Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Day Itinerary

On arrival in Victoria Falls you will be met at the airport and transferred to your lodge. In the late afternoon you will enjoy a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, the perfect start to your trip.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Resting on the southern banks of the Zambezi River at the western end of the eponymous falls, this popular tourist town is compact enough to walk around and makes an ideal base for travellers exploring the seventh wonder of the world, the unfathomably vast Victoria Falls. About two thirds of the falls can be viewed from the Zimbabwean side and, while the falls are undoubtedly the star attraction, the area provides both adventure seekers and sightseers with plenty of opportunities to warrant a longer stay. Popular activities include scenic flights over the falls in helicopters or micro lights, bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge, white-water rafting (seasonal), and day trips to Chobe National Park. The town itself offers some excellent accommodation and restaurant options as well as an eclectic variety of African curios and authentic art sold by friendly Zimbabwean locals who are wonderfully welcoming and eager to help you enjoy your stay.

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Activities

The Zambezi Explorer
MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant

The Zambezi Explorer

Zambezi Explorer Cruise Company is an up-market cruise business in Victoria Falls. Our flagship vessel, The Zambezi Explorer is a three deck luxury vessel where guests can choose from an exciting range of beverages and cocktails as well as a selection of delicious snacks. Zambezi Reflections our “floating restaurant” offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner cruise options.Our standard cruise products are supported by our intimate Kalunda boat which is perfect for small parties up to 6 or for tour groups or series Ma Robert can take a max of 60 guests. We offer unique river cruise experiences on the Zambezi river. For riverside functions, our jetty Explorer’s jetty is the perfect venue for weddings, gala dinners and private functions.

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’s decor is luxurious, with a traditional Africa safari flare 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 flare like Pumba 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 (07h00 – 10h00), lunch (12h30 – 14h30) 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.

The restaurant’s decor is luxurious, with a traditional Africa safari flare 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 flare like Pumba 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.

Overnight: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Built on a plateau overlooking the Zambezi National Park, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is just 4km from the majestic Victoria Falls and offers a unique wildlife experience.

We’re proud to have been voted Best Safari Lodge/Resort Hotel in Zimbabwe for 20 consecutive years and look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful destination. Our staff are warm and personable, and will ensure your holiday is hassle-free.

Built of thatch and timber, the lodge rises several levels, giving the impression of a vast open-plan tree house. Our rooms all have private balconies, most of which overlook a central waterhole, offering the opportunity to observe herds of buffalo, elephant and kudu, as the sun goes down, and hyenas later in the evening.

Dining

Dining options include the a la carte MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant, the more casual Buffalo Bar and The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show.  The Boma Café, set in a tranquil garden setting and located close to the Lokuthula Lodges, offers breakfast and light meals until 4.30pm.

Included

Full Board and Activities

Day 2:
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Day Itinerary

This morning you will enjoy a guided tour of the Victoria Falls. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, you might decide to take part in one of the many optional activities offered in Victoria Falls – we can highly recommend a scenic “Flight of Angels”, helicopter flip for an aerial view of the Falls.

In the evening you will enjoy dinner and a drum show at The Boma. Your lodge offers the best sunset in Victoria Falls after the sunset cruises, the Buffalo Bar overlooks the waterhole, enjoy some pre-dinner drinks here.

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Activities

Buffalo Bar
The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show
Hide Sits
Game Walks

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.

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 with smoked crocodile, and deep-fried Kapenta (Tanganyika sardines from Kariba).

The Boma specialises 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.

Hide Sits

Our onsite guide can take you on a walk down to the Hide, which overlooks the waterhole. This is an amazing opportunity to have an up-close experience with game and is brilliant for photos.

Game Walks

Enjoy hours in the sunshine, learning about the African bush and wildlife. Walks generally depart at 06h15 and you will return at about 14h30.

Included

Full Board and Activities

Day 3:
Ngoma Safari Lodge, Chobe River Front

Day Itinerary

This morning after a relaxed breakfast you will be transferred over the Zimbabwean border and into Botswana, to your lodge situated on the Chobe River. Activities on offer here include game drives in the Chobe National Park and game viewing by boat on the Chobe River.

Chobe River Front

The Chobe River forms the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park, renowned for its diverse and abundant game viewing opportunities. This section of the park is best known for its dense concentration of wildlife including elephant and hippo populations, but the waters attract all manner of game including large herds of buffalo and the lions that prey on them. A visit to this area guarantees close encounters with an array of African wildlife. Visitors can look forward to some exciting activities such as: driving along the game-dotted river banks in a 4WD; cruising along the river in a motorboat, spotting rare birdlife and for a unique, luxury safari experience, hire a houseboat.

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Activities

Game Drives
Game viewing by boat

Game Drives

Game Drives – (there are over 75 species of mammals). Day drives are into Chobe National Park and night drives are on the concession.

Game viewing by boat

Boat cruising on the Chobe River

Overnight: Ngoma Safari Lodge

Located in the Chobe Forest Reserve just 3km from the Chobe National Park (a region renowned for its outstanding wildlife, in particular the famous Chobe Elephants, and home to more than 75 mammal and 450 bird species), Ngoma Safari Lodge commands awe-inspiring views over the Chobe River and floodplains.

The lodge’s central area includes a well-appointed sitting room, dining room and bar area as well as a plunge pool.  Each private river-facing suite offers quiet refuge, and is one of only eight luxuriously styled and spacious lodges, each complete with bath, indoor and outdoor showers and a private outdoor living area with a “refresh and relax pool”.

Due to its location in the Chobe Forest Reserve, the lodge can offer night drives. Activities include a full day safari comprising a drive in the Chobe National Park, a cruise and a picnic lunch, day or night drives, walks and birding.  Visits to the local village may also be arranged.

Ngoma Safari Lodge, developed with the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust, is committed to making a sustainable difference to the local communities and their environment.

Included

Fully Inclusive

Day 4:
Ngoma Safari Lodge, Chobe River Front

Day Itinerary

A full day of safari activities.

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Activities

Full day Safari
Birding

Full day Safari

A full day Safari includes cruising on the Chobe River, driving within the Chobe National Park and a delicious picnic lunch and drinks

Birding

There are over 450 species to be spotted

Included

Fully Inclusive

Day 5:
Kadizora Camp, Okavango Delta

Day Itinerary

Today you will be transferred to Kasane Airport for your charter flight to the Okavango Delta.

Game Drives in an open safari vehicle allows you to explore some of the varied vegetation this World Heritage site has to offer. Drive through semi-desert sands, dense Mopani woodlands and marshy floodplains. The area is home to a vast species of game elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, red letchwe, impala, honey badgers, hippos and crocodile, to name a few. The region is also home to countless resident and migratory birds and birdwatching is particularly favourable when the Delta waters arrive in February and dry up in late September.

Night drives provide for some of the most dramatic and unusual game viewing.  The advantage of a night drive is that they provide access to nocturnal species rarely seen during the day. Hippo, Bush Babies, Chameleon’s, Aardvarks and Leopard are more active after dark, and there is a greater probability of seeing them hunt at night.  A night drive Safari has a unique and exciting atmosphere as nocturnal animals are bolder than during the day. This increases your chances of witnessing that elusive Leopard. Experience the exhilaration of sitting in the middle of a herd of elephants in the moonlight, or the thundering sound of buffalo hooves in the darkness.

Okavango Delta

Situated in the northwestern corner of Botswana, the Okavango Delta is a World Heritage Site as it is the largest inland delta in the world. The magnificent Okavango River sprawls out over the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert forming this flourishing waterlogged oasis featuring countless meandering waterways and crystal clear lagoons studded with water lilies, as well as fertile floodplains and reeded islands inhabited with abundant wildlife. The Okavango Delta stretches over 15000 square kilometres. Visitors can enjoy a number of wonderful activities such as game viewing, fishing, bird watching or taking an authentic guided Mokoro excursion through this wetland paradise in a traditional dugout canoe. Commonly spotted animals include: lion, rhino, leopard, giraffe, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and countless species of bird.

Activities

Okavango Delta

Okavango Delta

Situated in the northwestern corner of Botswana, the Okavango Delta is a World Heritage Site as it is the largest inland delta in the world. The magnificent Okavango River sprawls out over the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert forming this flourishing waterlogged oasis featuring countless meandering waterways and crystal clear lagoons studded with water lilies, as well as fertile floodplains and reeded islands inhabited with abundant wildlife. The Okavango Delta stretches over 15000 square kilometres. Visitors can enjoy a number of wonderful activities such as game viewing, fishing, bird watching or taking an authentic guided Mokoro excursion through this wetland paradise in a traditional dugout canoe. Commonly spotted animals include: lion, rhino, leopard, giraffe, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and countless species of bird.

Overnight: Kadizora Camp

The northern areas of the delta feature larger expanses of savannahs punctuated by lagoons and tributaries, and it is on the banks of one of these that a magnificent site has been selected for Kadizora Camp. Beneath a majestic stand of trees and along a peninsula, commanding uninterrupted panoramic vistas of the delta, the camp has been set out to afford each luxury tent absolute privacy.

Kadizora presents 10 luxury tents, each with generous living spaces, and surrounded by sophisticated furnishing, making time between exciting wildlife experiences comfortable and tranquil. In addition to open vehicle and walking safaris, mokoro excursions will provide the ideal position from which to explore the endless flow of rivers and tributaries, this tranquil experience permits close encounters with an abundance of bird and wildlife. The camp is reached after a short 40 minute flight from Maun, and Maun is connected to the major hubs in South Africa and Zimbabwe making access relatively seamless.

Included

Fully Inclusive

Day 6:
Kadizora Camp, Okavango Delta

Day Itinerary

Kadizora Camp is fortunate to have traditional mokoros (dug-out canoes) which glide through the Delta water channels and provide an opportunity to view the aquatic wildlife from a close vantage point. The crystal, clear waters are filtered by large papyrus reed beds and is clean enough to drink.

From the safety of a motor boat you can see crocodiles basking in the sun and pods of hippo wallowing in the lagoon. Your skipper will navigate the waters to ensure the best bird sightings possible.

In the fishing season you can go out in the boat and try your hand at fishing with spinners – typically you may catch pike, barbel and bream. The Camp cooks will fillet your bream catch on your return and prepare it for your next meal!

On a bush walk, one would have the opportunity to observe the smaller things, such as fauna and flora, that one would not see on a game drive. Our knowledgeable guides will talk to you about animals tracks, bush skills and natural remedies used by the locals.

Trips into the Gunotsuga community can be arranged. See a truly traditional village and learn about life in rural Botswana.

Included

Fully Inclusive

Day 7:
Kadizora Camp, Okavango Delta

Day Itinerary

This is the only area in the Okavango Delta to offer hot air ballooning.

Your Hot Air Balloon Safari begins with an early morning departure from Kadizora Camp, driving through the floodplains to the balloon launch site. On this pre-dawn safari, you may be fortunate enough to see sightings of nocturnal wildlife. On arrival at the launch site, you will be served tea or coffee, while the balloon is being rigged and inflated ready for your flight.

After a welcome greeting by the pilot, you are ready for take-off. As the balloon is fired up, drift away across the flood plains, watch the sunrise and the animals waking to begin their day. Upon landing, celebrate your flight with champagne and snacks and receive your first flight certificate from the pilot before heading back to camp.

Hot air ballooning is available on request during the peak season for April – September.

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Activities

Hot Air Ballooning Okavango Delta

Hot Air Ballooning Okavango Delta

A hot air balloon ride is an experience of a lifetime and offers a whole new perspective of your environment giving you an opportunity to see, smell and hear your surroundings in a completely different light. Ballooning offers an element of adventure, a unique feeling of freedom and, in wildlife areas, often enhances your safari experience with additional possibilities for wildlife sightings.

Included

Fully Inclusive

Day 8:
Departure

8 Days Botswana and Victoria Falls Luxury Safari Itinerary

Today you will have another charter flight to Maun for your onward travels.

Itinerary Terms and Conditions

Minimum of 2 passengers.

Excludes Certain Block Out dates – Available on Request

Children is considered from 2 years till 12 years old

Infants 2 years and under