Tourism Update recently visited the Victoria Falls Safari Club in Zimbabwe, courtesy of Africa Albida Tourism (AAT). A 2.5-hour flight on fastjet, which focuses on southern and East African destinations, with a stop in Harare, brought Tourism Update to the home of the world-renowned Victoria Falls – and home of the recently-refurbished Safari Club.

Overlooking the Zambezi National Park, the Safari Club offers guests views of the landscape with a waterhole in front of the balcony. Tourism Update spotted warthog, waterbuck, bushbuck, banded mongoose and a variety of birdlife from our balcony.

The refurb added a swimming pool exclusively for Safari Club guests and extended the restaurant and deck area, allowing guests to enjoy meals at the Club without needing to venture any further. The main dining area is a spectacular spot for guests to gather and enjoy drinks as the sun sets over the Zambezi National Park.

The Safari Club is on AAT’s Zimbabwe estate, which is home to a range of accommodation types with the Safari Club being the most exclusive. The Safari Lodge, a 72-room hotel, the mid-range Victoria Falls Safari Suites and self-catering Lokuthula Lodge make up the other properties on the estate, which is also home to the Buffalo Bar and Makuwa-Kuwa Restaurant at the Safari Lodge.

Michele Vickery, Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator for AAT’s Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, says: “With the new restaurant at the Safari Club, guests at the Club now have four dining options on our estate alone.”

The estate also offers hourly shuttles into the town for guests who would like to explore. Vickery adds: “Our self-catering guests at Lokuthula can buy ingredients to cook or take-away meals in town, catch the shuttle back to their room or chalet and enjoy their meal overlooking the National Park.”

Also on the property is The Boma, home to a popular dinner and drum show where guests are given the chance to explore local foods including warthog, guinea fowl and Zambezi bream as well as try their hand at drumming and dancing, all accompanied by The Boma band. The Boma also offers hair braiding, face painting and fortune telling by a local sangoma (spiritual medium).

A guided tour of the Victoria Falls is highly recommended. Our guide, Aleck Zulu was born in the town and has lived there his whole life. His father was a guide and stonemason for the National Park and Zulu was able to point out the pathways his father had built.

Zulu suggested that guests have a better view of the Falls from the Zimbabwean side. “From the Zimbabwean side we have a view of the Main Falls all year around. In Zambia during the dry season the section of the Falls visible from that side dries up and guests are left looking at a dry river bed and the Falls far away in the distance.”

Along with Zulu, the staff at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate are the highlight. Vickery says: “Some of our staff have been here since the estate first opened more than 25 years ago. Some members of staff have worked their way up to management positions and all our staff have a passion for the area and for Zimbabwe.”

From the number of visitors at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate and in the town itself, it is evident that the area has capitalised on the recent boom of visitors to Zimbabwe. Newly appointed Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate General Manager, Dustin Kennedy, believes that a lot of growth has been related to the recent airport expansion. “Our numbers continue to grow and we are seeing this progress all across the town. There are a number of airlines flying direct to the airport and this opens us up to new markets.”

Kennedy concluded that Victoria Falls was central to tourism in the southern and eastern Africa region. “With flights being added all the time it is really amazing that if someone wanted to, they could have breakfast in Nairobi, lunch at the Victoria Falls and dinner in Cape Town.”