Find the heart of Victoria Falls at Stanley & Livingstone Boutique Hotel

Victoria Falls is steeped in natural beauty and history. Part of the Zambezi River forms the massive waterfall – a breathtaking sight to see. The town of Victoria Falls has grown around this incredible attraction, while the Victoria Falls Game Reserve is home to the Big Five, and the Stanley and Livingstone Boutique Hotel.

A three-day photographic safari to a bucket-list destination was on my agenda. From Johannesburg’s

OR Tambo International Airport, the flight is a mere 1 hour 30 minutes with Fastjet. As we were about to land in the historic town of Victoria Falls, it was quite incredible to see the spectacular, cascading water from the plane.

Wilderness Transfers took me to the hotel, and I arrived to a warm welcome. My schedule over the three days was jam-packed and after a delicious lunch at the onsite 1871 restaurant*, I was off on a helicopter flip with Boniair over the Victoria Falls – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To see that huge fissure in the earth and the powerful curtain of water up close is unforgettable.

*Did you know that 1871 is the year that journalist Henry Morton Stanley located the missing missionary David Livingstone in the wilds of Africa!

The next day I headed out for a game drive in the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve with Sikhulu the head guide, who knows all the best viewing spots. My day was to end with a sundowner cruise on the Zambezi River, on board PureAfrica’s Zambezi Explorer. Zimbabwe on one bank and Zambia on the other, an ice-cold Zambezi lager in hand, and watching the gorgeous African sunset – life doesn’t get better than this!

Back at the hotel Chef Jabulani and his team served up an incredible dinner with their renowned world-class service.

The next morning started early. At 6am we were out in the reserve, even before the sun had peeked over the horizon. We found the tracks of two lionesses and followed them for about 45 minutes. I asked Sikhulu if I could jump out to take photo of the vehicle crossing the river, which he agreed to. I jumped back in and just 200 metres down the road, we found the lionesses – I wonder if they had been watching? We watched them in turn for a while and then went in search of black rhino.

Black rhino are the focus of conservation efforts by Stanley and Livingstone and the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve which is an Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ). These efforts include assisting with the repopulation of this species in areas where they have been targeted by poaching and helping with the management of the reserve.

Sikhulu had a plan which paid off and we were able to spend time viewing a few black rhino – the experience made even more impactful knowing the background and the critically endangered status of these wild animals.

The afternoon game drive was no different and Sikhulu once again ensured some incredible sightings, while enriching the experience with his fascinating stories and depth of knowledge about the area, the fauna and flora, the Zambezi teak forests and the red Kalahari sand areas, seen beneath the trees.

Having been lucky enough to encounter two lionesses and black rhino, including an old soulful cow, hippos and elephants made our game drive complete. We had been looking forward to a classic sundowner in the bush when we were distracted by a herd of elephants bathing in the Masuwe River with hippos close by. We agreed this was the perfect end to our safari.

In-between my two amazing game drives, I was privileged to make a trip to the Masuwe Primary School. Efforts here include education, as well as building and maintenance of the premises, a community project that the hotel, our voluntourism project Nakavango, and MORE Community Foundation are involved with. A few guests joined and we even had a few moments of football fun.

The three days I spent at the Stanley and Livingstone were truly something special. I never had to wonder what to do next, my activities were seamlessly planned and arranged by the hotel – all I had to do was show up. If Victoria Falls is on your bucket list, and it should be, do stay at Stanley and Livingstone Boutique Hotel, who will help you plan all your activities.

Words and Images by Francois Fourie, MORE Family Content Manager, NJ MORE Field Guide College and Nakavango Conservation Program

#MOREOnTheMove is our Instagram takeover series that showcases the guest experience at our properties. View our Stanley & Livingstone highlights reel here.