Where to stay in Zimbabwe

What is the accommodation like in Zimbabwe?

Victoria Falls is a small and quaint little town with plenty of options so you can choose something to suit your family, be it a simple local guesthouse in the suburbs, or a plush lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River. We love the 528 Guesthouse, a charming upscale boutique hotel with exquisitely decorated rooms, an enticing pool, and a wonderful rooftop terrace.

Going up a notch, the fabulous Victoria Falls River Lodge sits right on the banks of the Zambezi and is a classic safari lodge. If you want to feel immediately immersed in the African experience, this is ideal as you can be sipping sundowners watching a herd of elephants within a couple of hours of stepping off your flight!

Once you set off on safari in either Zimbabwe or Botswana, one of the highlights for families is the first experience of a tented camp – there is nothing quite like unzipping the canvas in the morning to be greeted by views of rolling savannah and grazing zebra or a waterhole with resident hippos! But don’t think camping in terms of blow-up mattresses on the floor and trudging to an ablution block! Tented Camps in Zimbabwe are of a very high standard and you will have proper beds, loads of space and en-suite bathrooms.

There are also beautiful lodges to stay at. These tend to have cottage or chalet style rooms usually spread out amongst the grounds, with a communal “mess” area where you’ll find the restaurant and lounge, a perfect place to relax at the end of the day and swap stories of your wildlife sightings with other guests.

Several of the lodges and camps have pools but it’s not unusual for the elephants to have taken these over! All will have a gorgeous campfire setting for the evenings. Here you can sit with a hot chocolate or a G&T whilst stargazing and listening to the sounds of the bush – those lion roars are usually further away than you think!

Less important than in other safari destinations, is the need to think about the location of your camp or lodge since all of our suggested places to stay will be inside the national parks. Zimbabwe has an unusual system of having private concessions within their National Parks and so you are always guaranteed a prime location for wildlife sightings.

If you are feeling adventurous then we can suggest a fabulous camp that is more wild where you can experience that true back-to-nature bush lifestyle – complete with outdoor bucket showers!