At one o’clock each afternoon, the vultures come down. They drop in on the estate for the Vulture Culture feeding and talk, which is free to guests. When the light goes, the waterhole below is floodlit. Elephant and buffalo come in to drink, kudu and waterbuck among them, and they keep coming through the night.
When the light goes, the waterhole below is floodlit.
The Club is a small private wing on a plateau beside Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe, looking across unbroken bush to the sunset. The deck looks out over the waterhole, so the animals are part of the day as much as the night. The Falls are four kilometres off, near enough to visit and far enough that the bush still has the last word.
Every one of the Club’s twenty rooms and suites is step-free, with no steps to manage. That makes it a natural fit for couples, older travellers and anyone who finds steps difficult. Each room opens onto a private verandah or balcony facing the bush. The Club has its own reception and dining room, a game-viewing deck and a two-tiered pool.
The Siduli hide gives a closer view of the waterhole than the deck.
Butlers look after guests, and the small comforts are taken care of, with afternoon tea, sundowners with canapés, a daily-restocked minibar and laundry all included. The restaurants, bars and spa of the larger lodge, and The Boma, are a short walk away. The Siduli hide gives a closer view of the waterhole than the deck. Children under ten are not accommodated.
In 1999 Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the larger neighbour whose restaurants and spa lie a short walk from the Club, joined a local safari operator and conservationist, Charles Brightman, in founding the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit. Its scouts patrol the area around the Falls. The Club contributes to that work, so the elephant and buffalo that come to the floodlit waterhole after dark are, in a small way, part of what a stay here helps to protect.
The Vulture Culture feeding brings the birds down at one o’clock, and it supports the protection of the vultures that gather for it. They come back every day. The talk that goes with it is free to guests, and it is worth staying for. Guests can lend a hand before they even arrive, too. Through Pack for a Purpose, they pack the supplies that have been requested, and a little spare room in a suitcase becomes something useful on the ground.
Mornings and late afternoons bring the animals to the water, and the deck faces the sunset.
The Falls are about four kilometres away, and a courtesy shuttle runs to the Rainforest entrance and on into town. The Club works as a base for the Falls without being in town, and the bush stays right at its door. Everything else is booked through the estate’s activities desk. A guided tour brings guests close to the Falls, and a helicopter flight shows them from above. On the Zambezi there is a sunset cruise, and for anyone wanting something wilder there is white-water rafting, or the Batoka Gorge high wire for those with a head for heights.
Game drives go into Zambezi National Park, and that is where the longer wildlife outings take place. Back at the Club, the game comes to you. Mornings and late afternoons bring the animals to the water, and the deck faces the sunset. Whether the day was spent at the Falls or out on the river, guests come back to the same view each evening, the light going down over the bush while the floodlights wait for the night shift at the water.
accommodation
Sixteen Club Rooms and four Club Suites, all step-free, each opening onto a private verandah or balcony. Each room has mosquito nets and a bath. Air conditioning, a Nespresso machine and a digital safe come as standard, and the suites add a separate lounge.
activities
A guided Falls tour, Zambezi sunset cruise, helicopter flight over the Falls, game drives in Zambezi National Park, white-water rafting and the Batoka Gorge high wire are all booked through the estate's desk. On the estate there are the Siduli hide and the daily Vulture Culture feeding and talk at one o'clock.
conservation
The Club supports the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, founded in 1999, whose scouts patrol the area around the Falls. Vulture protection runs through the daily Vulture Culture feeding and talk, and guests can bring requested supplies through Pack for a Purpose.
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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Fly into Victoria Falls International Airport, about 18 kilometres south of the town, then take a short road transfer to the Club. Scheduled flights come in from Johannesburg on Airlink, South African Airways, FlySafair and CemAir, from Cape Town and Nairobi on Kenya Airways, from Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines and from Windhoek on FlyNamibia, with domestic links from Harare and Bulawayo.
If you are coming on from a safari in Botswana, Hwange or the Zambezi Valley, we can put in a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12, landing at Victoria Falls International Airport at the hour that suits you. You can also come by road from Kasane and the Chobe, or fly into Livingstone on the Zambian side and cross the border by road.
Rooms are on a bed and breakfast basis, with several extras folded in. Each day brings afternoon tea with pastries, then sundowner cocktails and canapes on the deck, and the minibar is restocked daily with local beer, house wine, soft drinks and water at no charge. Laundry, Wi-Fi, a Nespresso machine and the butlers' private check-in and check-out are included too.
The estate's courtesy shuttle runs to the entrance of the Victoria Falls Rainforest and into town. Lunch and dinner in the Club's restaurant, meals at the larger lodge next door and at The Boma, and every activity, from the Falls tour to the helicopter flight, are extra. National park fees are charged per person for each activity in the park.
It is the small, quieter wing of the estate. The Club has twenty rooms against the main lodge's seventy-two: sixteen Club Rooms and four Club Suites, each with a balcony, a bathtub and two beds that join into a king, and suites add a sitting room and take a third guest. It has its own reception, butlers, dining room, game-viewing deck and a pool kept for Club guests alone.
Children under ten do not stay at the Club, which keeps it calm, and the rooms have no steps, which makes it the better choice for anyone who finds stairs difficult. Nothing is lost by choosing it: the larger lodge's restaurants, the Buffalo Bar, the spa and The Boma dinner and drum show are a short walk away.
A good deal without leaving the estate. It sits on a plateau looking west over Zambezi National Park, and the waterhole below draws elephant, buffalo, kudu, waterbuck and impala at any hour, floodlit after dark. The Siduli hide brings you close to the elephant and buffalo as they come to drink, and there is a separate hide for birdwatching.
At one o'clock every day the estate runs Vulture Culture, a free half-hour feeding with a talk on why the birds matter. Hooded and white-backed vultures are the usual visitors. For more, morning and afternoon game drives go into Zambezi National Park itself.
Yes. Victoria Falls lies on the Zambezi below 1,200 metres. TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, rates the Zambezi valley a malaria risk all year and recommends antimalarial tablets there; elsewhere below 1,200 metres it rates the risk as high from November to June and low from July to October. Low risk is not no risk. The American CDC recommends antimalarial tablets for travellers to every part of Zimbabwe.
We are travel planners, not medical professionals, so the decision about tablets sits with you and your doctor or a travel clinic, best made with your dates in front of you. Every room at the Club has mosquito nets and insect repellent.
June to September suits most people. The weather is dry and mild, the spray has dropped enough for clear views of the Falls, and the dry season draws game to the Zambezi. September and October bring the strongest heat.
April and May are when the river runs at its fullest. The roar and the column of spray are at their most dramatic, though the spray can hide much of the view. December to March is the green season, hot with afternoon storms, but the bush is at its greenest and the migrant birds are in. The Club is open all year.
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
