Eight canvas tents line the south bank of the upper Zambezi, inside Zambezi National Park in western Zimbabwe, each built for two, with its own private deck facing the river. Downstream, the spray of Victoria Falls rises in the distance. Closer at hand, each deck has its own plunge pool and daybed, and a bath that fills under open sky.
Downstream, the spray of Victoria Falls rises in the distance.
The camp sits a short boat ride downstream of its sister, Victoria Falls River Lodge, yet it keeps its own company. Raised walkways run between the tents and a lounge, dining room and sunset bar that belong to Malachite alone. The tents are spaced well apart along the wooded riverbank, thatch roofs drawn over canvas, glass and timber, each with its own stretch of the river.
Both lodges belong to one family. Its founder paddled the Zambezi with friends in his youth, and in 2012 he opened the main lodge inside the park. Malachite followed a decade later. Work began in November 2022 and guests arrived eight months later. Local crews built it, fitting the tents around existing trees and reusing timber gathered on site inside the suites.
The malachite kingfisher, small and bright, fishes along this bank.
Designer Jena Gradwell and architect Neil Smith took curves and metallic accents from Art Deco, and texture from matepe poles, grass baskets and rattan. The malachite kingfisher, small and bright, fishes along this bank. The lodge named the camp for the bird, whose glossy, metallic colouring suited the Art Deco design. Arched windows frame the river, and slatted skylights pattern the rooms with light.
Zambezi National Park covers around 56,000 hectares along the river, and Malachite occupies a stretch of it right at the water’s edge. Game drives leave in the morning or the afternoon in search of elephants, buffalo, lions and leopards, and of the sable antelope, large and dark, with horns that sweep back. Each day guests choose two outings from the drives and the cruises, all of them by daylight, and the evenings are left to the camp. Then the bar and the private decks look out onto the Zambezi, moving quietly past below.
Birdwatching needs no separate outing, since the decks sit right at the river’s edge. The river cruises take guests further out, leaving at sunrise and again at sunset on the upper Zambezi, the reach of river above the falls, with snacks and local drinks on board. It is the same water the founder paddled with friends in his youth, seen now from the deck of a boat as the light comes up or goes down over the bush. The camp can be reached by boat along the same river or by road, and by road it lies only a short drive inside the national park gate.
From the plunge pool the falls are a column of spray; on foot they are close enough to hear.
Each day a run into town leaves at around ten in the morning and comes back at about three, and it includes a tour of the falls, on foot through the rainforest. From the plunge pool the falls are a column of spray; on foot they are close enough to hear. Guided walks in the park and fishing on the Zambezi can be added, and the camp arranges transfers to the park gate or the jetty for activities run by other operators. Arrivals at the airport are met and driven to the park gate, then on through the park itself to the camp.
Meals are served in the camp’s own dining room, with afternoon tea before the second outing of the day and cocktails at the sunset bar once it is over. Town is only a short drive away, yet the walk to bed after dinner follows a raised walkway through national park bush. Inside, above the bed hangs a deep green canopy edged in reed-like timber, its netting patterned like grassland and doubling as the mosquito net. Beyond the netting, the sounds are the river and the trees moving above the thatch.
accommodation
Each of the eight canvas-and-thatch tents is built for two guests aged twelve and over. A California king bed, or twins on request, faces the river, cooled by air conditioning and fans, with Wi-Fi. Inside, the open-plan bathroom has indoor and outdoor showers. Outside, the deck holds a plunge pool, a daybed and an outdoor bath.
activities
Morning and afternoon game drives in Zambezi National Park look for elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards and sable, all by day. Sunrise and sunset cruises run on the upper Zambezi above the falls. A daily run into town includes a tour of the falls. Birdwatching is constant from the decks, and guided walks and Zambezi fishing are extras.
conservation
In January 2018 the lodge's owners opened a free preschool in the Zambezi National Park staff village, for the village's children aged three to five. Qualified teachers follow Zimbabwe's early childhood curriculum, with outings and computer lessons at a town primary school. Guests can give from the school's wishlist.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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our approach
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