The Camp

Location: Livingstone, Zambia
Number of Rooms: 12

What a setting! Tongabezi combines exclusive ambience with the legendary warmth and hospitality of its Zambian staff. Each house and cottage overlooking the Zambezi River has its own valet/concierge who takes personal care of guests throughout their stay. The unique residences, all individually furnished, are decorated in pan-African style with en-suite bathrooms and magnificent views. The sprawling Tonga Lounge, dining and cocktail decks hug the river’s edge while The Lookout, an elevated open-air lounge built out over the river itself, provides a sense of being at one with the mighty waterway. The views are unparalleled, and separate levels offer private places for relaxing. The on-site spa offers a wide array of lavish treatments. Dining at Tongabezi is an indulgent experience – enjoy meals beside the river or on your private terrace, a lazy breakfast in bed, or on Sampan floating down the river where courses are delivered by canoe. After dark, lanterns light the riverfront terraces, enhancing the already-romantic atmosphere.

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Facilities & Amenities

• En suite bathroom with tub
• Hair dryer
• Air conditioning
• In-room safe
• Central plunge pool
• Private plunge pool in some houses
• Wi-Fi in room
• Laundry included
• Local drinks included

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Wildlife Viewing & Activities

There is no set pattern to days at Tongabezi. Guests can do as much or as little as they wish. Myriad activities available in the Victoria Falls area can all be arranged, from helicopter flights over the falls to whitewater rafting and sunset cruises. Book a traditional wildlife drive or bush walk to encounter the region’s many species, from prolific baboons and warthogs to buffalo, elephant, giraffe and white rhinoceros. Birdwatchers will be thrilled at the variety of species along the river and its islands. Of course, Victoria Falls itself is a major highlight—view it on foot within the national park, from inside the gorge, from the air or on a thrilling boat trips to Livingstone Island, where David Livingstone caught his first view of the mighty falls. Other options include candlelight dinner cruises, canoeing on the Zambezi, a day trip to Chobe National Park, fishing, bungee jumping, visits to nearby villages and markets, horseback riding and golf.

Wildlife can be viewed in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Livingstone, Zambia, and can sometimes be found surrounding the camps dotted along the Zambezi River. The below chart helps to illustrate major wildlife sightings often experienced here. Other typical sightings may include bushbuck, vervet monkeys, baboons, banded mongoose and a number of other mammals, birds and reptiles. Exact sightings will depend on seasonality and wildlife movements.

Climate

Conservation

Tongabezi practices many aspects of environmental stewardship, from recycling water for irrigation to burning only sustainably produced wood. An organic garden produces most of the vegetables used in the lodge’s cuisine. Tongabezi also contributes in many ways to the wellbeing of its community, especially with schooling for children and AIDS education for adults. The Tongabezi Trust School provides education for local rural Zambian children. A high-protein lunch is served to every student and teacher each day. The school is actively engaged in promoting environmentally friendly practices, and uses recycled uniforms, books and supplies. Students plant and cultivate their own vegetable garden, and one teacher is earning an environmental science degree. Ten percent of all the revenue collected from Livingstone Island, which is managed and maintained by Tongabezi, goes to the local Mukuni community to build houses for teachers and classrooms for children.

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