The best place to stay in Victoria Falls really comes down to the kind of trip you are after. Wild Horizons has four lodges here, and no two of them offer the same stay. One sits on the banks of the Zambezi River, inside the Zambezi National Park. One stands on a private ridge above a wildlife sanctuary. One is a tented bush camp tucked into a private reserve, and one is a boutique lodge in the heart of town. This guide walks you through all four, who each one suits and how they combine, so you can settle on the right Victoria Falls accommodation for your trip.
In short
Where to stay in Victoria Falls, in short. We run four lodges at Victoria Falls, each suited to a different kind of trip.
- Old Drift Lodge. All-inclusive luxury tented suites on the Zambezi River, inside the Zambezi National Park. Best for a first safari, game viewing from the water, and honeymooners.
- The Elephant Camp. All-inclusive luxury suites on a private ridge above the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary, with Batoka Gorge and Victoria Falls views. Best for families and multi-generational trips, and conservation-minded travellers.
- The Wallow Lodge. An intimate, all-inclusive tented bush camp in a private reserve within the Victoria Falls National Park. Best for quiet seclusion.
- Waterfalls Lodge. A boutique bed and breakfast lodge in the heart of Victoria Falls town, walking distance from the Falls. Best for a flexible town base and shorter stays.
The four lodges at a glance
| Lodge | Setting | Style | Well suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Drift Lodge | Zambezi riverfront, inside Zambezi National Park | All-inclusive luxury tented suites, private plunge pools | River lovers, honeymooners and couples, a first safari, game viewing from the water |
| The Elephant Camp | Private ridge above the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary | All-inclusive luxury suites, plunge pools, gorge and Falls views | Families and multi-generational groups, conservation-minded travelers, views |
| The Wallow Lodge | Private reserve on the Masuwe River, Victoria Falls National Park | All-inclusive, intimate tented bush camp | Quiet bush seclusion, couples and small groups |
| Waterfalls Lodge | Heart of Victoria Falls town | Boutique lodge, bed and breakfast | A town base, shorter stays, flexibility |
Old Drift Lodge: the river
Old Drift Lodge is a luxury tented lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River, upstream of the Falls and inside the Zambezi National Park. Tented, but a long way from basic. Each suite is air-conditioned, with a private plunge pool and a deck that opens straight onto the water. This is an all-inclusive safari, and a good deal of it happens on the river. You sit at eye level with elephant, hippo and the birdlife of the Zambezi on river safaris and cruises, with game drives in the national park alongside. At around four and a half kilometers from Victoria Falls, it is close enough for the town, the Falls and the airport, and far enough to feel like true wilderness. The river setting suits first-time safari-goers who want their game viewing made easy, and there is a quiet romance to it. Private plunge pools, sunset cruises on the Zambezi and the raised star beds of the Star Suites make it a lovely choice for honeymooners, and for couples drawn to water rather than dust. Family suites are here too, for those travelling with children over seven. If a riverfront lodge at Victoria Falls is what you have in mind, Old Drift is our answer.
The Elephant Camp: the ridge and the sanctuary
The Elephant Camp stands on a private ridge above the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary, looking out across the Batoka Gorge, the Victoria Falls and the distant spray of the Falls. Sixteen all-inclusive suites, each with a private plunge pool and a deck facing the wilderness, are spread across Main Camp and Camp West. Days here are easy to fill for every age. Game drives into the Zambezi National Park, unhurried time with the resident elephant herd, a guided walk near the Falls, and long evenings on the deck. The herd and the sanctuary bring wildlife close, in the kind of gentle, up-close way that stays with children as much as adults. Not everything happens from the game drive vehicle, either. The canopy tour sends them out over the gorge on ziplines and walkways, active and outdoors, and a guided village tour is a chance to step out of the safari for a morning, to meet people, ask questions and learn a little of how life is lived here. For a lot of children that human side of the trip, the meeting and the learning, is the part they carry home. Standard suites welcome children from seven, and family suites take two adults and two children. For families travelling together across the generations, Camp West can be taken on an exclusive-use basis, which opens it to all ages and gives a family the run of their own private camp. What sets the lodge apart runs deeper still. It is built on a working sanctuary, and a portion of every stay helps fund its anti-poaching unit and the care of the wildlife that lives here. The Elephant Camp suits families and multi-generational groups, conservation-minded travelers, and anyone who wants the view and the meaning in equal measure. Or read the story of the camp and the sanctuary.
The Wallow Lodge: the quiet bush
The Wallow Lodge is a small, all-inclusive tented camp in a private reserve on the Masuwe River, within the Victoria Falls National Park and surrounded by several thousand acres of bush. It is the quietest of the four, about twenty minutes from the Falls, and seclusion is rather the point. A handful of tents, wildlife at the water, and the stillness of the bush at dawn and dusk. Wallow suits couples and small groups who want the bush largely to themselves, and travelers happy to trade a few minutes of proximity to town for real peace.
Waterfalls Lodge: the town base
Waterfalls Lodge is our boutique lodge in the heart of Victoria Falls town, within walking distance of the shops, the restaurants and the Falls themselves. It is bed and breakfast rather than all-inclusive, which keeps things flexible. You choose your activities and your meals as you go. Waterfalls suits shorter stays, travelers who want a town base with everything on the doorstep, and anyone after comfort and location without a full safari package
How to choose, by the kind of trip
- A first safari with easy game viewing: Old Drift Lodge, where much of the wildlife comes to you on the river.
- A honeymoon or a romantic escape: Old Drift Lodge, for the Zambezi River, the private plunge pools and the raised star beds.
- A luxury tented lodge inside a national park: Old Drift Lodge on the Zambezi, or The Wallow Lodge in the Victoria Falls National Park.
- A family or multi-generational safari: The Elephant Camp, with family suites and the exclusive-use option at Camp West that welcomes all ages. Old Drift Lodge also has family suites for children over seven.
- Quiet bush seclusion: The Wallow Lodge, the most private of the four.
- A flexible town base or a shorter stay: Waterfalls Lodge, walking distance from everything.
- Conservation at the heart of the trip: The Elephant Camp, where every stay supports the sanctuary.
Why many guests combine two
Because the lodges are so different, a great many guests stay at more than one. A few nights on the river at Old Drift and a few on the ridge at The Elephant Camp gives you both the water and the wide view, and since all four lodges are ours, moving between them is simple, with transfers and activities across Victoria Falls handled from end to end. That pairing is one we have built into our set lodge specials and packages, which combines nights at Old Drift and The Elephant Camp with a choice of signature activities. If you are still weighing when to come, our guide to the best time to visit Victoria Falls breaks the seasons down month by month. And when you are ready, our reservations team can help you pair lodges around your dates. Send us your dates.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the trip. For a riverfront safari, Old Drift Lodge offers all-inclusive luxury tented suites on the Zambezi River inside the Zambezi National Park. For views and conservation, The Elephant Camp sits on a private ridge above the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary. For quiet seclusion, The Wallow Lodge is a tented bush camp in a private reserve. For a flexible town base, Waterfalls Lodge is a boutique lodge in the heart of Victoria Falls town.
Waterfalls Lodge is the closest, in the heart of town within walking distance of the Falls. Old Drift Lodge is around four and a half kilometers away on the Zambezi River, The Elephant Camp is a short drive from town, and The Wallow Lodge is about a twenty-minute transfer.
Old Drift Lodge sits on the Zambezi River inside the Zambezi National Park, and The Wallow Lodge is within the Victoria Falls National Park. The Elephant Camp runs game drives into the Zambezi National Park from its private concession above the wildlife sanctuary.
For a riverfront stay, Old Drift Lodge offers all-inclusive luxury tented suites on the Zambezi with private plunge pools. For an intimate bush setting, The Wallow Lodge is a small, tented camp in a private reserve. Both are all inclusive.
The Elephant Camp is well suited to families, with family suites for two adults and two children from age seven, the resident elephant herd and wildlife sanctuary close at hand, and activities that get children out of the vehicle, like the canopy tour over the gorge and a guided village visit. For families travelling across the generations, Elephant Camp West can be taken on an exclusive-use basis, which welcomes children of all ages. Old Drift Lodge also has family suites for children over seven, and Waterfalls Lodge, in town and on a bed-and-breakfast basis, suits families who prefer a flexible base.
Old Drift Lodge is a lovely honeymoon choice, for the Zambezi River, the private plunge pools and the raised star beds of its Star Suites. The Elephant Camp is a beautiful alternative, for the ridge views over the Batoka Gorge. A Honeymoon Special is available at each.
Old Drift Lodge is hard to beat for river and land safaris inside the Zambezi National Park, with much of the wildlife viewed from the water. The Elephant Camp offers game drives into the Zambezi National Park and the sanctuary around the camp, with wildlife moving freely through the property.
Yes, and many guests do. Because all four lodges are run by Wild Horizons, combining two is straightforward, and our reservations team can arrange the transfers and activities between them.
Find your lodge
Four lodges, four very different stays, and one team behind all of them. Explore each lodge on its own page or see them side by side on our accommodation pages and browse our current specials and packages. When you are ready, send our reservations team your dates and the kind of trip you have in mind, and we will help you find the right Victoria Falls lodge for you. View all lodges or enquire now.
