Ilala Lodge, Victoria Falls: a short walk away from the Falls

By Roxanne Reid
Picture this. You’re in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, so you’re saturating yourself in all the activities the town has to offer. But despite all the excitement and adrenalin stampeding through your system, you want somewhere peaceful to retreat to at the end of the day. Ilala Lodge Victoria Falls is perfect, just a short walk away from the Falls, but serene and unruffled.

Ilala Lodge is named after the ilala palm or munganda tree, with its large crown of fan-shaped leaves, which grows prolifically in the Zambezi Valley. At this Vic Falls accommodation, you'll find yourself an 8-minute walk from the Victoria Falls UNESCO World Heritage Site – pretty much in the thick of all the activities, yet tucked away in peaceful gardens cheerful with the sounds of birds. Best of all, you might see spray from the Falls (which the locals call Mosi-oa-Tunya or ‘the smoke that thunders’) from the balcony of your room or one of the public terraces.

​Victoria Falls activities
When you stay at one of the Victoria Falls lodges like Ilala Lodge, talk to the friendly folk at the activities desk to help you choose from the multitude of activities on offer in this buzzing little tourist town. 

A must is to see the Victoria Falls and the natural rainforest that surrounds them. The total width of the five separate waterfalls is 1.7km and although the Main Falls isn’t the highest or biggest on the planet, it does hold the record for the world’s highest, widest sheet of continually falling water.

The rain forest is home to more than 400 species of plant and birds like trumpeter hornbills, turacos, sunbirds and waxbills. If you’re lucky you may spot some monkeys, baboons or that Bambi of the rain forest, a bushbuck. Make sure you take a plastic bag to protect your camera or phone, especially in the wet season (November to April) when the spray is so dense it’s like being out in the pouring rain.

​Enjoy a late afternoon or early morning river cruise on Ilala Lodge’s Ra-Ikane, modeled on the boat that David Livingstone used to explore the area in the 19th century and named after his guide. You’ll see a flurry of birds, perhaps even some bee-eaters at their nesting holes in the riverbanks. Hippos, crocodiles and elephants are also regular stars of a Zambezi River cruise.

​Other fun activities the folk at Ilala can arrange for you at Victoria Falls include white-water rafting (only from August to early January when river levels are low), canoeing, horse trails, seeing the Falls from above in a microlight or on a short helicopter flip, and of course the 111m-high bungy jump from the historical bridge built in 1905. 

If bungy is just a little too scary to contemplate, try a gorge swing, zipline or canopy tour. But if scary turns you on, you might want to consider swimming on the edge of the Falls at Devil’s Pool. This activity is on the Zambian side of the Falls and for safety reasons only operates when the water level is really low – usually around September to January.

For a more sedate day of activities, ask about the historic bridge tour, a cultural village tour or a game drive to the Zambezi National Park on the edge of town. If you have more time, a day-trip across the border to Chobe National Park in Botswana is always rewarding.

Relax at Ilala Lodge
After a morning or full day of thrills, come back to Ilala Lodge to relax and recharge. 

​There’s an old-world elegance to this three-storey thatch-roofed lodge that suits the historic aspects of the town without being in any way outdated. Think squashy sofas in tones of blue, beige and salmon, wicker chairs on the deck, a copper and brass collection, blue-and-white plates, Thomas Baines prints of the Victoria Falls back in the time when David Livingstone knew them. Think courtyards with palm trees and burbling fountains, the refreshing tinkle of ice in your drink being delivered on a tray. 

Lounge at the pool or take a nap in your air-conditioned room, book a Swedish massage at the spa to loosen up those overworked muscles, or treat yourself to a mani-pedi.

​Order a cold drink on the garden terrace or raid your room’s minibar (everything in it is included in the rate, even the chocolate!) and park yourself on your balcony to gaze out over the green lawns and listen to the kissing sound of puff-back shrikes calling from the trees. The lawns and gardens merge into open bush, so keep watch and you might spot some local wildlife like buck or warthogs. ​

​Enjoy a long lunch under a big shade umbrella on the lawns or keep space for dinner in the Palm Restaurant, which is especially romantic in the evenings when a pianist plays live music on a baby grand piano. 

Even if you’re a guest at the lodge, don’t forget to book for dinner if you want to sit at one of the dreamy tables under the stars, from where you can enjoy the glow of soft candlelight, the distant hum of the Falls in your ears. These are the prize seats so they get snapped up quickly, and it’s not an experience you want to miss.

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