The African Queen & Princess Sunset Cruise is a classic Zambezi evening aboard two of the river’s best-known vessels — 2.5 hours afloat above Victoria Falls, from K1,200 per person.
The African Queen and the African Princess work the same golden stretch of river, and a booking with us places you on whichever vessel is sailing your evening. The format is the Livingstone classic: board in the late afternoon, drift the wide water above the Falls, and let the sun handle the closing act.
We treat the cruise as a door-to-door evening. POTUS collects you from your hotel, manages check-in at the jetty, and brings you home after dark — one WhatsApp thread from first enquiry to final drop-off.
What the cruise looks like
The boats sail the upper Zambezi, upstream of the 1,708-metre-wide curtain of Victoria Falls. For 2.5 hours the river does the entertaining: channels braid around islands, hippo announce themselves without warning, and the light moves from gold to copper to ember.
There is no commentary you must follow and no schedule beyond the sun’s own. Find a spot at the rail, settle in, and watch the far bank slide past at walking pace — this is the slowest, calmest version of the Zambezi you will meet in Livingstone.
Whether you board the Queen or the Princess, the evening keeps the same shape, and regulars argue happily about which of the two wears a sunset better. Our honest answer: the river is the star, and it performs for both.
What does the cruise cost?
Sailings start from K1,200 per person for the 2.5-hour cruise — the same starting rate as the Lady Livingstone, with the Lion King from K950 and the Radisson Blu cruise from K1,750 completing Livingstone’s sunset line-up. Rates are confirmed at booking and subject to operator availability.
Every booking follows our standard rhythm: you send the request, we return a personalised proforma quotation, and your confirmation locks the evening in. Payment is by bank transfer, mobile money or POS — we never ask for card details online.
Groups are welcome and rates are negotiable. Tell us your numbers when you enquire — weddings, corporate evenings and family reunions all fit comfortably on these boats, and the quotation will reflect the size of your party.
When should you sail?
Any month works, because sunset does not take leave. In the cooler middle of the year the ride home is brisk, so pack a layer; in the warmer months the first hour on deck rewards sunglasses and sunscreen.
If your Livingstone evenings are filling up fast, plan them as a pair. The Royal Livingstone Express — the steam train run by Bushtracks Africa — departs on Wednesdays and Saturdays with a five-course dinner and a sunset stop on Victoria Falls Bridge, so many guests cruise one night and dine on rails the next.
First evening in town after landing at Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport, ten minutes from the centre? A sunset sailing is the gentlest possible landing: no early start, no long drive, and you are back at your hotel in time for a proper night’s sleep.
What should you bring?
- A light jacket for the ride home
- Camera or binoculars for the riverbanks
- Sunglasses and sunscreen for the first hour
- Insect repellent for the water’s edge
- A relaxed sense of time
Two boats, one river, one sunset — the Queen and the Princess give Livingstone its most dependable evening.
POTUS Rentals & Tours
Dependable is the right word. Of everything we arrange in Livingstone, a sunset sailing is the one booking we have never had a guest regret, whatever the month and whatever the weather brought that day.
What is on board?
The African Queen and her sister the African Princess are broad, stable double-deck cruisers built for exactly this stretch of the upper Zambezi — wide walkways, a covered lower deck for shade and an open upper deck for the sunset. Drinks and snacks are included in the K1,200 per person rate, poured from the moment you board, and the two-and-a-half-hour sailing gives the light plenty of time to turn.
Both boats work year-round. The dry months from May to October concentrate the game along the banks, while the green season paints the biggest skies. POTUS holds seats on whichever vessel sails your date, arranges the transfer to the jetty, and can reserve a section of deck for a group or celebration — just say so when you request your quotation.
Livingstone hotel pick-ups are typically within fifteen minutes of the jetty, and your quotation folds the transfer into the cruise price so the evening is genuinely door to door. Children are welcome under supervision, and dietary preferences can be flagged in advance. For a wedding party, corporate group or milestone birthday, POTUS can arrange a private charter of either vessel — tell the concierge desk your numbers and the occasion and we will quote the exclusive-use option alongside the standard seats.
Book with POTUS
POTUS Rentals & Tours is Livingstone-born and concierge to the core — round the clock since 2018. Compare the full cruise line-up on our tours page, then request your personalised quotation on the booking page or WhatsApp +260 955 747 769. We confirm the boat, the transfer and the timing — you bring the evening.
