The top of the Victoria Falls market competes with anywhere in Southern Africa, and in a few cases beats it.
What you get at this level
Position. The best properties are on the Zambezi upstream of the falls, on the edge of the Batoka Gorge, or backing onto national park land where game walks past at breakfast. Position is most of what you are paying for.
Space. Larger rooms, private decks, plunge pools, and considerably fewer people around them. Some of the tented camps have a dozen rooms in total.
Everything included. Usually all meals, often drinks, frequently a daily activity and a resident guide. The nightly rate looks higher and often is not, once you have added up what you would otherwise pay separately.
Service. Someone remembers how you take your coffee.
Kinds of property
Riverfront tented camps. Canvas, but not roughing it. Proper beds, en-suite bathrooms, a deck over the Zambezi and often a plunge pool. Elephants do walk through.
Gorge and cliff lodges. Built into the escarpment with long views over the gorge and the spray, generally with the best dining terraces in town.
Grand hotels. The colonial-era properties, with high ceilings, gardens, terraces and a certain amount of history.
Boutique and design-led. Small, modern, carefully done, often better value than the big names.
Worth knowing
Rates at this level move sharply with season, and the best rooms at the best properties go a long way out. If you are travelling between June and September, book early.
Ask what is included before comparing prices. An all-inclusive rate and a room-only rate are not the same number.
We do not publish other properties’ rates because they change constantly. Tell us your dates and we will get you current pricing across several options.
