My friend and I started our Safari in Zambia and we chose to stay at The Waterberry. There is no better introduction to Africa than starting here. I have come to learn that the kind people that you meet become just as important as the standard purpose of your trip, animal safari.

As we returned one day from our elephant back safari the manager came to us and said that a staff member overheard that my friend and I wanted a traditional meal to include Mupani Worms and these little fish. She informed us that we would not be dining with the other guests, instead, Chris set up a picnic style setting outside of our hut. The setting was a visual display of colors, patterns and tastes. The eggplant dish would rival ANY Italian eggplant dish. Pumkin leaves with peanuts, shima, okra and an assortment of other great vegetable and legume dishes, and yes, the crunchy little caterpillars.

Webe lived in a village nearby and invited us for a visit, the other Webe drove us in the boat along the Zambezi to get there. My friend is a photographer and this was a photographic dream. All the children were such hams! They absolutely loved their pictures taken. It was raining and at times really hard, and we were grateful to be invited into a few thatched huts to stay dry. As a mother, It was such a privilege to sit with the mothers and their children in their home. We had questions and Webe was a great translator.

I can go on and on, but we had many happy tears from The Waterberry experience.

Dana

Beautiful, small and intimate lodge in a fabulous location right on the mighty Zambezi river!

Perfect location for all the activities at the falls........I was brave enough to do a microlight flight over the falls, hiked all around the falls including down to the boiling point and back, knees screamming on the way down and heart attack material on the way back up!! I also suprised myself on my trip to Livingstone Island by jumping into the Devils Pool on the day before it closed, terrifying but exhilarating. I also took advantage of the sunset cruise, thank you Webby - great guide who can recognise birds from their calls alone!! The ride into town is only 40 mins and its nice to be in a clean safe and quiet location.......the town by the falls can be noisey.

The showers have great water pressure and you have access to hot water all day ( some lodges I stayed in only had hot water between certain short hours.)

Waterberry offers a sunset cruise -G&T and sunset on the Zambezi - heaven!!

The rooms are huge and the food fabulous. Gail and Kevin made a special New Years Eve occasion for us with a combination of a traditional bree ( BBQ for us OZZies) and other special dishes. We wine flowed and nature supplied the fireworks in the form of lightening!


Beautiful location, great hosts, fabulous food, close to everything without the noise and hassle of somewhere right on the falls.

Exceptional value for money!! I'll be returning with my family soon.

Our family of 4 (2 adults & children 12 & 7years) stayed here for 4 nights at the end our Bush Ways Elephant Trail camping safari through Namibia and Botswana. It was the perfect and much needed rest at the end of a busy safari.
We were recommended this lodge by Erica Wilson of Safari Specialists who we booked all our Botswana and Zambia accommodation through. She described it as being very welcoming, caring and ethically run and I would wholeheartedly agree with that description.
The lodge is very low key and relaxed and has a quiet charm about it. We stayed in the round house that had a mezzanine floor as well as 2 rooms on the ground level. It was very well appointed with comfortable beds, mosquito nets and a lovely outlook down the lawn to the Zambezi River and over to Zimbabwe on the other side.
All the staff were so polite, charming and very genuine. The sunset cruise the day we arrived was the perfect way to settle in and relax - there is nothing like putting along the Zambezi River watching elephants coming down to the river to drink, hippos grunting and kingfishers flitting about with a drink in hand and an assortment of homemade snacks as the bright red sun goes down! Unforgettable.
We also enjoyed the morning bird walk with the knowledgeable staff and our children loved catching Tiger fish in the river during the couple of fishing expeditions we undertook.
We also were very moved during our visit to the local village and school. I believe that Waterberry lodge supports the local school and contributes to the village, where a number of their staff come from. We left behind majority of our clothes and our children's books and games we had travelled with at Waterberry and they organize the distribution of these to the most needy families in the village. If you are visiting Waterberry I would strongly encourage you to contact Gail or any of the staff there to see what you could do to help or bring out (I know one of the other guests who regularly visits brings jerseys for the children).
The food was so delicious. Beautiful home made bread (with butter served in handmade mokoro dishes made by the very talented Webby), really interesting fresh salads and a hot main course for both lunch and dinner as well as dessert. They also organized a candlelight dinner on our last night down on the pontoon on the river - an unforgettable experience.
The staff also arranged for us to visit the local Maramba Markets (great local printed fabric to buy) as well as the more touristy handicraft markets. Another highlight of our stay was high tea at Livingstone Island where in the dry season you can swim in the Devils pool on the edge of the falls (check it out on You Tube as it defies description and was totally amazing!).
Overall I would not hesitate to recommend Waterberry Lodge. We were concerned that we might be bored there after 5 days but it was very much the opposite. I think it is essential to have that down time after a busy safari and most of the other guests we spoke to lamented that they had not stayed longer.
It is truly a special place with very special people.

My husband Mike and I plus our friend Fran had 3 nights at Waterberry Lodge at the start of our holiday. When we arrived we thought we had landed in paradise. Oh so beautiful on the banks of the Zambezi. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. It was lovely to meet them all. Tessa, Kevin, Gail, Lynette and of course Morrison, Jonah, Chris, Webby and Matthews to mention just a few. I must say Fran and I particularly enjoyed the sundowners served by the pool each afternoon. The food and wine was very very good. We would recommend Waterberry to anyone visiting Livingstone for the Victoria Falls. It is so peaceful, we were really chilled by the time we left. That was the difficult part - leaving, very sad. I could have stayed for ever and would certainly love to return one day if only to cruise the Zambezi at sunset and to go to the island for a picnic. Oh heaven.