Best hotels in Victoria Falls

When "new beginnings" is both the meaning of your name and your daily reality, you're onto something special. Tucked on a pristine island in the mighty Zambezi, this intimate eight-tent camp offers that rarest of safari experiences: complete isolation but still with a good dose of luxury. Reached only by boat after a game drive through Zambezi National Park, the lodge is sheltered by centuries-old baobabs where elephants occasionally pop by for breakfast. Between sundowner cruises, guided canoeing adventures, and game drives teeming with elephant herds, you'll discover why it can boast about having David Attenborough-level guides...

Just five kilometres from the thundering Victoria Falls, Insika Lodge is beautifully situated in a safari-style wilderness of mopane woodland where warthogs and antelope casually wander past the infinity pool. The lodge's elevated wooden walkways and expansive decks maximise the woodland views, whilst the on-site spa, fine dining, and complimentary shuttles to the Falls ensure you're never far from either relaxation or adventure. With its own waterhole viewing deck and prolific birdlife, plus easy access to Victoria Falls' famous adrenaline-fuelled activities, it's perfectly positioned for those who want their creature comforts without sacrificing an authentic African experience.

Just thirty minutes upstream from the iconic Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side of the Zambezi, Matetsi River Lodge sits on a quiet stretch of river within an enormous private game reserve. It's an extraordinary setting for this newly refurbished lodge, which serves up tranquility and adventure in equal doses. From your riverfront cottage, enjoy watching the birdlife flittering around the water below, or head into the reserve for an excellent selection of game. And then of course, there's the star of the show, Victoria Falls, a sight that David Livingstone once said was, "a scene so lovely it must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." Sounds good to us!

Bayete Guest House is located just three kilometers from the heart of the historic town of Victoria Falls and the best vantage point from which to view the mighty Falls itself (locally known as Mosi-oa-Tunya - "the smoke that thunders"). More than a mile wide, straddling the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the falls boasts several impressive statistics, though one needn't quantify its supreme beauty or the experience of watching the Zambezi River dive into the First Gorge. This relatively small, well-managed family-run guest house offers convenience and guidance to help travellers make the most of an area that can often feel overwhelming for its dizzying range of options. It's good to note that a visit here is best between May and October when the water flow isn't so heavy as to shroud the falls.

Matetsi River House is a safari on your own terms (we like it already!) Set on the private Matetsi Reserve next to its sister camp, Matetsi River Lodge, the 8-person house has the best of both worlds - a private butler, chef and guide, and access to all the facilities of the lodge, including the swimming pool, spa and wine cellar. A 30 minute drive will take you straight to the Falls and the plethora of heart-stopping activities that go with it, but if you fancy staying closer to home, there's lots to keep you busy on the reserve, from walks to boating trips to fishing. That's what we call a holiday.

Lokuthula (meaning, "place of peace") has large grounds and comfortable accommodation options, offering a restful mid-range retreat within easy walking distance of the world renowned Victoria Falls. The lodge is surrounded by indigenous bush, allowing you to enjoy some decent wildlife viewing and a wide variety of birds directly from your doorstep. Two and three-bedroom chalets, set amongst lush, treed gardens, can be booked on a self-catering or a bed and breakfast basis. There are some good in-house activities to keep you interested while you're not busy with the many other things to do in and around town, but the best feature of the lodge is without doubt its three-tiered palm-fringed swimming pool looking over a magnificent waterhole that attracts wildlife from far and wide.

The sweeping, double-story grass thatched structure of A'Zambezi River Lodge is surrounded by extensive lawns and set right on banks of the Zambezi River, above the magnificent Victoria Falls. More like a mid-sized hotel than an intimate lodge, it has eighty-seven rooms and a large central garden with a swimming pool. It is well-positioned to take advantage of the town of Victoria Falls and its multitude of activities; the fact that guests can embark on a river cruise directly from the lodge itself is a major benefit. A magnificent mile-wide waterfall straddling Zimbabwe and Zambia, Victoria Falls needs little introduction. There are several ways to experience it, offering guests varying degrees of adventure. A visit between May and October is optimal.

The owners of popular Bayete Guest Lodge, set in a quiet neighbourhood outside the town of Victoria Falls, have opened a sister lodge called PheZulu. It's a vibrant retreat with a tranquil atmosphere and, like Bayete, lies just three kilometres from the falls and all the action they bring. The best way to take on this imposing icon is to strike at it from many sides, experiencing everything from rapturous (and damp!) views to adrenalin-pulsing pursuits in the gorge. You must visit Vic Falls at least once in your life and PheZulu is the perfect base to catch your breath again.