My friend and I stayed at Tongabezi for one night (too short!!), to celebrate my 30th Birthday. We had the most amazing stay, and I highly recommend lodging at Tongabezi! The staff were very forthcoming, super friendly, and we had some great conversations around the bonfire during the night. The views at Tongabezi are also stunning, and we enjoyed a lunch on deck, and dinner with the beautiful African sunset in the background at night. We were blown away by the rooms (yes, we had several!), and wish we could've stayed longer to explore all the opportunities that Tongabezi offers. I can't recommend this place enough, and I'll be sure to book my next stay here once I am back in Zambia. They also cooperate with a local school, and I'd recommend that you check out their gift shop - to support the school, but also local NGOs.…
Even though this was my first time visiting the African continent, a feeling of arriving home came upon me as I set foot on the beautiful terrains of Tongabezi. The way the lodge is set up provides a unique sense of cosiness, while still having loads of space to roam around the premises and discover the Zambezi river and the spectacular wildlife it accommodates. The lodge is characterised by having different levels, loads of trees in which you can spot little vervet monkeys, and many different main areas from where you can witness a breathtakingly beautiful sunset, or where you can sit around the fire meeting other guests if you wish to do so. As for the accommodation, we stayed in the Nut House as well as one of the chalets. While the Nut House has its own private pool and is more spacious than the chalets (especially the bathroom is rather astonishing), the chalets are incredibly charming, cosy, and form a little sanctuary in an already magical place. Both are decorated with exquisite taste, and radiate warmth and a homely atmosphere. Then the staff: they were ever so lovely, and what surprised me most was that they were so sincere in their hospitality. Sometimes when you go to restaurants or stay at hotels, you can sense that the staff is merely being professional and that being friendly is part of the job. At Tongabezi, however, it was clear that all the staff, from the drivers to the waiters to the chefs, were really being themselves and they were always in for a chat. They were so thoughtful too, making sure your every need was met before you even realising you needed something. A last thing to mention is that while Tongabezi is a place where one could most definitely come into complete relaxation, there is adventure in abundance. From rhino walks to bungeejumping to stunning views of the Victoria Falls – experiences that will last you a lifetime are guaranteed.…
When going on holiday somewhere new you never know what to expect, you ask yourself, is it going to be as you imagined, or as reviews and photos indicated? When speaking about Tongabezi, it exceeded my expectations. When you walk into the main building, you are greeted with a friendly hello and taken on a tour of the lodge. The first thing you see is the amazing view of the Great Zambezi River from the deck, and this is where you first realize that your holiday is going to be amazing. You are then taken to see the tranquil dining area and then shown your room. We stayed in the Garden house, which was our own private area where we had a pool, a lawn, two rooms and a shared living area. The Tongabezi lodge does have other rooms that are also amazing! These include the Tree house and the Bird house. On our first day after arriving, we went on a cruise on the Zambezi where we saw a variety of animals, from hippos to alligators to the Pied king fisher and an African fish eagle, all guided by our trusted Captain Felix! We then proceeded back to the lodge where we were met by our host, Chris who informed us what was served for supper. For supper we decided on a medium rare steak, with a choice of a side dish, that was made by one of the chefs at the Lodge, Henry. While we stayed at the Tongabezi I can honestly say that the food was exquisite. Every meal was on point, with each one making the experience so much better. The following few days we went to see the Victoria Waterfalls which is an amazing sight. We also did the white water rafting where you go through the rapids on the Zambezi River itself. We visited Victoria Island where you go swimming in the angel pools and stand on the edge of the Victoria Waterfalls. We also spent a night on Sindabezi island, which is only accessible via boat. This was one of my favourite experiences because it is between Zimbabwe and Zambia. At night while sitting around a fire, made by the staff on the island, having a drink, smelling the nature, hearing the wildlife around you, looking up and seeing the milky way after having another amazing meal made by Henry, you realize that you are exactly where you are meant to be. To me it was more than a holiday, it was an experience, something that I will always have with me, a place in my memory where I can go to and nostalgically remind myself that one day, I will be back at Tongabezi Lodge to experience it all over again.…
We went to Devil's pool at Victoria Falls with Tongabezi. The guys were really helpful and took good care of us and made sure we were safe all the way through. They were really professional. We can only recommend to this trip with Tongabezi. We got a good breakfast afterwards.
Tongabezi is one of the most incredible places we have ever stayed. We consider ourselves experience travelers having been to over 50 countries worldwide. When it comes to travel we love authentic access to nature with creature comforts that weave in luxury. This place sets the standard that all other travel destinations should aspire to be. Our trip to Africa included three weeks and six countries. After enjoying an amazing experience at Tongabezi we were disappointed in the next camp, also 5-Star rated. It fell short on the details Tongabezi does so well. It's inspiring to see what they are doing to help children receiving schooling. You'll want to do Devil's Pool, it's awesome! The people make the journey and Tongabezi has the best people. You will make lifelong memories and relationships and want to return. …
The hotel is paradise - located right on the zambezi you cannot have better views. Its done very tastefully and has wonderful cottages and common spaces. The staff are wonderful- we were looked after by Rita and Aggray, always super helfpul and smiley. There are plenty of activities available (incl. mountain biking, sunset boat trips). They have a lovely partnership with a school that was founded by Tongabezi. It's a beautiful and authentic place, a must go to!
If you could pick my dream hotel - layout, decor, amenities, activities - this would easily be it. Claire the reservations agent I booked with absolutely went out of her way to get everything booked in for us in advance to make sure we got the trip we wanted. She was truly so patient and responsive I can't thank her enough. Soon after checking in you are greeted by your personal valet team, who tend to you day and night for everything you need. We never had to ask for anything they just delivered. Truly first class service from start to end. They really go out of their way to tailor the experience to exactly what you want. Food was excellent - amazing variety and quality. Again, completely tailored to you. The rooms I can't even begin to describe - other than saying they are absolutely dreamy and probably the nicest rooms we'll ever have the privilege to stay in. Full of amenities and gorgeously decorated it's hard to tear yourself away for activities. We took full advantage of activities on offer - doing a mix of the included activities and paid activities such as Devil's Pool. There are so many activities included in the rate which we would have taken more advantage of if we had more time. I truly hope we'll be able to come back one day - what an amazing place.…
This lodge was the perfect place to relax after several days of a tented safari. I would love to go back! Staff were all very friendly and attentive—I wanted for nothing. There was no pressure to take part in activities; information was provided, and, aside from a trip to nearby Victoria Falls (with a reasonable $20 park fee that everyone pays) and a no cost sunset cruise (in addition to a surprise onsite cultural event), I chose to mostly laze around, read, enjoy the river view, and enjoy the pool. My traveling companions, who came later, enjoyed a variety of activities. The buildings and furnishings—all the decor—are gorgeous, unique, and comfortable. I spent three nights there alone and felt perfectly safe. I slept so soundly! They have security and the property is fenced and walled off. Still, there are plenty of monkeys on-site….very cute. A special plus is that the lodge is community oriented. The small gift shop offers an abundance of unique crafts, and some proceeds support the nearby school. The only drawback is that it’s a very long plane ride to get there from the US! Oh, and, yes, the Covid test I got onsite was required for me to travel to Zimbabwe, back to South Africa, and on to the US. I viewed this as a service rather than a lodge requirement.…
I am so happy that I came to Zambia to do the devils pool tour. The tour provider is easy to find and the starting point is already close to the river. The tour starts and ends with a brief speed boat tour, which has a good vibe. Once you get off the boat (at the beginning), you will get into your swimming outfits and make your way to the edge of the waterfalls. I am very impressed by the amount of pictures you took and also of the quality. WoW! So far the guide with the best photography skills I had so far (came with no extra charge). 😊 Thanks so much. Your time at the edge is limited, around 20 minutes, but this is a sufficient amount of time (loved it). After that, I liked the snack at the restaurant with the waterfall view. Before the tour I was a bit confused about a pickup service, maybe just highlight it a bit better, that this is not an option. (in case tourists won´t have a local SIM card)…
After reading the many positive reviews, my wife and I were excited to start our African vacation with a few days of relaxation at Tongabezi. I was impressed with the many (all) 5 star reviews and was a tiny bit concerned about this as I have never encountered any place with such stellar reviews. There is no way a place could be this perfect, I thought. I was correct, but was blown away at how off the mark reviews were. It also shocks the conscience that review sites rate this as one of the best hotels in the world. Having stayed at some of the truly best resorts in the world, this pales in comparison. The pool by the front was green with algae and unusable (see photos). We were shown our room and although it looked excellent at first glance, many of the doors to the outside had trouble opening. The front door could be locked from inside with a manual latch, but if you left, the door was locked from the outside with a simple latch, not a key. That just seemed really unsafe to me and anyone staying or working there could just go in your room as they pleased. We were instantly pressured to arrange for activities as soon as we walked in our room. Activities were supposed to be included but they pushed us to add on additional experiences with the US price sheet, wink wink. In hindsight, I don’t see that any activities were included in the rate aside from being driven to Victoria Falls. We to pay cash when we got to the falls, so that is not an included activity in my book, but I digress. At the same time we were being pressured into activities, we were forced to get an additional Covid test for our flight back to South Africa in a couple of days. We had received a Covid test prior to leaving South Africa for Zambia that would still be good for our return trip. They told me I had to get another one even though the rules for entry back into South Africa were very clear and my test would still be good. This was an additional $150 per person and instead of finally relaxing we had to wait for the “doctor” to perform the test because he was there and we had to get it then. Our lunch that they offered to us when we got to our room was getting cold while all this was going on and we didn’t get to eat any of it. This doctor swabbed my tongue (red flag right there) and then proceeded to fill out a bunch of paperwork while our food is still sitting there. They told us our results would be ready the following evening. The plunge pool on our deck was ice cold and a filthy green just like the pool up front. We could not even see the bottom and having a pool at our home in the US, I know this is not a good thing. Bird droppings were all over most of the furniture so we could not really sit outside. That evening, we tried to change some of our activities and had to endure 45 mins of sitting by the fire with Prezley instead of spending it alone. The next morning we went down and had breakfast and I guess that was okay but forgettable. My wife got sick and couldn’t make the boat ride we had scheduled for the second evening. We changed our lunch activity for the falls and decided not to do the devil’s pool due to my hesitancy about not wanting to risk my life in my mid 40s and being happy with life. I mean, we kept getting told it was Africa and stuff happens. Breakfast our last morning was absolutely inedible. The eggs tasted really funny and the bacon tasted rotten. I took a shower that same morning as my feet were solid black due to the floors not being mopped in a very long time. We were totally sickened by it and wanted to get out of there as fast we could and get back to South Africa. After numerous trips up front requesting my test results and even the activities guy Douglas coming back with Lizzie and asking if I wanted another Covid test (seriously), we finally got our Covid test results. The paperwork was fraudulent as it said it was a nasal swab and our names were even spelled wrong. At the airport, I had both sets of Covid test results and guess what? The first test I got in Johannesburg worked. I didn’t need to get the test at Tongabezi or show it and had to waste money on it. Furthermore, on further reflection, we realized we were under constant surveillance at the resort with all the cameras around and that would explain why someone was always waiting when we walked up front. No way will we stay here again. If you fine with everything I just described, go ahead and book. If you want a real 5 star experience, book elsewhere.…
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