Where to stay and eat in Victoria Falls (Zim and Zam)?
When you are visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, the important thing is to choose good accommodation. You don’t want to spend a lot of time commuting from one place to another and you also would like to stay in a clean and safe place. There are a lot of different kinds of accommodation in Victoria Falls on Zimbabwe and Zambia sides that you can choose from. The most luxurious and of course the most beautiful is the 5* hotel Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls. However, if you are looking for some budget accommodation, clean and in a great location, I will recommend you two places where we stayed during our visit. Also, I would like to mention two great restaurants where we ate.
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N1 hotel Zimbabwe-review
N1 Hotel is a small hotel in Victoria Falls Zimbabwe. We chose this hotel mainly for its very convenient location. It is within walking distance from Victoria Falls (Mosi-Oa- Tunya National Park). You can also walk to the border with Zambia which takes 5-10 minutes or take a taxi which takes 1 minute.
The hotel is offering standard rooms or a campsite. We stayed in a double room, which was very modern furnished, had a nice bathroom and it was very clean. It looks like accommodation in Europe or the USA, not in Africa. The hotel has also an outside swimming pool, but we didn’t use it as we stayed only two nights. The staff members in this hotel were very nice and friendly.
We didn’t eat at this hotel, but there are restaurants around, so you can enjoy dinner or lunch within walking distance. There are also some shops and markets where you can buy your souvenirs.
Overall, we were very pleased with our choice of this hotel, due to the great location, cleanliness and good price. (About $80-$90 double room per night. You can get last-minute for about $50) I highly recommend it.
➡️Book your stay at N1 Hotel Victoria Falls HERE
Maramba River Lodge, Zambia-review
Once we crossed the border to Zambia, we took a taxi to take us to our accommodation, which was Maramba River Lodge. Again, we chose it for the great location and convenient price. The Maramba River Lodge is situated in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. There is wildlife wandering around. We saw elephants, and monkeys walking around, and one night a hippo was eating grass next to our chalet.
The lodge is offering chalets, that we stayed in or tents in the back of the lodge. The chalets are like little houses, that have grids on the window for your safety. The chalet is one room with a bed that has a mosquito net, there is one closet and a set for making tea and coffee. The bathroom is very small with a shower, sink, and toilet.
Outside there is a small lovely pool, that we used on our last day. There is also a terrace and a bar where you can have a drink, and enjoy nature, and elephants coming to drink from the river.
We had breakfast two mornings there, which was very simple, but enough for our stay. One night we ate dinner here. We had burgers, which were delicious and enormous. We couldn’t even eat them all.
In case you would like to go to Livingstone town to eat, buy souvenirs and look around, you can book a taxi. The reception staff is very helpful and kind to provide any information and call a taxi for you.
We were very happy to stay at Maramba River Lodge. Don’t expect a high standard, this accommodation is built more African way, and therefore it is more authentic. We were looking for something like this, to feel we are in Africa and the price was great. (About $100 for a tent and $200 for a chalet per night) I would stay here again.
➡️Book your stay at Maramba River Lodge HERE
The Three Monkeys restaurant – review
I would like to highly recommend The Three Monkeys restaurant located on the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls. This restaurant is near the hotel N1 where we stayed and we stopped by after our Victoria Falls tour.
This restaurant has a beautiful terrace, so you can enjoy the view while eating or having drinks. I tried three mini burgers, two were beef and one crocodile. It was delicious food, very pleasantly and professionally served. However, for me, the crocodile meat was not so nice. But everybody has different tastes, so others may like it. My husband had a pizza and it was also delicious.
The staff here is very kind with great customer service and prices are reasonable.
Cafe Zambezi restaurant – review
This restaurant is located in Zambia, Livingstone town. It is a restaurant in African style with the possibility to eat inside or outside. We ate here once and we were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant looks very simple, but the food is excellent
I ordered a steak and my husband spicy chicken. When they brought us the food, we stared at it, asking for how many people it is? The portions are huge and we had to ask to take away the rest. The food was delicious.
The waiter serving us was very friendly and helpful, explaining some details about the food and the prices were great. I highly recommend it when you are in Livingstone town.
Conclusion
When you are coming to Victoria Falls to see the falls, enjoy a safari, or any other activities, always choose accommodation with a great location, so you are not wasting your time instead of making the most of your holiday. Cleanliness, safety, and price are other important factors. Based on my experience I do recommend the N1 hotel in Zimbabwe and Maramba River Lodge in Zambia.
Great food on your holiday is also very important, therefore you can try The Three Monkeys and Cafe Zambezi. In case you have experience with any of them, or you would like to know anything, please leave a comment below.
