The Tongabezi Experience
Part 2 in an amazing journey that covers Livingstone the Lower Zambezi National Park ending it all off with a South Luangwa safari
Tongabezi Lodge is a privately owned and run lodge located in the most amazing and tranquil setting further upstream on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls.
Accommodation consists of a selection of houses and cottages, each beautifully furnished using local materials. An added touch is that guests can choose to dine beside the river or on their private terrace.
You can choose to just relax or make the most of the many activities that will keep you busy for several days. Inclusive activities are sunrise and sunset boating, a guided walking tour of the Zambian side of the Falls, fishing, a game drive in Mosi-oa-Tunya Game Park, guided museum tours, a visit to the colourful markets and Simonga village. For the romantics out there, a must is the private candlelit dinner which you can enjoy whilst floating under the stars on the Zambezi.
Watch out for those hippos! We were warned not to venture outside alone after dark because of the resident hippos, which had slipped my mind until I heard the scuffling in the bushes right next to my chalet. It seems I was located at their favourite sundowner hole! Tregger, my valet, eventually came to my rescue so I could enjoy my delicious dinner.
One of the highlights of my stay at Tongabezi Lodge was the Livingstone Island Excursion, where you are given the opportunity to swim on the edge of the Victoria Falls (Zambian side). This is definitely "bucket-list" material and something everyone should try and do at least once in their lifetime.
After signing what seemed like our lives' away - there is an indemnity form you are required to sign, but at the end of the day if you listen to your expert guides you will be fine - we were taken on a short boat ride from the Royal Livingstone Hotel to the banks just near Devil's Pool. You are guided across the river, which involved a short burst of a swim to the rocks, where you then have to jump into this tiny pool - Devil's Pool - which sends all the adrenaline soaring through your body.
You are only allowed about 15 minutes in the pool before you return to the shore and sit down for a delicious eggs benedict brunch!
Sindabezi Island Camp is Tongabezi's sister camp - is located on a private island about a 20-minute boat ride from Tongabezi. Accommodation consists of five open-sided thatched cottages offering uninterrupted views across the flood plains of the Zambezi, and into the nearby National Park.
In the late afternoon after our arrival, we enjoyed a very relaxing sundowner boat cruise before returning to our alfresco dining experience under the stars!
Sindabezi is the ideal getaway for small groups or families travelling together, but also very popular with Honeymooners and couples alike. Sindabezi offers such a relaxing setting, making it the perfect destination for those looking for a quiet getaway. Very popular - and highly suggested - is combining Sindabezi with a stay at Tongabezi Lodge.
Before we left Victoria Falls and made our way into the Lower Zambezi, we were taken on a visit to the Tongabezi Trust School, which was set up by Vanessa Parker (the wife of Ben Parker, who owns Tongabezi) previously a volunteer teacher in Livingstone.
The school opened on the 1st May 1996 and provides education to the Tongabezi staff children, as well as children from the local community, in an area where educational funding and materials are scarce. The school has also recently attained charity status and is completely funded by donations, is currently supporting over 160 students. I highly recommend popping into the school for a visit, which Tongabezi Lodge will gladly help arrange.
The Tongabezi Experience, a stay at one of Africa's most loved safari experiences.
Travel To Zambia Now
Map of Lodges in and around Zambia
Lodges And Camps In Zambia
King Lewanika Lodge
King Lewanika Lodge is Time + Tide's tented lodge on the open grasslands of Liuwa Plain National Park in western Zambia. Six canvas-walled villas look over the plain from raised decks, including a two-bedroom family villa. Game drives by day and night, guided walks and seasonal canoeing take you out among the wildebeest, hyena clans and birdlife of this remote corner of Zambia.
Kaingu Lodge
Kaingu Lodge is an owner-run lodge on a remote stretch of the Kafue River in the Namwala Game Management Area, directly opposite Kafue National Park. A ten-minute boat ride takes you across to game drives in the park, while the lodge side of the river offers boat cruises, canoeing, fishing, birding and walks among the channels, rapids and islands.
Busanga Bush Camp
Busanga Bush Camp puts you right on the Busanga Plains in the far north of Kafue National Park, with herds of puku and red lechwe grazing in front of camp. It is a small, comfortable tented bush camp built around the wildlife: game drives across the floodplain by day, night drives to find the plains' nocturnal side, and birding that rewards anyone who packs binoculars.
Ila Safari Lodge
Ila Safari Lodge sits on the banks of the Kafue River inside Kafue National Park, a riverside base for exploring one of Zambia's great wildernesses. Wake to hippo calling from the water, head out on game drives through woodland and dambos, and return to a lodge built with sustainability at its core. A superb choice for the river half of a Kafue safari.
Fig Tree Bush Camp
Fig Tree Bush Camp is an intimate four-tent camp on the Shishamba River in central Kafue National Park, named for the giant fig that shades its dining boma. Each tent stands on a platform about 3 m high, looking over a sandy lagoon on one side and open grassland on the other. Expect game drives, guided walks and campfire dinners under the stars. Sister camp to Mukambi Safari Lodge.
Busanga Plains Camp
Busanga Plains Camp is a small, intimate tented camp out on the vast Busanga Plains in northern Kafue National Park. The floodplain around it carries red lechwe and puku, and the predators that follow them, so game drives are rarely short of drama. Sister camp to Mukambi Safari Lodge and Fig Tree Bush Camp, it pairs beautifully with a river stay further south.
Shumba Camp
Shumba Camp stands on a tree island in the middle of the Busanga Plains, in the far north of Kafue National Park, and takes its name from the lion prides that hunt the plains. Six tents raised on wooden platforms sit beneath fig trees with sweeping views, and a pool cools the heat of the day. Game drives, night drives, boat trips when water lies on the plains, and hot-air balloon flights round out the activities.
Mukambi Safari Lodge
Mukambi Safari Lodge sits on the banks of the Kafue River in Kafue National Park, a relaxed base where the river is as much a part of the safari as the bush. Choose between game drives, guided walks and sunset boat cruises, then unwind with an open-air bath under the stars. Sister lodge to Fig Tree Bush Camp and Busanga Plains Camp, it links easily with a stay deeper in the park.