails for sundowners.

The closest thing you’ll find to a fuel station within 150 kms of Ngonye Falls

WHERE TO STAY

There are a few campsites around Ngonye Falls, and one upmarket fishing camp called Mutemwa Lodge about halfway between Ngonye Falls and the Sesheke border post. If you’re splurging on Mutemwa Lodge, it’s possible to book a fly camp trip up to Ngonye Falls by speedboat, where the lodge will set up camp for you on a sand bank by the falls for an overnight stay.

If you’re on more of a budget, my personal pick of the lot for Ngonye Falls is the ‘Whispering Sands’ campsite. You can find them on facebook here.

Whispering Sands is better visited for it’s campsites which overlook the Zambezi’s sandbanks, than it is for its cabins, which are mostly converted mobile offices. Having said that, if you don’t have camping gear, you’ll be perfectly comfortable in the cabins, which are reasonably priced. The largest of which has three bedrooms and a lounge.

Believe it or not, I’m actually in this photo - huddled under the covers of my bedroll after a sleep out on this deck overlooking the Zambezi at Ngonye River Camp and chasing sunrise views as the mist rises from the Zambezi at dawn. Note the sneaky whisky-filled mug to the right, for keeping warm throughout the night.

There is an outdoor shower with a donkey boiler at the Whispering Sands campsite, so asking in advance ensures water is warm for when you need it, and breakfast can be pre-ordered if you’d like to avoid organising your own in the mornings. The campsite also has a small pool which is fed by Zambezi water with views across the sandbanks beneath the campsite bar.

There are two other neighbouring campsites nearby, closer to the bridge over the Zambezi River. These are Ngonye River Camp and Country Lodge Sioma.

Sunrise from campsites with epic views at Whispering Sands

The western entry gate for Sioma Falls also has its own campsites, which are gloriously secluded with private beaches by the Zambezi River (not for swimming, since both the current and the crocodiles are deadly) but you’ll need to be fully self-sufficient, as even the toilet facilities are in pretty bad repair.

For total seclusion and sleeping on your car’s roof rack under the stars, this would be my top pick. I wouldn’t recommend sleeping out on the sand banks, in case of wandering crocs and hippos in the night.

The miniature pool with a view at Whispering Sands campsite

ENTRY TO THE FALLS

Entry to the falls is paid, however if you retain your ticket from whichever side you pay entry fees at, this gives you access to both sides of the falls, provided you visit both on the same day. I recommend visiting the eastern side first, and swimming there during the heat of the day, before visiting the western side in the afternoon. Come equipped with a blanket and a cooler box for enjoying a cold drink on one of the sand banks as the sun goes down.

The cost for entry to the falls will depend on your nationality, and how many of you there are in the group, as well as the charge for vehicle entry, however the assistant at the gate should have a list of tariffs for you to refer to.