Zambia: Royal Zambezi Lodge

Date: 28 April to 3 May 2011

Location: Royal Zambezi Lodge, in the Lower Zambezi Valley, Zambia

Walkers: Helen, Dorothy, Dom and the gang


I spent a fabulous long weekend at a lodge on the Zambezi River with a group of friends, and while of course this was not a walk I would love to share some of my photos from the trip.

We flew into Lusaka and then jumped onto a smaller plane for a quick hop down to the Lower Zambezi valley. This is a real wilderness area.




We were met at the airstrip and taken to the lodge in safari vehicles. First impressions of the bush: red earth, huge trees, big sky...



Royal Zambezi Lodge is right on the river. What a setting!





The rooms are on either side of the main building, nestling between the trees and bush. Most of them are luxury tents under thatch. The accommodation was very comfortable indeed.




All the rooms have decks overlooking the river and I spent quite a lot of time with my feet up, soaking in the views. There are no fences in the camp so there is a chance wild animals will wander through, especially at night. We had a resident hippo - Henry - who munched grass on the river banks and wallowed in the shallows below us day and night.





Paths and wooden walkways link the various rooms and areas of the camp, most of them in the shade of enormous trees.



We spent some time at the sausage tree bar...




... and cooling off in the swimming pool.




We gathered at the main building for meals, and to chat, read and play games, and to set off for our various activities. These included boat and fishing trips, game drives, a walking safari, a canoe safari and an excursion to the waterfall.



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