Reviews of Thorntree River Lodge

"Absolutely lovely relaxing riverside lodge with fantastic food and service. This is a great place to rest after safari and enjoy the slower pace of life by the Zambezi. The rooms were laid back interior design heaven with huge plate glass windows overlooking a lovely terrace, plunge pool and the Zambezi - very relaxing. The lodge itself has a wonderful central fire pit where we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks, a beautiful terrace and a lovely relaxing swimming pool overlooking the river. There is also a lower dock which is a great place to watch the sunset. Wildlife still abounds, with hippos and elephant in the camp whilst we were there.

The food was the best we enjoyed in Zambia with great Asian salads and a wonderful Thai-style vegetable curry being the highlights. The wines were also a highlight with a wine cellar you could choose any wine from.

Although we mainly wanted to relax, we enjoyed the sunset river cruises, visiting the rhinos (which encourages a great conservation measure) and visiting the Livingstone Museum and central market. We had a guide Philip who was knowledgeable and interesting and a trainee guide, Rebecca, who was on the (excellent) female guides programme run by the owners (ABC)." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

"We booked Thorntree River Lodge as a transition back to normal living and it served this purpose exceedingly well.

It has a fabulous position right on the bank of the Zambezi River. Your dining table was either on the river (on a pontoon deck) or at the very edge in the dining area. They had excellent relaxation lounges in the public area and a good library.

The chalet was newly built, well designed, spacious and with a plunge pool and deck at the very edge of the river. The food was excellent and served very much at your convenience. Although we were not visiting for any game viewing, we did one trip less than 30 minutes away to see a herd of White Rhinos were the wardens accompanied us to within a few metres of the animals (a real treat).

Setting alongside the mighty Zambezi at sunset well fed and G&T in hand and gazing at one of nature's grandest sights is definitely the way to end two weeks in the bush searching out the magnificant wildlife --- a pinch-me moment!" See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana; 6n in Zambia

"WOW what a lodge. The styling and interior is just gorgeous so beautifully and stylishly done. Was the most fabulous end to our trip and a wonderful time to relax after 4 days of full on game drives in South Luangwa

External areas are breathtaking with incredible views of the river and the "smoke" from the falls in the distance

All staff are super friendly and helpful and always on hand to help with anything large or small! We left a phone in a cab, needed a physio and a shirt taking in - none of it a problem !
We had organised some of our own activities before we arrived but the activities on site were great too, Rhino walk, game drive, river cruise & Falls tour.
Food plentiful & good quality

All in all a fantastic Lodge would highly recommend - thank you!" See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia

"Beautiful lodge. Some hippos, elephants, Giraffes. Enjoyed seeing the White Rhinos that are in a breeding program. Fortunately they are protected 24/7. Very good food and beautiful surroundings. Victoria Falls was so full of water and the spray from the falls made it difficult to get the full impact of the falls drop. The different paths the water had cut in the rock were amazing. Even with rain gear we were sopping wet. Walking was very slippery on the wet mossy stones. Lodge has a nice library with Wifi. Relaxing way to end our trip." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia

"Everything about Thorntree is so polished and, to me, seemed just right. My stylish villa (No. 2), the exquisite food, the well-trained staff, the perfect setting, amenities galore, the activities on offer.... To put it mildly, the three days I spent there couldn't have been more relaxing, more comfortable or more fun.

Kudos, first of all, to the designer of the villas, which feature plenty of storage space, stunning original artwork and views to die for. I greatly appreciated the well-stocked fridge, the splendid private infinity pool, the lounge/sitting area in its own little alcove set off from my sleeping quarters and the immense deck overlooking the mighty Zambezi River.

Meals are served "private dining" style rather than at a large, common table for all the guests and, as I was travelling by myself, I might have felt pretty lonely having three meals a day for three days without company. That didn't happen at Thorntree because members of the staff kindly asked if they could join me for lunch and dinner, and I very much enjoyed talking and spending time with them.

The sunset cruises on the river were glorious, and I also did a morning cruise in search of Skimmers, which we did indeed find. I had two fantastic guides: Quentino, who took me around Livingstone and to visit friends I have there, and Obby One, who piloted me up and down the Zambezi and accompanied me on a nature walk. Many thanks to both of these talented men and to the entire Thorntree staff, in particular lodge hostess Victoria and the incomparable lodge manager Dumi." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe; 10n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi

"Perfect end to the trip. The location is superb and the lodge is modern and stylish.

We couldn't get tired of the views from our room or communal areas. The rooms are truly luxurious.

Meals were a treat as much for the food as the setting. Lot of attention to detail.

Really enjoyable stay with just the right mix of activities and relaxation. The guest is king and it's wonderful." See all these reviews: 12n in Botswana; 4n in Zambia

"Thorntree - wow! The lodge is only 10 months old so is very new and sparkly! The lodge is set out along the river with teh rooms right on the water front (in the rainy season). Each room is very spacious with a separate dressing area, bath, shower and bar and a huge, comfortable bed with lounge. Outside you have a priovate terrace with sofas, sunlounders, and a private pool. For families, some room inter-connect via a corridor which was excellent for us and our two boys.

Your every need is catered for and included in the cost (except spa and a few external actvities). You have a personal staff member for your needs during the stay. The food is excellent and the decor impeccable. The wine pairing was always spot on (although I'm not a wine buff!).

We did the rhino walk, drices in the Mosi-oa-Yunya park and boat trips along the river and enjoyed each activity. There was plenty of time in between to relax in your room, a the spa or in the main area, which also has an infinity pool. Hippos can be seen (and heard!) from the lodge and beware of teh monkeys - one of which stole some of my son'd lunch right off his plate!

Wifi is avialable only in a small library which suits some (like us!) but maybe not others. The lodge has quite an adult feel to it and, although the staff were more than welcoming and accommodating of our 4 and 6 year olds, I'm not sure all the other guests were happy that small children were around at meal times. We were not the only ones with small kids (there was one other family) and some older children were also there during our stay. The rooms do allow you to keep yourself to yourself as much as you want to, though and our kids used the private pool in our room rahter than the communal one.

It was a very luxurious stay at Throntree and we would highly recommend it to anyone." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia