Chundukwa River Lodge

refreshingly well-priced in this expensive area

Chundukwa River Lodge is located in the Livingstone area of southern Zambia.

Pulling into the lodge, we follow a pathway through unusually spacious gardens to the modest central building on the riverbank, with a small swimming pool and campfire area beyond.

The lodge is privately owned and offers decent levels of service, commensurate with its mid-market price range.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Chundukwa River Lodge is in a total of six rooms, all of which are constructed of blockwork and traditional reedwork under thatch, set up on stilts above the river.

Some of the rooms are open-sided, with roll-down canvas blinds, beds fitted with large mosquito nets and cooled by freestanding fans and air-conditioning. Bathrooms are also modest but conventionally plumbed.

There is also the modest three-bedroom Chundu Cottage, which can function independently of the lodge.

Activities

Chundukwa River 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