Thorntree River Lodge

Thorntree River Lodge stands on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi, upstream of Victoria Falls near Livingstone. It has 12 suites on the river. We use it to finish Zambia & Zimbabwe, after eight nights of walking in South Luangwa and Mana Pools, when the pace can drop and the river can do the work.

Early one morning you set out by canoe with your guide as the sun comes up. The water is quiet and wide, and you have it to yourselves.

On another day your helicopter approaches the Falls from upstream at eye level. It holds above the midpoint while the full width of the Zambezi drops away below you into the gorge, and the spray comes up past the windows. You see the shape of the whole thing in a way you cannot from the ground.

The rest of the time is the lodge and the river in front of it. After the walking camps it feels like a long exhale.

It suits travellers ending a walking safari, and anyone who wants the Falls from the quieter Zambian side of the river. Four nights here is generous, and that is the point.

A Cessna Caravan flies you west along the Zambezi from Mana Pools. When you leave, an Embraer Phenom 300 takes you to Johannesburg for your international departure in about two hours.

Good to know

• The Zambezi valley is a malaria area. Speak to your doctor before you travel.
• The Falls carry the most water around March to May, when the spray can hide the view from the ground. The helicopter sees it either way.
• Coming in from Zimbabwe means a border crossing. We handle the paperwork before you land.

Country: Zambia