The Elephant Cafe, Livingstone — Restaurant in Southern Province

Honestly, how can you describe a perfect experience and do it justice? It is the #1 rated restaurant in the entire country of Zambia for a reason. The incredibly unique experience has two options to get there. Speedboat on the Zambezi river or the less expensive road transfer by bus. The entire experience is not cheap (the vast majority of the cost goes to taking care of these elephants so it's justified) so I understand if you want to save a little bit and choose the road transfer option however, I highly recommend the jet boat. It is a low draw boat so it can cut through very shallow rapids and it is so much fun! Along the way, the pilot will stop and point out various wildlife such as Hippos and elephant and any animal that he or she may spot and stop to get as close as safely possible for photo opportunities. After arriving, you are greeted with delicious refreshments and then your host will introduce you to the stars of the evening, the elephants. There are many elephants there but they give you five or six to interact with. Our favorite was Danny who had quite the personality. You'll spend about half an hour with the elephants, feeding them, taking pictures with them (s-elephies!), and learning all about how they were rescued and how they care for them at the cafe. If you want more time with them, you can but we didn't want to be greedy and besides, we were hungry! The food was fantastic! They will take care of any dietary requirements as well. All of the food and alcohol are included in the price except for a selection of specialty cocktails but we stuck with the beer, wine and regular cocktails. All of the staff are very friendly and accommodating and you can tell that they really care for the animals there. They will take professional photos and video of your experience with the elephants and email them to you at no extra charge. Plus they will take pictures for your with your own cameras or phone. I honestly wish I could give this place 6 stars. It is that amazing of an experience that I and my friends will NEVER forget. Thank you to the entire staff at the...

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! In a day full of once in a lifetime experiences, this one also provided a genuine warmth and passion from the elephant handlers, greeters, and the waitstaff and chef. This isn’t your typical “bring in the elephants for pure entertainment” factor. These elephants were rescued and absolutely loved by their staff. They roam free most of the day, except for the experience and at night when they’re secured from poachers. You can tell by your interaction with them and the handlers, they do positive reinforcement and only kindness in their instructions to the elephants (also, they verified this during the history portion of the tour). They were also amazing with making sure memories were being captured with our own phones, but also their own videographer and photographer - which is all included in with the package!

Now the food… the best I’ve had in Zambia! I kept telling them they should be a Michelin star restaurant for the experience, the creative food utilizing local ingredients, and the passion you can taste. Honestly one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life (and I did devils pool that morning and a lion walk in the afternoon 😂).

The price point is a little high, but I promise you, it’s worth it and more. Please definitely consider the Elephant Cafe - the experience, the food, the people, and the atmosphere is worth 10x the cost. Thank you to the amazing staff for giving me such wonderful memories.

(Ps: they overhead the group talking about how it was someone’s birthday and came out and celebrated it without being asked - she was so taken back with that kindness and it made her birthday much more magical...

I found out about the Elephant Café the night before we arrived in Zambia and decided to splurge (this is NOT a cheap activity), after all this was our honeymoon! You’ll have two options to get to the café, a 20 minute drive or 30 minute boat ride which includes a short tour of the Zambezi River. Choose the boat ride! This was one of the most fun experiences of our entire trip, speeding through the river, going over small rapids and stopping to see birds, hippos and crocs with our guide who was like our very own Steve Irwin!

Once arriving at the café the top notch 5 star service begins! You’ll get a short briefing from the café owner and head over to the elephant trainers who will introduce you to these amazing animals.Each elephant has its own personal trainer who will give you a bag of peanuts to feed them, these guys are just like the giraffes all they wanted to do is eat and eat.

After the elephant feeding you’ll head over to the restaurant for dinner, this was the best meal we had in Zambia! Everything was fresh and made to order. Wines were included with dinner with specialty cocktails for an additional charge. Professional photos and a short video for your Instagram is also included. They will also take photos with your phone if you like.

During dinner we caught a lone hippo heading into the elephant stable, apparently this hippo has been coming here for quite a while and has made friends with the elephants! Hippos usually stay in pack so it’s pretty rare for one to...