Waterberry Lodge

refreshingly well-priced in this expensive area

Waterberry Zambezi Lodge is located in the Livingstone area of southern Zambia.

Turning off the sealed M10 highway west of Livingstone, we follow a dirt track for 4 km down to the river, passing some large-scale agriculture along the way.

Pulling into the lodge, we follow a pathway through unusually spacious gardens, with a lake on our left, past some of the rooms to arrive at the two storey main building. Outside there is a very nice campfire area, whilst on the ground floor there is the main restaurant and terraces above the river. Upstairs there is an open-sided bar and lounge. Slightly upstream there is a modest swimming pool.

The lodge offers decent levels of service, commensurate with and often exceeding its mid-market price range.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Waterberry Zambezi Lodge is in seven rooms, in three different specifications …

Lakeside Rooms : x4 : Sunbird/Wagtail/Jacana/Heron : These rooms are set further back in the gardens in attached pairs which have the option to be interconnected. Two of these rooms can take an extra bed, whilst the other two have a small extra bedroom for children.

Riverside Rooms : x2 : Weaver/Swallow : These rooms are detached and set above the river either side of the main building. They are probably the best rooms, ideal for couples, and differ only in that Weaver also has a bathtub as well as a shower.

Family Room : x1 : Owl : This larger circular room is set to the downside of the main building and can accommodate up to six guests on two levels.

Activities

Waterberry Zambezi Lodge provides access to the following activities, not all of which are included in the room rate …

• visits to the Victoria Falls
• motorboat safari
• canoe safari
• white-water rafting
• vehicle safari
• scenic flights

The Victoria Falls is a very popular location and is, from a transport perspective, the central hub for safari in the southern part of the continent. The area therefore tends to feature in a lot of trips.

The usual stay duration at Livingstone is 2-4 nights, usually at the front end of a trip, since this is such an easy place to slide gently into Africa.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Livingstone is generally considered to be during the May-Oct dry season, when safari in the reserves of Zambia and Zimbabwe is strongest.

During the early part of this season, the flow rate over the falls should be high, possibly with the spray obscuring the views.

Towards the end of this season, the flow rate over the falls can reduce to not much more than a trickle, which can significantly reduce the majesty of the experiences.

Generally, we tend to recommend that you focus your trip on the best time for safari, rather than worry too much about the falls.

Getting there

The international airport at Livingstone is the main hub for safari in the region, with regular direct connections to Johannesburg, Kruger and other key locations. There may also be some long haul connections.

From the Livingstone Airport it is a drive of around 45 minutes to the lodge.

Most of the safari areas in this region are connected to the falls by light aircraft. The main exceptions are Hwange (which can also also be easily reached by road) and Botswana (which is usually accessed by road to the airport at Kasane, with onward flights from there to the camps).

can be combined with a very wide range of safari areas