Information
Situated on a plateau just 4km from the majestic Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the award-winning Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, surrounded by the wilds of Africa, offers an unforgettable experience.
The sunset-facing 72-room Victoria Falls hotel offers endless views of African bush stretching to the horizon, which includes a waterhole frequented by elephant, buffalo, kudu and other wildlife, as well as a rich variety of birds.
Rooms
Lodge Waterhole Facing Suite
Duplex with entrance lobby leading into sunken lounge and balcony with a view overlooking the waterhole and Zambezi National Park. Sunset Facing. Complimentary mini bar stocked with beer, wine, soft drinks and beer. There is a a guest toilet off the lobby and open plan staircase leading up to the bedroom which has an en-suite bathroom with separate bath and shower. All rooms are air-conditioned with ceiling fans in the bedroom and lounge. A roller bed for a child under 12 years can be prepared in the lounge of the suite.
Lodge Waterhole Facing Rooms
The Lodge Waterhole Facing Rooms have a balcony with a view overlooking the waterhole and the Zambezi National Park and are sunset facing and have a bathroom with a rain shower and mini bar. Three of the Lodge Waterhole Facing Rooms can accommodate a roller bed for a child under 12 years of age. These rooms can be made up into a king or twin configuration. All rooms are air-conditioned and also have ceiling fans.
Lodge Standard Room
The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Standard Rooms all have a balcony with a view overlooking the Zambezi National Park. The rooms are furnished with double or twin beds and have an en-suite bathroom with a rain shower and mini bar. All rooms are air-conditioned and also have ceiling fans.
Facilities
MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant
The award-winning MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is not to be missed. The restaurant is widely-known for its impeccable service, exquisite meals and fine selection of South African wines.
The restaurant is decorated with an African safari flair and just the right atmosphere in which to relax and relive the day’s animal sightings.
The international a la carte menu also includes popular dishes with a local flair like Warthog Fillet and Impala Loin as well as Kudu fillets, and for the more adventurous, smoked crocodile pasta. Meals are all beautifully prepared with only the freshest ingredients.
The split-level restaurant overlooks the lodge’s on-site watering hole that is often frequented by buffalo, elephant, warthog, antelope and colourful birdlife – the views alone guarantee a memorable meal. The view over the African bush at sunset is one not to be forgotten.
As the restaurant is very popular bookings are essential.
MaKuwa-Kuwa is open every day for breakfast (06h30- 10h00), lunch (12h30 – 14h00) and dinner (19h00 – 22h00). The dress code is smart-casual. Summer evenings are warm, so light clothing is ideal, but winter evenings (June – August) can be chilly, so patrons are advised to bring a warm layer or two.
Dinner guests are encouraged to be seated by 19h30 to enjoy MaKuwa-Kuwa’s resident acapella group’s beautiful African songs.
MaKuwa-Kuwa is also available for private parties of no more than 100 guests, provided that most of the guests are resident at either the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Safari Club, Victoria Falls Safari Suites or Lokuthula Lodges. All bookings for private parties can be done through the functions manager or reservation office.
Buffalo Bar
Bask in the last few rays of sun from the Buffalo Bar balcony, as you watch the animals at the waterhole from your barstool.
Situated below the MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant at the award-winning Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the open- plan Buffalo Bar is the perfect spot to unwind after a fun-filled day with a sundowner.
Like the waterhole itself, Buffalo Bar is the central hub of the area, with guests enjoying themselves all throughout the day and the evening. Enjoy cocktails here before going to dine at the Makuwa-Kuwa Restaurant upstairs, and come back down after dinner for drinks in the warm, convivial environment. The bar is also a convenient place to grab a light lunch in between your scheduled activities. Choose from a variety of salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes. Top beer brand Heineken named Buffalo Bar one of the Great Bars of the World, and as well as the magnificent views of the Zambezi River and pristine bushveld, you will find the staff to be warm, hospitable and professional. Buffalo Bar also has a wide drinks selection and fantastic house specialties and cocktails.
The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show
When you’re planning the itinerary for your Victoria Falls holiday be sure to include an advance reservation at the often fully-booked restaurant, The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show.
From the moment guests arrive at seven o’clock, they are immersed in the vibrant atmosphere. Tantalising aromas of local dishes and game meat on the barbeque fill the restaurant, which is partially open to the surrounding forest and the night skies. Staff members are warm and hospitable, offering traditional delicacies to guests as they enjoy the warm African evening.
The starter menu is influenced by local ingredients and offers a unique selection of dishes, including Nyimo Beans, groundnuts, Kariba Bream (Tilapia) with smoked crocodile, and deep-fried Kapenta (Tanganyika sardines from Kariba).
The Boma specializes in traditional African food, and the main course buffet offers mouth-watering grilled ostrich, buffalo curry, suckling pig on the spit, guinea fowl, game stew, kudu steak and even warthog fillet! There are also good vegetarian options, with bush and garden vegetables galore. There is something for everyone. If you are brave, you can try out a dried Mopane Worm on offer, and don’t forget to claim your certificate as proof.
Diners are treated to outstanding performances by traditional singers and dancers, and thrilled by a dramatic medicine man who will throw bones for you and tell your fortune. There is also traditional storyteller who entertains guests with folklore tales.
The food is cooked and served in the style and quantity of a lavish feast, including irresistible desserts, so prepare to eat your fill! If you’ve overindulged, though, don’t worry – you can work it off in the energetic drumming circle that starts at nine o’clock, which usually turns into an even more energetic dance party. If that isn’t your cup of tea, the restaurant also has a lively bar, and a relaxed lounge area for you to while away the rest of your evening chatting away.
Activities
Siduli Hide – Hide Sits
Situated on the edge of the waterhole at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the Siduli Hide offers guests a chance observe wildlife in a unique way.
A suitably trained and qualified Professional Guide escorts guests into the hide, which is designed to look like a termite mound. This involves a short walk (5 minutes) from the lodge to the hide. Once hidden within, guests wait for a variety of mammal, reptile and bird species to visit the waterhole to quench their thirsts or to sample minerals at the nearby salt-lick.
We recommend early morning and late afternoon trips to the hide. Times will vary slightly with the seasons, but we normally meet set off for the hide at 0615hrs and at 1615hrs in the afternoons.
Time spent in the hide will vary, but we sell it as a minimum of a two hour sit. We confirm on 2 guests and currently we can take a maximum of 6 guests. No children under 16 years allowed (unless special permission is granted).
In the morning, clients will be offered tea/coffee at Vic Falls Safari Lodge, before going into the hide. In the afternoon, we will include soft drinks, mineral water and a limited amount of beer (people need to be in a sober state due to close wildlife interactions). Ideally, the pickup times should be 15 minutes prior to the departure times above.
Please note that due to seasonal changes and the fact that this is an authentic wild experience, we cannot guarantee wildlife sightings. Saying this, the drier it gets, the more chance there is of having some very good close up encounters!
Further points to consider: Guests must be able to sit quietly for long periods of time and should not suffer from claustrophobia! Due to the possibility of close interactions with wildlife, this experience is not for the faint-hearted! This activity is ideal for photographers, small groups and wildlife enthusiasts, who are after a ‘non-touristy” experience.
Vulture Culture Experience
All guests at the resort, as well as visitors to the Lodge are invited to enjoy this daily educational activity affectionately referred to as the ‘Vulture Culture’ experience.
This program is for guests at the resort, as well as visitors. It focuses on the ecological importance of raptors and scavengers in order to maintain and to build an overall awareness of conservations issues these birds face. By educating about the feeding habits and conservation of vultures, we are not only creating awareness of the conservations issues that faces these birds, but benefiting their living environment within the area.
The experience occurs daily at 1300hrs in front of the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, and lasts approximately 30 minutes.
The activity is great for photography and bird identification, and to date is thoroughly enjoyed by guests and visitors.
At 12:45hrs, our resident guide gathers the guests sitting at the Buffalo Bar to join him to head to down to the feeding area. Carcasses from The Boma dinner the previous night are thrown out to attract circling vultures. This is an amazing experience as there is activity in the sky at 1245hrs and by 1300hrs – it is heaving with over 100 vultures and other birds of prey.
Sunset Cruise
Sit back, relax and soak up the last rays of the African sun as you gently drift along the Zambezi River above the Falls with a gin and tonic in hand and enjoying delicious snacks. Look out for elephant, hippo, crocodile, magnificent birds and other wildlife.
The finale of the cruise is the unforgettable sight of the sun setting over the Zambezi River, turning the sky into a myriad of reds, oranges and pinks and casting shadows and silhouettes all around.
Game Drives
There is no better way to explore the African bush than on a guided game drive in an open safari vehicle. We offer drives in the early morning and late afternoon, allowing you to choose to do this activity when it best suits your itinerary.
As well as numerous bird species, wildlife that may be seen on the game drive, taken through Zambezi National Park, includes elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and other antelope.
Helicopter Rides
Sign up for an unrivaled and breath-taking bird’s-eye view of the majestic Victoria Falls and surrounding areas.
There are three different types of flights that depart regularly throughout the day – a 15-minute flight takes you above the Victoria Falls, a 22-minute flight also takes you over Batoka Gorge and the Zambezi River, while a 25-minute flight includes game viewing opportunities over the Zambezi National Park.
Victoria Falls Rainforest Guided Tour
Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest curtain of falling water in the world, can be enjoyed from the Zimbabwean side of the Falls 365 days of the year.
On this tour you will be accompanied through the Rainforest by a qualified guide who will give a brief history of the Falls, as well as detailing the flora, fauna and other points of interest. Stop at lookout points along the way to marvel at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Lunar Rainbow tours are available during full moon nights.
White Water Rafting
Arguably the wildest white water in the world, rafting the mighty Zambezi River is the ultimate adrenaline rush. The Zambezi rapids are officially defined as Grade 5 (Grade 6 being commercially un-runnable).
The rafting experience begins at 7am when you are collected from your hotel.
Save some energy for the steep walk out of the gorge at the end of an action-packed morning, where an ice cold coke or beer and a well-earned lunch awaits you.
Adrenaline Highwire
Be daring and test your limits with the high wire activities from the ‘Look-Out’, set on the spectacular cliffs of the Batoka Gorge, just 300m from the Victoria Falls.
Experience a collection of mind-blowing extreme adrenaline activities – the gorge swing, zip line, flying fox, as well as a canopy tour, which is suitable for families and children from the age of six years.
