Arrival/Check-In: Part of the Royal Zambezi Lodge experience is the journey there. After flying from Washington Dulles International Airport on South African Airways and spending a night in Johannesburg, we took an early flight to Lusaka, Zambia. At Lusaka Airport I followed clear instructions to obtain a multi-entry visa (we planned to visit Zimbabwe later) and to collect our luggage for transfer to the Royal Air Charter office through immigration. The moment we cleared formalities it became unmistakably clear we were in Africa. The Royal Air Charter staff were friendly and guided us to the screening area for the next leg of our trip.
We boarded a twin‑propeller aircraft alongside other Royal Zambezi guests, many of whom we would get to know at the lodge. Sitting just behind the pilots, we taxied and took off for the lodge. After about 45 minutes we landed on the lodge’s private airstrip where the team greeted us and transported us to the riverside property. Guests departing the lodge welcomed us warmly and shared how much they had enjoyed their stay. A short drive in a Toyota open‑air Land Cruiser brought us to the main lodge for introductions and an activities briefing.
Check‑in took place in the lodge’s central area where I was personally welcomed by the general manager, Natalie Clark. Natalie runs an efficient operation and, together with her husband who oversees the physical plant and power generation, ensures the lodge runs smoothly and comfortably.
Guest Quarters: Traveling with my wife and daughter, we occupied two of the presidential suites, each with its own character. My wife and I stayed in the Frontier suite, located at the far edge of the property, with Kansanshi just beyond for our daughter. Both suites were beautifully crafted using tenting fabric, thatch roofing and a mix of hardwood planks and concrete supported by substantial poles. The rooms are not air‑conditioned but were comfortable in June; each suite provides a large ceiling fan that also helps mask the night sounds of hippos in the nearby Zambezi River, which the rooms overlook.
The Frontier suite featured a spacious combined bedroom and living area, including a desk and vanity. The bed was draped with mosquito netting that was lowered at night. A large leather sofa faced wide glass doors opening onto the deck with direct river views, where hippos, occasional elephants and foraging baboons could be seen on the floodplain. Two chairs formed a conversation nook on the opposite side and a coffee table held books about Africa and the Zambezi. A tented breezeway between the sleeping and bathroom areas provided ample storage in an armoire and dresser.
The bathroom offered a striking copper‑sided tub positioned so you can look out toward the river, along with a double‑sink vanity and a separate water closet. Outside the back door an outdoor shower with solar‑heated water and a rain showerhead provided a refreshing open‑air experience. Privacy is maintained, and beyond the shower lies a small plunge pool and a day bed at the far end of the boardwalk for sublime river views. Kansanshi is similarly crafted but arranged differently; each room at the lodge is individually designed using locally available materials — even cement must be transported from Lusaka over long dirt roads.
Services/Amenities: The lodge offers an impressive range of activities. Anglers will relish the fishing opportunities, while safari enthusiasts will enjoy frequent sightings of elephants, leopards, hippos, crocodiles and many other species. A standout experience was a late‑day river cruise and tigerfish outing with our guide Luke, enhanced by a picnic lunch the lodge turned into an elegant riverside feast to celebrate my wife’s birthday — one of the highlights of our trip.
Our main safari guide, Chris, and his tracker, Jimmy, led several game drives into Lower Zambezi National Park via the Chongwe Gate, only a short drive from the lodge. Wildlife is visible even before you reach the park boundary, and elephants commonly wander across the lodge grounds. For safety, guests are escorted to their rooms at night due to the presence of elephants, leopards and other nocturnal animals.
We also enjoyed a guided canoe trip along a river canal teeming with wildlife. The guides navigated us safely close to hippos and elephants. On one occasion an entire elephant family grazed on a small island, creating an “African traffic jam” that delayed our passage until they finished feeding; a bull elephant even mock‑charged from the bank, adding thrilling excitement to the journey.
An afternoon cruise upriver brought us to a remote village with minimal electricity and a small solar system. A longtime acquaintance, Henry Kartagener, represents the lodge and helped build a maternity clinic in the village, a moving reminder of the positive community work connected to the lodge. Meeting the village headmistress and other residents was deeply memorable.
Dining at the lodge is consistently excellent. Pippa Denton, the food and beverage manager, blends international experience with a deep understanding of local culture to create thoughtful menus. Meals are served outdoors on the main deck facing the river; kerosene lamps and fires create atmosphere in the evenings while mornings often feature a bit of wildlife drama as staff shoo away monkeys raiding fruit. Breakfast includes a buffet plus made‑to‑order cooked options, lunch is served family‑style, and dinner choices are shared at lunchtime for preorder. The potato salad was a personal favorite and provoked good‑natured laughs at the table. The bar, which projects over the river on steel I‑beams, is the perfect spot for pre‑ or post‑dinner drinks.
The lodge schedules activities early, so evenings tend to wind down sooner than at many resorts. During our stay the team arranged two unforgettable dining events: a bush dinner just outside camp with cocktails by the fire followed by a sit‑down meal with river views, and a river delta lunch where we disembarked, waded through shallow water to a tented table and enjoyed a superb meal while elephants grazed on the opposite bank.
TOP TAKEAWAYS:
◆ Include a guided walking safari on your itinerary — we were escorted by a Zambian wildlife officer for a close‑up experience of the bush.
◆ Jimmy makes excellent gin and tonics; enjoying one at sunset after a game drive became a favorite ritual.
◆ Be prepared for unexpected wildlife encounters — I once chased a green snake from our porch only to have it reappear inside the tent and later curl up on the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom.
◆ Hippos are abundant; their barking and nighttime activity are constant reminders of the river’s wild residents.
◆ Royal Air Charter provides convenient regional flights and operates a range of aircraft. We particularly enjoyed flying on the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia on our onward trip to Victoria Falls.
Royal Zambezi Lodge
Lower Zambezi River
Zambia
tel 260 979 486618
royalzambezilodge.com