Kayube Estate Bungalows — Hotel in Southern Province

I read many reviews and was prepared for it to be somewhat out of the way. This is true, although it was further than I expected. It was about a 25 minute taxi ride from Livingstone. We came prepared with food, but were disappointed in the accommodations. We anticipated staying for four nights. ||I was already frustrated early on bc we called the number on the gate to alert them of our arrival, but we still had to stand at the office for about 10 minutes just waiting for someone to come. There are three sweet dogs on site- 2 are German Shepards. ||The outside is absolutely amazing. This is a great place to have privacy. We saw animals from the opposite shore, although this could be said of most hotels in the area (and some have animals roaming about on site). The privacy is about the only thing I enjoyed. ||Although we had no issues with internet or electricity, the inside was problematic. The bed was too well worn and was very uncomfortable. It would be fine for a less expensive hotel, but given the price, I expected a better quality mattress. The air conditioners did not provide adequate cooling, so we had to open the windows to cool off at night, since it was too warm to sleep inside without that. There are good screens on windows and doors, so that was ok from a mosquito perspective, but it gets very cold at night and once we closed the windows, we couldn’t get the heat to work as the outdoor temps dropped. There isn’t much insulation bc it’s mostly windows, as indicated on the pictures. None of us could shower in the morning bc it was too cold. The freezer worked fine, but the refrigerator left everything less than cold.||The bathroom light wouldn’t turn on. My husband messaged the owner at around 8pm, who responded the next morning. She was unable to resolve it by message, and it had already been all night that we used our flashlights to navigate to the bathroom anyway. It was so cold that we tried to avoid getting out of bed. She seemed to think we were doing something wrong, but we followed her instructions and it didn’t work. The floor near the bathroom was very slippery, and two of us had some near falls, but my husband fell and hit his head. We mentioned this to the owner just to let her know, and her response was that nobody else has had issues. ||I think this is a great place if privacy is your only concern and you don’t need comforts like functional heating and cooling or a comfy bed. This reminded me more of camping than staying at a hotel. We left after one night and she charged us 50% of our 4 nights. I’m sure this is the best thing ever for some, but...

Quite simply this is a slice of paradise on earth!|Karien and her team display wonderful Zambian hospitality every step of the way, providing tours, boat trips and a 5 star service.|You can take a dip in a croc proof cage on a pontoon in the Zambezi or take a swim in the land based pool before relaxing on a lounger.|Be woken by a glorious morning choir of bird song as you lie in bed watching the sun rise over the Zambezi.|The hippos nearby treat you to the occasional honk, hyenas call in the night and there is wildlife galore on the opposite river bank.|Joseph can pick you up and take you places, but ideally you would be better with your own vehicle and you need to bring all of your own food and drink supplies. This is a self catering place. Limited accommodation and lots of privacy - this is the perfect place to relax and...

My second trip here and after 5 years since my first stay, they are still lovely bungalows that are spotlessly clean and right on the banks of the mighty Zambizi river. Perfect for watching the river flow and watching the sunrise and sunsets from the balcony/patio. Lovely people running it and lovely pet dogs. The bungalows are self catering, so make sure you bring food with you, otherwise it is a 35 minute drive into Livingstone. (Border guards confiscated most of our food!). They also have excellent options for Ready-Made meals if you arrive late, or don't fancy shopping.

40-45 minute drive to...