For more than one-hundred-and-twenty years, The Victoria Falls Hotel has welcomed royal families, statesmen, celebrities and others to one of the most storied destinations on the African continent.
It also welcomes ordinary travellers like me, but arriving there today in an airport shuttle bus doesn't have quite the same ring about it. Still, that doesn't stop me from feeling the thrill that some of those more celebrated guests must have felt in times gone by, as they were driven up the long driveway to the grand entrance.
Affectionately known as "The Grand Old Lady of the Falls," the iconic hotel provides a private walkway to the falls themselves, the spray from which can be seen and heard from the expansive grounds of the hotel.
History
The Victoria Falls Hotel was built immediately after the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls railway line was completed in April 1904, when the country was still a British colony known as Rhodesia.
It was originally constructed as a temporary wood‑and‑iron railway hotel built by Rhodesia Railways to house engineers working on the Victoria Falls Bridge and the northward rail extension. It opened on 8 June 1904 with simple elevated structures and soon took in early travellers as well.
The hotel was rebuilt during World War I, replacing the temporary structures with permanent brick buildings. A new central wing and two side wings opened in 1917 and still form the core of the hotel today.
The Victoria Falls Hotel became the first major tourist hotel north of the Limpopo, supporting the Cape‑to‑Cairo railway vision. Thomas Cook & Sons promoted excursions to the falls as early as 1904, shrewdly anticipating the rapid tourism growth which of course followed.
It quickly became a premier destination for travellers and dignitaries, hosting royal guests and providing a venue for political events including Rhodesia's unilateral and illegal declaration of independence from Britain in 1965. The country became known as Zimbabwe when it gained Internationally recognised independence in 1980.
The hotel has maintained its Edwardian architectural style, featuring broad verandas, arched loggias, and manicured gardens, while undergoing renovations to blend colonial grandeur with modern luxury.
Location
The hotel is located just outside the town of Victoria Falls at number one Mallet Drive. It sits atop a ridge overlooking the Batoka Gorge, also known as the Second Gorge, carved by the Zambezi River immediately downstream from Victoria Falls.
The property offers panoramic views of the Victoria Falls Bridge, a steel arch bridge completed in 1905 that connects Zimbabwe to Zambia. The hotel is approximately 1.5 kilometres from the entrance to Victoria Falls National Park, providing easy access to the waterfalls and surrounding rainforest.
The adjacent area includes the conjoined Zambezi National Park, home to diverse wildlife such as elephants, hippos, lions and crocodiles. The smaller rainforest area of the Victoria Falls park is fenced to keep these critters out, but smaller mammals that can climb over or burrow under can be found there.
This private pathway to the falls rainforest and proximity to the town centre make the Victoria Falls Hotel a unique base for exploring the natural wonder. Its historical and cultural importance is recognised through awards and accolades for hospitality excellence, including recognition from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and international travel publications.
Accommodation
The hotel has 140 rooms ranging from standard to premium, and nine suites. The 44-room Stables Signature Wing is particularly suited to families and groups. It has its own courtyard, private lounge and check-in area, with direct access to the front lawns; the hotel also advertises complimentary afternoon tea/pastries and a massage voucher for special guests in this wing.
Rates vary wildly so check with your usual booking service or the hotel's own website.
Around the hotel
We established a routine during our stay. First, breakfast at Jungle Junction, a delightful open-air venue situated just beyond the swimming pool. Then either:
- wandering the grounds
- walking down to the national park and the falls
- walking into town
- taking a tour
before returning to the hotel for dinner.
The hotel has several distinctive dining options: Jungle Junction – not just a breakfast venue but an open-air/thatched-style restaurant serving buffet meals and including its Africa Spectacular entertainment program of tribal dance every night.
The Livingstone Room – the hotel's formal fine-dining restaurant, offering a degustation menu and à-la-carte dining, with an extensive wine selection. It is the most formal of the hotel's dining venues.
Stanley's Terrace – an attractive terrace overlooking the Victoria Falls Bridge and falls spray. It is used for light meals, drinks and the hotel's traditional afternoon tea.
Pool-side bar/dining – the Edwardian pool has an open-air cocktail bar that also serves an à-la-carte lunch.
Not ready to eat? Then head for Stanley's Bar – a classic hotel bar and pre-dinner meeting place, for cocktails, gin and tonic, wine or whatever takes your fancy.
Conference and meeting facilities
The hotel's dedicated conference offering is relatively small and intimate rather than a large convention centre. Its published fact sheet identifies two principal venues: the Pullman Suite – with a capacity of up to 40 delegates; and the Centenary Room – capacity of up to 18 delegates.
This makes the property particularly appropriate for executive meetings, incentive groups, small conferences, private functions and board-level gatherings rather than very large conferences.
Grounds and outdoor setting
One of the property's major attractions is its extensive landscaped setting, rather than simply the hotel building itself. The grounds include large lawns and mature gardens, the distinctive Edwardian-style swimming pool, poolside gazebos and outdoor dining areas, the Stables Signature Wing's central courtyard and front lawns, a conservation garden highlighting the area's flora and fauna, and all with views towards the Victoria Falls Bridge and falls spray.
Throughout the grounds, baboons and warthogs roam freely around the lawns and buildings as though they were guests at the hotel. The baboons are constantly on the alert for food and are not averse to some petty theft to get it.
On one occasion we saw a baboon enter a room through a window carelessly left open by a guest. When we informed a staff member he was horrified, obviously imagining the chaos and destruction he would find.
The hotel's location also makes it convenient for activities around Victoria Falls. Excursions that can be arranged at extra cost include game drives, river cruises, fishing, hiking and wildlife experiences, white-water rafting, canoeing, helicopter flights, zip-lining and other adventure activities. An 18-hole golf course is also available by arrangement.
There is complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and grounds.
Getting there
Victoria Falls International Airport is the main gateway to the town, the hotel and the falls on the Zimbabwean side. Alternatively, you can arrive at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (formerly Livingstone International Airport) on the Zambian side and get a transfer to the hotel.
Either way, if you intend to visit both countries and if you need a visa for either country, you should consider obtaining a KAZA Univisa when you first arrive.
The Univisa is issued on arrival in either country and allows visitors to travel between Zambia and Zimbabwe multiple times within a 30-day period. It's also valid for day trips to Botswana via the Kazungula border post.
It costs US$50 – cheaper than individual single- or multi-entry visas – and it's best to have cash available as not all entry points have working credit card facilities. It can also be purchased online from the Zambian and Zimbabwean governments. If you do this, make sure you purchase it from the country that you intend to enter first.
More information
Victoria Falls Entrance - prices, times and what to expect
Photos © Judy Barford