Thorntree River Lodge — Hotel in Southern Province

We were on our Mini Moon over Full Moon and truly have nothing but praise for Thorntree River Lodge and its spectacular setting along the Mighty Zambezi River.||Our greeting was heart warming with joyful singing by many members of staff before we were sat by the River to discuss our plans for our stay, along with a neck massage, which w/Users/suzy/Desktop/IMG_8592.jpgas a lovely touch after our journey.||Our villa was delightful, with the bed being one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in.|The linen was of the highest quality, as were the thick and soft towels, with two choices of bath robes. A huge bath large enough to comfortably allow my 2m tall husband a good soak. The toiletries were a favourite of mine, and replenished when needed. Two showers, one inside and one outside provided a plentiful supply of hot water. |There was a personal plunge pool, an outside seating area with loungers and a comfy corner.|Inside we had a bar station, (including re-hydrate) alongside the tea and coffee facilities and a seating area. |Mozzie screens meant that we could drift off with the large doors open and fall asleep to the river and animal sounds. The turn down service also ensured the mozzie net and slippers were in place along with security items on our bedside tables should they be required. There was also a daily “Thorntree Times” with a local fact, animal fact, foundation fact, weather forecast, sunrise, sunset times and the daily menu. ||Deliciously created meals were taken in the three dining areas – one on the deck above the river, the outside area or within the two adjacent dining areas. I don’t think we sat at the same table twice which was lovely as it gave us different views each time and the monkeys a good chance of stealing a snack from our table during the day! Evening drinks at the boma fire before dinner was a good place to meet new friends. Some evenings we were joined before dinner by a member of the Management team who regaled us with fascinating stories of the Lodge, their culture and family life.|||The comfortable library was cool and beautifully decorated, with interesting books, backgammon and chess, and for those who really need it, a tv! |The shop full of enticing goods.|The general loo’s were clean, neat and had great views! ||The daily activities, geared to your choice, were wonderful, and marvellously organised and guided. Vehicles were spotlessly clean and blankets were provided for the early morning game drives, along with personalised water bottles, and obviously snacks for coffee time.||Every member of staff that you passed greeted you with a friendly smile and generally by your name, which was impressive. |Imaginative, deliciously cooked, beautifully presented dishes – just too much food! Loved the change of seating every night to allow for differing views. |Exceptional housekeeping|Exceptional laundry service |Great plug connections by bed|Exceptional bar facilities in Villa|Exceptional tea and coffee facilities in Villa|Love the décor throughout the Lodge – the use of tin, wood, baskets, linen, main photographs, cushions, just gorgeous.|Loved the bar that was set up in different places in the Villa each night giving you an option of different seating.|Excellent team work - two minor maintenance changes were addressed within 5 minutes of reporting them.|Love the fact that everyone is very respectful and greets you by name, even the security guards and the housekeepers..|Wonderful boma fire each night for gorgeous snacks and pre dinner drinks. I asked for a cocktail one evening, which was not known, I explained how to make it, and it was perfectly executed. Kudos.|Marvellous that there is a foundation to help a local village. Sadly there was no time to visit this trip.||Must do's - Victoria Falls, the helicopter trip (medium time and video) a morning and evening game drive with special walk, a sunset cruise. Talk to the staff, they are full of knowledge and so generous with their time. ||The best part of our stay at this Lodge - the personal attention.|The room and service - absolutely excellent - faultless|The thing I would change - the temperature of the tap water which was extremely hot!||We were sad to leave this beautiful Lodge and its wonderful staff, and are already talking of going back for Tiger...

My wife and I were fortunate to have the pleasure of spending 3 nights at Thorntree River Lodge last month (June 2025) and overall our stay there ranks as perhaps the most complete and memorable ‘in camp’ experience we have enjoyed in over 20 trips to Africa. ||Having been mistreated and let down at short notice by our original reserved property, Larissa and African Bush Camps stepped in valiantly to ‘save the day’ for us by offering to provide alternative accommodation and to host us at Thorntree instead, which in hindsight turned out to be an absolute blessing.||The camp location, our accommodation, the ambience created, the quality of food and the impeccable standard of service we received at Thorntree throughout was absolutely first class. I cannot emphasize enough just how wonderful the ‘on the ground’ team at Thorntree are as staff and as people. We arrived as guests but felt even after just 3 nights that we were leaving friends behind. Everyone was so engaging, so friendly but equally so attentive and professional without it ever feeling obtrusive or forced in any way. We loved that despite Thorntree certainly being a luxury property in every way, the atmosphere, driven by the staff was warm, relaxed, unpretentious yet utterly seamless at every turn, a fine balance which in our experience, is difficult to find. ||I could wax lyrical about every member of the Thorntree team individually, but a special mention must go out to our indomitable guide, Claudia who was the star of the show. She really looked after us so well during our chosen activities, whether that be cruising the mighty Zambezi by speedboat, accompanying us in tracking protected White Rhino of the Mosi-Oa-Tunya NP or guiding us around the Falls themselves, including hand holding us through immigration as we crossed to view the falls from the Zim side. ||I honestly do not have one negative thing to say about our time at Thorntree. It was perfect from beginning to end and if anything, we were sorry to leave and could have easily stayed longer. It is an experience for us that will live long in our memory, and an opportunity we remain grateful for. If you are fortunate enough to have the chance and means to stay at this wonderful camp, grasp it with both hands, you will not be disappointed, as there can be no better placed option in the area to reside at and experience all that Livingstone...

This is a tough review for me to rate, as Thorntree is a beautiful property in a beautiful location. The staff were lovely and the food was also good. We were just left a bit disappointed as we were booking our first safari adventure, and we really did not feel like we were on safari at Thorntree.||After coming from Botswana, game drives and big cats, we arrived at Thorntree keen for more game and wild life. While we did the rhino walk which was cool, it is worth nothing the national park near the lodge is very small, and does not have any predators in it, just Zebra, Giraffe, some elephant and buffalo. So if you are wanting true safari wild life, big cats, and "adventure", then Thorntree is probably not for you. ||Overall, we felt like we were at a river resort, not a safari camp. It is a beautiful property, the rooms are amazing, and the view is great. It is a great launch pad to check out Victoria falls and get a rhino siting. But after 2 nights we were ready to leave, the river cruise lacked wild life, and was just a relaxing float. ||For us, overall, the experience in Linyanti expedition was far better in terms of a "safari adventure". We loved the more casual dining experience interacting and eating with the host and guides, the more glamping feel over the luxury, and the more traditional safari game drives. Obviously for others seeking the luxury experience accommodation wise, Thorntree could be a good choice!||So in summary, Thorntree is beautiful, but you need to make sure you consider what safari experience you are after. For us, Thorntree was not what we were looking for, however when booking we could not have known this as it was our first safari, so we signed up for 3 quite different camps. We know...