Royal Zambezi Lodge

We have just left Royal Zambezi Lodge after having spent 4 nights there. We are seasoned Africa travelers, having spent many decades in Southern Africa. This has been one of the top destinations we’ve stayed in. The situation on the mighty Zambezi is unsurpassed, the accommodation superb and the staff outstanding. Everyday brings a delightful element of surprise, vehicle safaris, boat safaris and even canoe safaris. Touches, such as a special lunch on a boat and sundowners on a sandbank in the middle of the river are such a treat. What a very special place. Our guides were so knowledgeable, thank you Nasi and Vincent for making these days memorable.

The most magical trip. Staff are phenomenal, Accommodations likewise. You will have the best time, game drives and activities galore. Zambezi national park is a treasure trove of wildlife. Unreal experience. Food was SO delicious and plentiful, very experienced chef who mixed worldly flavors! Love Royal!!

We were so fortunate to get Nasi and Lucky as our guides while staying at the Royal Zambezi. They are the absolute best. The lodge is beautiful, the food was amazing, the views were always filled with elephants, Cape buffalo, a hippo, and a lost flamingo!!! This lodge really is where luxury meets the wild. Nasi and Lucky made sure we saw everything we hoped to see including tiny lion cubs!! Lucky made sure we caught tiger fish while enjoying a floating safari. I’m not sure you could ask them something they don’t know. We looked forward to every excursion with them. They really were a lovely bonus to our already wonderful stay. We highly recommend the Royal Zambezi for your Lower Zambezi safari.

This was our third stay at The Royal (Sept 2016, Aug 2019, Sept 2023), and we hope to come back many more times. Everything about The Royal is outstanding: the food, the accommodation, and the people. The outlook onto the Zambezi is just stunning, with elephants almost all day every day, lots of hippos, occasional antelope and warthogs it you are at the far end, lots of birdlife, great butterflies and dragonflies. Although a bit bigger than some places we stay, it never feels 'corporate' - everything feels personal and friendly. The choice of gentle boat trips, canoeing, or traditional game drives gives a great range of wildlife experiences, and the guides are some of the best in the world. It doesn't matter at all that you are just outside of the park (the 'commute' never feels like a chore), and the wildlife is usually plentiful. Even if Lower Zambezi is is not quite a dense with sightings as some other parks, the experience at The Royal is more than enough reason to come back.

Accommodation was v comfortable, great showers, friendly staff and the food was fresh and delicious. Efforts to provide tasty vegan options for one of our group were highly appreciated. Game drives and walk were the real highlights: experienced and informed guide Joe made all the difference.

Had our anniversary with my wife at RZL. Its a 30min flight from Lusaka, so you arrive just as fresh. You can also go by road, or arrange to be picked by boat in Chirubdu. Quite and relaxing atmosphere. Enjoyed the views and game rides, canoeing. Staff very friendly and helpful.

We had a wonderful trip to Royal Zambezi, it is the most magical place on earth. The food was exceptional, delicious and full of flavour. We stayed in Kansanshi Lodge which was beautiful and spacious with gorgeous views of the flood plain and river. There was often elephants right in front of the lodge almost every day. The fishing was superb with guides Shadrack and Lucky and we managed to catch lots of Tiger fish (14lbs the largest) and a 30lb Vundu. The game drives were wonderful and we managed to see all the big game including Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo, Wild Dog and plenty of various antelope. Unfortunately we didn't manage to see any Leopard but we will be back again to find them next time. All the staff were so lovely and friendly and couldn't help us enough, we had Jealous as a room hand who watched over our sleeping children while we went for dinner each night and Sam and JT were always smiling when we arrived at the dinning area. If you are after cocktails or mocktails Desmond is the man, he makes the best! We stayed for 7 nights which wasn't long enough, next time we will stay for 10. We cannot recommend Royal enough, Natalie and Ewan run a world class operation and we will be making many more trips back to Royal in the future.

This is the place to go if you want to see animals truly in the wild. Hippos, Elephants, and Cape Buffalo all walked the property only a few yards from the main building. Woke up one morning to find Cape Buffalo dining at our front doorstep! Food/wine/rooms were spectacular, and the plunge pool was welcome after game drives. I highly recommend the Royal Zambezi for someone who wants a real African experience.

This was the first stop on our 3-week Zambian tour and it really set the tone for a memorable trip. The lodge is beautiful, the service top-notch – and the elephants everywhere! What an experience to have them visiting the grounds and your room regularly. We greatly enjoyed our well appointed room and the lovely deck with plunge pool. The river activities were wonderful and we especially loved the canoe safari. Our guide, Mainza, was excellent – so knowledgeable and personable. He really made our time there special.