Victoria Falls River Lodge

Victoria Falls River Lodge is where we end a southern African journey when the last stop should be the river. The suites are tents built on decks in the trees above the Zambezi. You wake to the water and the birds, and you sleep to hippo.

The afternoon you arrive, a helicopter takes you to the Falls. It comes in low over the Zambezi from upstream, following the water past the islands. Then the river stops. The whole width of it drops away into the gorge in front of you, the spray rises past the windows and your pilot holds the aircraft at eye level with the edge.

The next morning you set out at sunrise in a canoe with your guide, with the river quiet and the banks full of kingfishers and egrets. The rest of the day is unhurried: the pool, the view, a sundowner on the water.

It suits couples finishing a golf safari and families who want everyone together on the river. For grandparents who would rather not fly, we drive them to the rainforest path on the Zimbabwe side, the closest you can get to the Falls on foot.

On Victoria Falls & the Lowveld a Pilatus PC-12 flies you from the Sabi Sand, clearing customs at Kruger Mpumalanga International, then north across the Limpopo. On the family journey you come from the Okavango, by light aircraft to Maun and a jet on to Victoria Falls. An Embraer Phenom 300 takes you home.

Good to know

• 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.
• The Zambezi valley is a malaria area. Speak to your doctor before you travel.
• The rainforest path on the Zimbabwe side has wheelchair access to the main viewpoints.

Country: Zimbabwe