Kafunta River Lodge — Hotel in Eastern Province

We spent the last two days on a 12-day safari in southern Africa ( Zimbabwe and Zambia) and hoped to save the best for the last. Reading all the reviews about Kafunta and looking at its pricing, we assumed it would at least be comparable to some of the lodges in Botswana (e.g. Ngoma Safari Lodge at Chobe), but alas, this lodge fell quite short of expectations. The contrast was brought in sharper focus since we came here after 3 excellent nights at the flat dogs camp about 30 minutes to the North.||First the positives. This lodge has a stunning setting overlooking a floodplain, where you can see a variety of wildlife. These included puku, impala, waterbuck, hippos, warthogs, giraffes, elephants and baboons. Additionally, one morning we had two huge male lions just outside the lodge and a large pack of wild dogs walking on the plain on the next day. The main lodge area is beautifully built around a mango tree, and tastefully decorated with lots of comfortable lounge areas. Further, the decor in the room was quite nice and some staff were friendly. Then why 3 stars after all this ?||The operations of the lodge were not professional. Our hostess meant well, but she was a young girl who was hyper and acted as if we were teenagers getting ready to attend a rave party rather than a sedate safari. The staff were clueless and did not know how to generate even a simple vegetarian meal or an omelet made with egg whites. Further, they did not have even basic things in stock at the bar (e.g. diet Coke or diet Pepsi). One of the waitresses was indifferent, and her standard answer was no to everything when the same thing was brought to us shortly after by someone else. The room did not have a blind in the main section leading to the balcony. This made it very hot and impossible to nap in the afternoon. One should be given the option of lowering the blind at least, at this price point. The water in the bathroom was turned off, the shower controls were extremely confusing and two bats were relaxing in the bathroom. They had to be shooed off by a group of confused staff members. This shows the room was not well prepared. The next day, they forgot to take the laundry! What was terribly annoying was the generator was shut off "to rest" for two hours on one day and stopped working for 12 hours on another day. Unlike all lodges at this price point, they did not have backup solar panels. This is not acceptable. Finally, our guide Joseph left a lot to be desired. He spoke continuously and said either the most obvious things for a group who had done many game drives and safaris as we told him ( e.g. pointing out impals, pukkus and other obvious animals) or irrelevant things. We did not come here to hear him talk- we want quiet. We decided to skip two morning game drives rather than endure an African version of Sesame Street with Barney being our guide! All these things add up, and if not for the location and abundance of game in this area, this would have easily led to a one and two stars.||Finally, we were given to understand the owners were on holiday outside the country. If that was the case, they should at least put a competent manager on the premises during their absence. This was in such stark contrast to Flat dogs- all 3 owners were around, took personal care of operations and guests, and everything operated like a Rolls-Royce engine at around 30% lower costs. Further, the chalets, food, guides, and staff were of much higher quality. In other words, do not waste your money staying at Kafunta and be...

My husband and I first visited Kafunta River Lodge in January 2004. For the next 20 years I dreamed of going back with our three adult sons. As time went on, our family expanded to include three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren who all joined us on this visit. My husband and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and one son and one grandchild had birthdays while we were there. Those occasions couldn't have been more special thanks to the wonderful staff at Kafunta. This was meant to be the trip of a lifetime and it certainly was - literally a dream come true. |We all have returned home with photos and memories to cherish for a lifetime. |I've not been to any other safari desitnations but I cannot imagine a more idyllic setting for wildlife viewing. To be able to sit on the deck during a meal or on one's porch while relaxing between game drives and observe pukus, warthogs, baboons, hippos, giraffes, birds and occasionally elephants was such a treat! Some of us even had close encounters with a hippo and an elephant right outside the cabins. |During the drives we saw everything we could have wished for. Children and adults alike were blown away by the proximity, abundance, and variety of animals. There was a great deal of excitement around five leopard sightings but the more frequent encounters with elephants and giraffes (starting within minutes of the first drive), as well as hippos and zebras were equally enchanting. We learned a lot from our guides - e.g. a collection of Zebras is called a Dazzle! - who were very knowledgeable, patient and congenial. A special shout-out to Wilson who is able to spot a chameleon on a leaf at night driving by. Think about it.|We found the rooms and bathrooms to be attractive, spacious, comfortable, and well equipped. The weather in late August was chilly in the mornings, quite hot during the day, and cooler at night. Kafunta thoughtfully provides blankets in the jeeps but it is advisable to bring layers.|The food was tasty and very plentiful. All the...

I literally spent weeks looking through every single accommodation along the Luangwa River for the perfect spot to stay. Being a city girl from Australia, I was definitely more interested in accommodation that was bit more upmarket and luxurious (not a tent or camping spot 😅😅) and finally decided on Kafunta Safari River Lodge.

It was everything you see in the pictures, but so much more!! I genuinely just can’t describe how beautiful it was staying in this resort. The staff are exceptional (shoutout to Kolo and Betty- the coolest!), the rooms were beautiful with safe running water, the food was so delicious (and so nice to not think of what you need to order!) and the location was phenomenal. I understand it’s only location that has its own access into the South Luangwa National Park, so you’re there within minutes, with a unique pontoon crossing over the river. I had Cannan as my safari guide and driver (and Wilson as the spotter in the evening game drives, incredibly skilled!!) for the 5 days there and I couldn’t have asked for a more knowledgeable, funny, friendly and clever guide. Within the short few days I was there we saw everything- leopards and cubs every day, lions and their cubs, spotted African dogs- the list goes on! he was always able to get us the best views of the animals, I have the BEST photos! The resort sits along the river, so every day we would have regular visitors including hippos, giraffes and elephants. I even woke one morning to baboons playing on my verandah, I watched them for nearly 45min!

The only tiny thing I can fault (and this is the only thing!!) is that there is no access to internet inside the rooms, but it was genuinely nice to just switch off from the world or download a movie in the main area to bring back and watch in my room in the evenings to unwind.

I can’t wait to visit again soon, thank you for much a memorable, life changing...