Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe - overlooking a waterhole

The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Zimbabwe is a truly delightful and natural accommodation near the Victoria Falls. Here you can sit on the balcony, overlooking a waterhole where the wild animals, such as buffalo and elephants, come to drink. Absolutely magical!

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From South Africa to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

At the end of our long journey in South Africa we flew from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We flew with the South African airline Airlink, and the journey took about three hours. Then we landed in a new country for us: Zimbabwe.

When you enter the country, you have to pay a fee, and this must be done in cash. When we were here, payment was only accepted in foreign currencies - primarily US dollars, but euros, sterling and South African rand were also acceptable. Pure luck (or some experience-based routine perhaps) that Peter had euros in cash in one of his bags ...

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

We went straight to our accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. It was thanks to Peter's granddaughter Alexandra that we ended up here. She had done a lot of research for the trip and wanted to really stay in this particular place. At first we thought the price was a bit over our budget, but we were persuaded, and we didn't regret it!

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is a fantastic place, which feels luxurious in a very natural way. The main building is built entirely of wood, in several floors, with a lovely African atmosphere.

View towards waterhole

All floors offer views of the African plains, and of the waterhole just outside the hotel. The waterhole is special because the animals come here to drink.

We saw a lot of different animals at the waterhole, but since I only had my mobile phone with me when we sat here (and not the system camera), it was difficult to capture on picture. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you that we saw kudus, impalas and buffalos.

In the evening we even saw a group of elephants coming to drink. The view of the waterhole really makes the lodge a magical place, and you can sit here at the view for hours.

Rooftop pool

There is also a rooftop swimming pool at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, where you can swim, lounge on sunbeds and enjoy the view, and maybe a drink.

Restaurants at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Buffalo Bar is open throughout the day and is a great place to grab a drink and maybe something simple to eat, such as lasagne or minced meat samosas (small deep-fried dumplings).

MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant is the slightly nicer restaurant in the hotel. We had dinner here twice. We don't need to say anything about the view, do we?

The menu ranges from appetising starters to main courses with meat, fish or vegetarian options. Desserts are of course also available, but by then we were too full ...

A little entertainment in the form of singing is also offered during the dinner.

Incidentally, this is also where you have breakfast in the morning. The buffet offers everything from bread and yoghurt to pancakes cooked while you watch.

There is also a breakfast menu to order from, where you will find both classic breakfast dishes and a few surprises such as the dish below, made with egg whites.

The Boma - Dinner & Drum Show is located within walking distance of the main building and also belongs to the hotel. This is not only a restaurant but perhaps primarily a experience, which requires a separate report.

Our house at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

So, how did we live? Well, we shared a house with Robin and Alexandra, a short walk from the main house. Or rather, we shared half the house in the picture below. In the other half lived three German guys who were super nice, and who had lots of interesting things to tell us about travelling in the rest of Zimbabwe. (Significantly more challenging than being in this tourist bubble, if we understood them correctly.)

The house was super cosy with two nice bedrooms, living room, patio and a view of all the animals that were constantly outside...!

Wildlife around Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

When you stay at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, you quickly realise that you are in the middle of the African wilderness. Every time walking between our house and the main building, we met animals. Sometimes we came across cute and playful mongooses (mongooses). Absolutely marvellous animals!

Other times we saw warthogs. At first we wondered if we needed to be careful, but we didn't have to. The warthogs are completely harmless.

We also saw monkeys. Lots of them! They hung and clung to the trees, skipped across the grass, sat by the side of the road and philosophised or came cautiously towards us and looked curiously ...

We also saw some kind of antelopes, but these stayed at a distance.

So there are no dangerous animals? Well, in fact, there are both lions and leopards in the wild around here, as well as elephants and water buffalo. These do not enter the hotel grounds thanks to fences, but you should not walk outside the area.

We also saw some of the hotel staff sweeping up something in the grass with high brooms. What is it, we wondered. Well, it was a snake ... If you live in the middle of nature, you do!

Feeding of vultures

Once a day, at 13:00, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge feeds the area's vultures with leftover bones and meat scraps from the restaurant. The aim is to help the vultures, which are endangered due to problems created by humans, and at the same time inform and sensitise visitors about the vultures' situation.

The guide took us to a place with benches and a roof, where we could watch the feeding. Here he also told us about the challenges the vultures face: electric shocks from power lines, loss of available food supply, direct and indirect poisoning, and the use of vulture body parts for traditional medicines.

The vultures know very well that the feeding is at 13:00. They start flocking already an hour before and the closer we got to the time, the more they became.

Then the clock struck one and the guide emptied a box of bones and meat leftovers at the "vulture restaurant". Now it became lively we can promise!

The food is not enough for everyone and it is only meant to be a snack. You don't want to interfere with the vultures' natural instincts to forage for food on their own, but just to contribute a little. A fascinating and interesting experience!

Excursions from Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is such a great place that you can easily hang out here all day. At the same time, of course, you want to see a little more when you are here. First and foremost, you are here to see the mighty Victoria Falls.

Here are tips on additional excursions and activities you can do in the area:

• Rafting in Zambezi River
• Guided tour of the rainforest, at the Victoria Falls
• Helicopter rides over the Victoria Falls
• Safari tours in Zambezi National Park
• Shopping for souvenirs in the centre or at the falls
• Sunset cruise above the waterfalls
• Trip by speedboat below the waterfalls
• Excursions to Zambia and Botswana
• Adventurous activities such as zipline, flying fox and canopy tour

We had a fantastic stay at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, which we will never forget!

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