13 Best Hotels in Zambia

If you're looking for a truly idyllic African experience, this is it. Tongabezi was designed to perfectly complement the natural beauty of the Zambezi—but you'll still find indulgent offerings and personalized service at every turn. Standard cottages are spacious, cream-and-ocher rondavels featuring private verandahs. Three houses are built into a low cliff and incorporate the original riverine forest canopy; one house hugs the water with a private deck extending over the river; and the Nuthouse is entirely enclosed and also has an exclusive plunge pool. King-size beds set into tree trunks and covered by curtains of linen netting, oversize sofas in the sitting areas, and large claw-foot bathtubs on the private decks are all unashamedly indulgent. Every room has a personal valet who caters to your every whim. The lodge also has in-house masseuses. Tongabezi offers various excellent meal options, including a romantic candlelit san pan (pontoon boat) floating on the Zambezi (with waiters delivering each course by canoe), as well as a number of private decks.

The legend of a great white-maned lion that used to call this area home lives on in the name of this camp, which is Shona for the "king of cats." If you're looking for an African adventure of the original epic variety, then you need to stay at Old Mondoro. The game-viewing sizzles with close-up sightings of elephants and leopards in trees. Old Mondoro is decorated in old-school-safari style with showers and baths, all lit by romantic lanterns. Tents with wide timber verandahs are open (with canvas flaps at night) to maximize views of the surrounding floodplains, woodlands, and a complex maze of waterways and hippo paths. The smell of freshly made bread introduces a back-to-basics bushveld kitchen repertoire that includes generous portions of hearty, flavorful meals. The entire experience manages to be marvelously satisfying without any fuss or complication. Old Mondoro is also a 1-hour motorboat ride from its similarly spectacular sister camp, Chiawa.

This is the most environmentally friendly property on the Zambezi. The island makes use of solar power for heating, all the gray water is recycled, the secluded chalets are constructed mainly from sustainable forests, and there's a strict 10-guest maximum. Each of the island's five chalets is raised on a wooden deck built artistically around the existing trees, and they are all completely open to the river with spectacular private views. Each guest can plan a completely private itinerary. There's absolutely no electricity on the island, but it's barely noticeable. If your party takes Sindabezi exclusively, the guide, boat, and land vehicle are at your disposal. Dinner is served by lantern and candlelight on a sandbank or wooden deck under the stars.

Spread out along the banks of the Zambezi River, 12 tents are set up on stilts, surrounded by a wooden deck that you can sit on and watch the world and the Zambezi River go by. The word "tent" is used liberally here, as the accommodation at Toka Leya resembles anything but camping. The well-appointed en suite safari-style tents are remarkably spacious and join up to the main dining, bar, and pool area via a raised gangway, keeping guests out of the way of visiting hippos and elephants. Toka Leya is in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, where a handful of Zambia's remaining white rhino live. A game drive through the national park is a must. Priding itself on its greenness, the camp has incorporated several eco-friendly systems. There's great fishing on the river and you can arrange for a guide to take you out on a fully equipped boat.

Rooms at this luxury waterfront lodge, which is set within Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, have their own private views of the Zambezi and feature a tasteful blend of teak furnishings, big four-poster beds, and ornate stand-alone bathtubs. The main reception areas boast high and handsome thatched roofs, while the expansive sundowner deck and infinity pool are great spots to watch hippos happily honking away in the river. The lodge's splendid double-decker riverboat, the Lady Livingstone, departs for sunset cruises with drinks and canapes daily and is a must while staying here.

The entire design of this small establishment is user-friendly, inviting, and aimed at both private relaxation and easy interaction with other travelers. Well maintained and professionally run, the lodge offers a variety of room types to suit every budget and need. The restaurant serves the usual hamburger but also has a number of surprises on the menu, including a full roast on Sundays and exotic vegetarian soups made from local sweet potatoes and Indian spices. A kilometer away from the backpackers, just behind the Royal Livingstone Golf Course, is Jollyboys Camp, which is slightly more relaxed and family-friendly.

KaingU Safari Lodge is a small owner-run camp comprising a two-bedroom family house and six classic en suite safari tents. The tents are raised on rosewood decks to provide ideal views over the myriad channels and islands formed by the Kafue River. It's also very remote—situated in the southern reaches of the Kafue National Park. The thatched main building has a lounge, bar, and dining room, where the hosted dinner conversations cover all topics. Two activities are included every day, and the selection ranges from chilled-out river safaris to serious birding excursions. The natural splendor of deepest Zambia takes precedence—at this camp even the swimming pool is a wholly natural Jacuzzi in the rapids of the Kafue!

Having opened its doors in 2022, this family-owned retreat on a secluded stretch of the Zambezi about 15 minutes outside of Livingstone is a stellar new addition to the luxury accommodation options on the Zambian side of the Falls. With a design that seamlessly blends colonial opulence and modern bush chic, the lodge comprises just five free-standing suites, as well as a single family cottage unit, making a stay here a particularly intimate affair; all of the suites have their own private plunge pool. The award-winning restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients from the on-site kitchen garden to serve up beautifully presented meals either in the thatched main reception area or on the riverside terrace. 

This high-volume, high-end hotel has an incredibly gorgeous sundowner deck, arguably on the best spot on the river, just upstream from the Falls. Set amid sweeping green lawns and big trees, the Royal boasts some fantastic views. The decor of the 17 residences, each with approximately 10 guest rooms, as well as the public rooms is deliberately colonial and ostentatious. Food is beautifully prepared from a blend of fresh local and exotic imported ingredients. The Royal contributes to a truly noteworthy number of local charities and environmental efforts. This resort is tremendously popular and can be extremely busy, but the staff is always friendly and helpful. Each room has a dedicated butler to take care of the individual needs of every guest. Vervet monkeys are an entertaining nuisance, so hang on to your expensive cocktail.

There is no formal dress code, but this camp offers the perfect backdrop for throwing practicality to the wind and dressing up for dinner. All the hallmarks of the genuine safari experience, including beautiful river views, great creature sightings, exhilarating guided bush walks and dining alfresco by lamplight, are perfectly balanced by a splendidly chic minimalist design that focuses on space and subtle earthy tones. If traveling with kids, the more family-oriented Potato Bush Camp, which falls under the same ownership, is within walking distance from Sausage Tree and is similarly spectacular. The closest airstrip is Jeki, which is a two-hour flight from Livingstone and 40 minutes from Lusaka in a small aircraft. Sausage Tree Camp is a one-hour drive from Jeki. 

Run by African Bush Camps, probably the continent's premier black-owned safari company, this beautiful lodge nestled inside Most-Oa-Tunya National Park has been built with a particularly strong emphasis on the environment, using sustainable and locally sourced materials to create a distinctly original design that blends contemporary flourishes with light earth tones and African-style structures. All ten of the lodges enormous suites, including two interconnecting family suites, have their own private plunge pools and uninterrupted river views. Among the range of activities offered in-house, a guided rhino tracking walk is a unique highlight.

This luxury tented camp, located on two beautiful forested islands in the Zambezi River about 48 km (30 miles) upstream from Victoria Falls, was awarded the Environmental Certificate by the Environmental Council of Zambia in 2002. A suspension bridge links the two islands and leads to an overhead walkway in the tree canopy that connects the elevated chalets to the lodge's restaurant. Electricity is drawn from the Victoria Falls hydroelectric plant, and river water is recycled and treated on-site for use in the camp. Members of local tribes are employed by the lodge, where sunset cruises, mokoro rides, guided nature walks, white-water rafting, and bungee jumping are all on the menu. Guests can also opt to fly over Victoria Falls in a microlight plane.

There's a hive of happy activity and gorgeous sunsets to be found at this well-located and refreshingly unpretentious accommodation. It's a popular spot for rafting groups, camping, and a fair amount of late-night boozing, with its bar also serving as a preferred watering hole for many among the local expat community. But the spacious chalets and family rooms, a number of which have private river-facing verandahs, still provide ample seclusion and good value for money. In recent years, the restaurant's menu has been expanded and improved from general pub fare to a standard that better matches the fabulous location.