Reviews of Old Drift Lodge

"What an idyllic place, it caters for every need. We were treated to the best service imaginable. The staff were phenomenal, all introducing themselves to us on arrival, remembering our names. The service was second to none, nothing was too much trouble.

The tented accommodation was exceptional, so very comfortable, it was luxury, I felt like a lottery winner. I was in chalet 9 and the view down the the river wasn't as open as chalet 8 and was in the shade for best part of the afternoon, but didn't detract from the wildness and back to nature feel. Everything in the chalet was well thought out, down to the bath salts for the outside slipper bath, robes slippers and even an ice maker. It was surprisingly bug free, and the turn down service at night covering the huge bed with mosquito nets was ideal.

The restaurant and waiters were fantastic. There was a good variety of game meat on the menu, new to me, and well worth a try. We asked for a high tea one afternoon, it was duly prepared, and delicious. It was nice having a dining table and waiters allocated to us.

I was so pleased to see Old Drift lodge was environmentally friendly, the use of plastics very limited, reusable glass bottles for drinking water.

I don't usually rate hotels as excellent, as in my opinion there is always room for improvement. However on this occasion I can add nothing, because how can you improve on perfection." See all these reviews: 4n in Zimbabwe

"After the extreme heat of Botswana, it was a treat to have some air conditioning for two nights recuperation. The Lodge is very pleasantly situated but there is less to do by way of game viewing than other places.

The Falls of course are a draw, but I would say this is a place for a quick rest before the rigours of a real safari camp, and that's why we were there. Being upside the main town is certainly a plus. We had a good guided walk, and learned a lot abut the bush, without seeing very much.

The river cruise is a bit tame." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 7n in Botswana; 7n in South Africa

"There are no words to adequately describe the wonderful week I spent here - I am having severe withdrawal symptoms ! I cannot thank Lucy Copson enough for pointing me towards making the choice to stay there. She said they would look after me and that is the understatement of the year!

All the staff were magnificent and contributed to making my stay a fantastic experience throughout. They make an excellent team led by Brad and Annie who were instrumental in arranging every detail of, not just the wonderful activities but the support and assistance given to me meant that I achieved far, far more than I had ever imagined I would be able to accomplish in the time I was there.

To mention any of the staff by name may detract from the overall contribution given by each and every person who make up the 'family' at Old Drift but I have to mention Presha who, was given the job of looking after me on so many occasions. He was always smiling, great fun to be with, incredibly caring and helpful and never once tried to do anything but encourage me to over come any difficulties which I encountered.

But all the staff were so understanding of the diverse conditions that my Parkinson's Disease can present. They fussed over me and cared for me in a manner that made me feel 'normal' . When I over did things everyone rushed to be of assistance and no one did anything other than encourage me and support me in every way. My dreams for this very special trip were fulfilled beyond my wildest hopes.

My lodge was spacious beautifully appointed and equipped. Spectacular location beside the river - I had only been there 20 minutes and looked up from my unpacking to see a large bull elephant strolling by my plunge pool! I had three excellent massage sessions of one hour and at the end of one of them we had to wait before the lady could depart from the lodge as there were a number of cappacino monkies lined up on the veranda looking in!

I had so many encounters with wild life it is impossible to detail all the game drives and the sun rise and sun set cruises presented wonderful encounters from the hippos to the warthogs and guinea fowl. I spent ages early one morning on the river with Presha observing a goliath heron and other birds. But the elephants were something else and they kept popping across my path all the time - sitting quietly in a stationary vehicle whilst 20 or more slowly and majestically crossed the road in front of you was magical. On one occasion there was a young one about 2 weeks old that held up all the process of getting across the road as it was busy nursing from its mother.

Then there were the majestical giraffes, the plonking impala the statuesque kudo and the intriguing zebra. I heard the lions roaring from my lodge in the night and apparently they had killed a zebra near to one of the lodges but the knowledge of the guides and the security in place never made me feel anxious just well looked after and thrilled to be able to spend time in such an amazing place.

I had a wonderful time at the Elelphant Encounter walking with the elephants and afterwards feeding them. I could hardly believe my good fortune to have such an opportunity - all well thought out and most informative.

The two visits I made to the Falls park were spectacular and thanks to the wheel chair provided by Old Drift I managed all 14 viewing points on both occasions. There are no words to describe being at the Falls from the noise - the mist - the rain forest surroundings - you just have to go there in person!

The only slight negative to my whole week was my helicopter trip and I spoke to Lesley as well as Brad and Annie about this so they could pass it on. The whole thing was very rushed from beginning to end when we were taken to view the video that had been made. As we went in I and two others requested some water which was duly supplied and then when we were waiting to pay for the film two US dollars were demanded in cash for the bottle of water! Seemed extraordinary given the cost of the trip!

Brad and Annie organised a trip across the boarder to Livingston in Zambia and sent Presha with me. Thanks to all their efforts I enjoyed a fascinating five hours tour including a drink at the Royal Livingston hotel where we saw a giraffe and some impalas enjoying the grass and trees on the well watered roundabout on the approach drive ! I would never have coped on my own with this trip and this is a good example of how Old Drift went the extra 'mile' to ensure I got every opportunity to experience all I wanted to do." See all these reviews: 7n in Zimbabwe