Victoria Falls lodges: Old Drift Lodge Zimbabwe

By Roxanne Reid
If you haven’t been to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Victoria Falls yet, it’s something to look forward to. There are great dollops of adventure to be had and numerous Victoria Falls lodges to choose from. An elegant addition to that number is Old Drift Lodge Zimbabwe.

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Opened in May 2018, Old Drift Lodge is inside the Zambezi National Park but only 7km from the centre of Victoria Falls. It’s the latest venture of Wild Horizons, which is not only the driver of many of the fun activities around the Falls, but also a keen supporter of conservation and community organisations like the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust and the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit.

​We were out and about most of the day visiting conservation and community projects, but it was lovely to come back to the comfort and understated luxury of Old Drift. Set along the river in the Zambezi National Park, it has wonderful views northwards over the river towards Zambia and south over a waterhole where wildlife comes to drink.

The lodge’s name refers to the fact that it stands today near a drift or ford where the river is less than a kilometre wide and ox-drawn wagons used to cross in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The firepit comes to life in the evenings

The main areas
You’ll probably arrive, as we did, by boat, getting a good view of the tents dotted along the riverfront and the main lodge above the jetty. Walk up the stairs to the main level and you’ll discover an airy space that includes a sunken lounge around a fire pit, cane tables and chairs on the deck for lounging or having meals, and an enormous indoor bar/dining/lounge area with upholstered couches and a large freestanding fireplace for cooler nights. 

The spacious interior of the main area

​I particularly enjoyed touches like the grand carved double doors at the entrance from the road, the hand-carved chess set of African animals in the lounge, and décor accents like travelling cases stacked in an artful way. When I commented to manager Bradley White that I loved the décor, he told me his father was the architect who designed the lodge and his mother did the interior design. In fact, his grandfather started Wild Horizons back in 1981 and his wife co-manages the lodge and also manages the spa, where you can treat yourself to a facial, massage or mani-pedi, so it’s a real family affair.

Light colours trick you into imagining you're deliciously cool in the summer heat

​Sit on the deck and enjoy a drink, listen for the cry of the African fish eagle, soak up the view of the river beyond, loud with the honking of hippos. Don’t get a fright when you hear a loud crack! It’s just one of the ilala palm fruits hitting the deck. 

Enjoy dinner on the deck

Your suite
The canvas tents and boardwalks give a feeling of permanence yet they could easily be removed from the wilderness and leave little trace. Because the lodge is inside a national park that’s home to elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and antelope it isn’t fenced, so you may see some animals as you walk to your tent along the raised boardwalk. In deference to elephants and hippos that have right of way, the boardwalks flatten out to ground level every now and again to allow them to pass. Keep your eyes peeled during the day for a potential sighting, and make sure you get an escort with a torch after dark. 

Expect sweeping views from the bedroom, living area and pool deck

Your suite's living area with desk, tea station and minibar

Each of the 14 tents has its own pool on a raised deck overlooking the Zambezi River, a small lounge area, a desk with leather chair and blond wood floors. Even the bathroom is special, with its double basins of burnished copper, its indoor and outdoor showers with corrugated iron sheets as backing – a nod to the past – and its outdoor free-standing claw-footed bath tub with one of the best views on the continent. 

Bathroom with a view

Have a glass of wine on your private deck, enjoy a soak in that romantic bath, or listen to the sound of coucals and hyenas. Watch the sun rise over the river, a crimson ball through the trees, its long tail reflected in the water. Drink in the sunshine from a lounger next to your private plunge pool or turn those loungers into star beds in the evening so you can marvel at the clear, dark skies with their millions of pinpricks of light.

Take an outdoor bath with a view over the river - or use the modesty curtains if you're shy

Victoria Falls activities
Taking the pressure off your decisions at Old Drift is the fact that everything is included in the price – from whatever is in the minibar to your meals and drinks, even twice-daily activities. You get to choose from morning and afternoon game drives into the surrounding Zambezi National Park, morning and afternoon river cruises along the Zambezi and guided walking safaris to get closer to nature. The highlight, of course, is a guided tour of the Victoria Falls UNESCO World Heritage Site in town (you just have to pay your entrance into the rainforest). 

The amazing Victoria Falls and railway bridge from the air

​We did a sunset cruise and saw elephants, crocodiles, hippos, a bushbuck with a baby, and white-fronted bee-eaters in their nesting holes on the river bank.

G&T or binos in hand for a cruise on the Zambezi

Sunset on the Zambezi is a riot of colour

​Also included in your package is lunch at the Lookout Café in town before or after you knock yourself out with adrenalin activities. The café has good food and splendid views out over Batoka Gorge and the river below. Grub and drinks are free if you’re staying at Old Drift, but you'll need to book ahead as it’s understandably very busy. 

The Lookout Cafe

The view over Batoka Gorge from the Lookout Cafe

​There are lots more things to do at Victoria Falls. For an additional charge, you might want to go white-water rafting, on a canopy tour, gorge swing or zipline, a scenic helicopter flight over the Falls, or even a day-trip to the Chobe National Park over the border in Botswana. 

At the end of a busy day of activities, sit around the fire pit at Old Drift and chat to other visitors or simply kick back and enjoy the peace of the deck with a glass of something cool in your hand before dinner.

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