After a little over 2 weeks of chasing wildlife and, much less fun, self-driving through Namibia, a driver took me from Kutima Mutillo (Namibia), through Botswana, to Livingstone Zambia where I stayed at the Royal Livingstone for 3 nights.
They Royal Livingstone is one of two hotels inside the National Park on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. It’s a luxury hotel which was built in the early 2000s but designed to look like it was built nearly 100 years earlier. All of the rooms are in walk-up two story riverfront buildings, with either patios or balconies (depending on whether you are on the 1st or 2nd floor) facing the river.
The main building, has a 24 hour bar, a restaurant (serving breakfast, lunch and dinner), reception, a gift shop and a sundries shop. There is also a sundowner bar, which is open right around sunset (and for a few hours afterwards) serving beverages and light bites.
Service is as one would expect from a 5* hotel. It begins with a bellhop whisking your bags from you immediately upon arrival while a choir (about 8-10 people) serenades you. A manager then takes you to the bar where you are served a welcome drink while the manager checks you in and explains the features of the hotel. Another staff member then accompanies you to your room to explain how everything works (which, maybe I’m just a guy with 3* taste…but I really don’t need someone to show me how to work a hotel room).
Food in the restaurant is amazing for all 3 meals. Due to worries about Covid I did not take a taxi into town (about a 15 minute ride) to try local options – even though pre-Covid this was one of my favorite activities while traveling. The pool, overlooking the river, was amazing as well, with bar service and a pool attendant making sure you had nothing to do but lounge around.
But, the real highlight of staying here? Being in the National Park, you had wildlife right in the hotel. There’s nothing like enjoying lunch while watching Zebras saunter past to drink from the fountains. Or to be late for your dinner reservation because Zebras were on the path from the rooms and you had to wait for them to move. (I bet I’ll never get to use that excuse again: Sorry that I’m late for dinner, but there was a Zebra jam. 🙂 ) Coming back from swimming in Devil’s pool there was a traffic jam just before reception because a Giraffe was enjoying a snack…and was standing in the driveway. As one does. And don’t get me started on the Impalas or the Baboons. All part of the experience. And, yes, you pay more than staying in town. But between the easy access to the Falls and the experience of staying around all of these animals, it was worth the $.
The Kahn Man 