The River Club

The River Club is lovely. Very serene. It is 18 Kms from the falls which is fine. The remoteness is appreciated. It is British Colonial in style. The rooms are individual houses. We stayed in George, very close to main house. It had 2 full baths. Meals were very good and served in different areas e.g. the gazebo one night. Meals are not communal. They do a sunset cruise which is a great safari - sign up for it in case you can’t go every night. Mack was the boat driver and guide. The property is fenced off so you can go on their walking trails without fear of animals and they have 4 giraffes on the property.

Amazing Bush River experience - there's never enough time to spend at these places. The River Club is a beautiful Bush experience, you feel like you have been vaulted into the films "White Mischief" or "Out of Africa". They have beautiful common areas to sit and relax for the day. The staff at the River Club were super sweet and couldn't do enough for us. They were great with my older mom, who broke her ankle and has difficulty walking. They were super patient and sweet helping her. The staff is so warm and you get a wonderful welcome when you first arrive. Special mention to Charmain and Kuanda who made our visit easy, smooth, and interesting. I also love the small touches like hot water bottles in your bed (winter visit) and beautiful animal key rings on the bed. Our bathroom downstairs was amazing, it had a bathtub and shower with big windows overlooking the river and upstairs a lovely balcony to sit on and look at the river. A big thing for me was that I was able to eat Kosher, which was a SUPER surprise for me. The food was very, very good and at one point I thought they had given me a dairy dessert with my meat meal - it was so good! The Sunset cruise bird spotting and seeing crocodiles was just lovely, the advantage of the River Club is that it has very little "River Traffic", so you really feel like you are at a private resort. The sound of Quiet is wonderful. It's quite magical and I highly recommend them!

As we had already been on 5 game drives in Botswana earlier in the week and still have 5 more drives coming up in Sabi Sands to finish off the safari portion of our trip, we chose the River Club for its calm and beauty. We were not at all disappointed. The lodge is beautiful, luxurious and beyond comfortable. The grounds, overlooking the Zambezi River, are well manicured and conducive to just shutting down and enjoying the surroundings. There are 3 resident giraffes on the grounds that we ran into on the lodge's nature trail. Sitting by the pool watching the sunsets were probably the most relaxing part of our trip. Our room was a very large 2 level "house" sitting right over the Zambezi River. Exactly what we were hoping for, with its magnificent views and calming vibe. Being kosher often presents problems for us when traveling but, not at The River Club. They have a kosher kitchen, and our chef Calista is very well versed in the nuances and rules of kosher cooking. She and her staff created 3 sumptuous meals each day. They even baked a delicious birthday cake for my wife's 65th. The entire staff could not be more attentive, and there wasn't enough they could do for us. Our hosts Charmane and Belina saw to our every need. We also engaged in serious conversations with Charmane to learn as much as we could about Zambia and the Southern African culture. What also impressed us about The River Club is their involvement in the local community. This led us to forego our Sunday game drive and, accompanied by Muta from the Lodge, we went to the local village to get better feel for the people and their culture. Muta is a community activist, and he also gave us a tour of Livingstone that the average tourist doesn't get to see. The Lodge offers a sunset cruise on the Zambezi where you can see hippos, elephants, crocodiles, exotic birds and more. The River Club is 18 kilometers from Victoria Falls which is most convenient. Finally, the nearby Rhino Walk at Mosi Oa Tunya Park is a must. Seeing these magnificent animals in a natural habitat was one of the highlights of our trip. Bottom line, The River Club was the perfect choice for our stop in Zambia.

This small boutique lodge was probably once very beautiful. Now is it pretty run-down and very overpriced. Rooms are dreary and poorly lit, with uneven floorboards, encouraging mosquitos into the room. Furniture is old and banged up. On the plus side, the staff is very accommodating, the food is very good (they accommodate many dietary restrictions), the views from the rooms are beautiful and you can see antelope, monkeys and giraffes on the grounds. They also make arrangements for local sightseeing. Bottom line: not worth the price.

We had the privilege to stay 12 nights in this magic place. Every where you have breath taking views on the Zambezi. On the sunset cruise we saw hippo’s , crocodiles, monkey’s and a lot of birth life while enjoying a good glass of wine. The food is exquisite. Due to some private problems we stayed longer than planned. Looking back this was the best that could happen to us. In all problems we faced we got more help from the staff then we ever could expect. We have never spent time in a place where owner, management and staff were all so friendly and helpful. They give hospitality another dimension. Thanks you Peter, Linda, Charmaine and all the staff for spoiling us and making us feel home away from home. We can highly recommend this magic place.