In keeping with our individual approach to hospitality, there is no set itinerary so you are free to do as much or as little as you wish. You can book every inclusive excursion at a time that fits perfectly with your idea of the ideal holiday. External activities will depend on availability.
A wide range of activities are on offer during your stay at Tongabezi. Marvel at the mighty Victoria Falls, take an early morning game drive around the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, drift down the Zambezi River on a sunset boat cruise, or indulge in a romantic sampan dinner floating out on the river. Please note that all park and museum entrance fees are extra. Explore all the options below.
Along with our complementary activities, you can choose from a host of non-inclusive activities to add to your itinerary while staying at Tongabezi. Want to know our favourite? The Livingstone Island Tour, which includes a swim in Devil’s or Angel’s Pool (depending on the Zambezi water levels), and is a captivating experience you won’t soon forget! Take a look at all the options below.
Besides our wide range of safari activities and other adventures, we absolutely love to engage our clients in local experiences that make a positive difference in our communities.
Get InvolvedVisit our nearest traditional village, where a local villager will act as your guide. This is a unique opportunity for the village to share their culture with you. You will be able to interact and converse and fi nd out more about our traditional village lifestyle.
Come and explore some of our 12.6 hectares of sweetveld (nutritious vegetation), which is rapidly becoming a fully sustainable, organic community-run farm. Our team absolutely loves to teach travellers about sustainable farming techniques, from alley cropping to grazing rotation and even to the home-made fertiliser and organic pesticide that are used.
Be inspired by how a small classroom has become a school of over 240-students from surrounding villages and be a part of supporting its ongoing success.
Learn about how the Tongabezi team is championing healthy environments and small-scale farming in neighbouring communities by planting indigenous trees, including fruit-bearing species.
A long, cool pool set on a sun-drenched deck, with the bush as your backdrop and a poolside bar within easy reach. Swim a few lengths, sink into a lounger under a wide African sky, or let the afternoon drift by with a drink in hand. Simple pleasures, perfectly placed.
The gym has a television to pass time as well as Google Chrome to allow guests to cast their own workout app on the television. Heated workouts come naturally here, thanks to Zambia's warm climate and a personal trainer on site for that extra nudge when you need it. Guests have access to a toilet and shower room to freshen up after their workout.
Explore the mighty Zambezi River by power boat at sunrise or sunset, complete with snacks and drinks.
Stroll along the Zambian edge of the Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Surrounded by rainforests, looking down into the gorge at the rainbows that the falls create.
Encounter a variety of wildlife in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park from the comfort of an open vehicle driven by an experienced and knowledgeable guide.
There are numerous species of fi sh to be found in the Zambezi River and you have the opportunity to cast your line towards them. This is another opportunity to see the hippos, countless birdlife and other wildlife while being on the river, too.
Step aboard your own private floating platform and drift into one of Africa's most extraordinary dining experiences. Guests are ferried by boat to the heart of the Zambezi River, where a candlelit sampan awaits, anchored gently in the current with nothing but open water, star-filled skies, and the sounds of the African night all around. Over the course of the evening, each dish of a three-course meal is delivered by canoe, brought to your table by attentive waiters and occasionally accompanied by the lilting voices of a singing choir drifting across the water. The hippos, frogs, and birds of the Zambezi provide a chorus of their own. Whether you are celebrating a honeymoon, a milestone, or simply the joy of being here, Sampan dinner is an experience unlike any other: intimate, magical, and utterly unforgettable.
The local Livingstone markets have been running since the dawn of shopping. It is the epicentre of life for the people who call the town home and the place they gather to wheel and deal and catch up on the local news.
The Livingstone Museum is located in the centre of town with artefacts from the stone age to David Livingstone's personal effects.
Glide across the Zambezi in near-perfect silence on Tongabezi's electric dhow. Powered by a quiet 10kW electric motor, the eDhow does away with the noise and fumes of a conventional engine, leaving nothing between you and the river but the sound of the water, the birds, and whatever wildlife chooses to make an appearance. Crafted from mukwa, a durable indigenous hardwood, the vessel was designed in collaboration with Dutch boat builder Koos van den Steuijt and Tongabezi's own carpentry team. Its sweeping lines draw inspiration from the traditional dhows of Lake Malawi, giving it a timeless, unhurried elegance that feels perfectly at home on the Zambezi. Comfortably accommodating six to eight guests over a three-hour cruise, the eDhow is as practical as it is beautiful. It recharges at the lodge jetty using hydroelectric power from the Batoka Power Station near the Falls, and is efficient enough to complete multiple trips on a single charge. The hippos, no doubt, appreciate the peace and quiet.
The Tongabezi tennis courts have been transformed into our veggie and herb garden with an array of herbs, citrus fruits, seasonal tropical fruits as well as vegetables and salad ingredients.
For three days during the full moon when the Zambezi River is high, a Lunar Rainbow can be experienced over Victoria Falls. This is when the moon is bright enough to refl ect in the spray from the waterfall and is a truly unforgettable sight. April to August tends to be the best time for moonbows.
Twaabane Creative Centre provides high-quality vocational training to improve access to income-generating opportunities and ultimately promote social and economic development in Simonga. Guests can visit and learn about the centre's story, vision and values, enjoy a site tour and meet the trainers and trainees.
Take a riveting boat ride to an island that has been specially picked out by our guides and enjoy a 3-course menu in the bush surrounded by the Zambezi. You will have the opportunity of seeing elephants, hippos, impala and diff erent birdlife. Your valet and boat guide will be on hand if you have any questions.
The ranges that you can cycle go from 5km to 100km, short or long our guides know some great on and off -road tracks. The border is your limit!
A superb vantage point from which to witness Victoria Falls is from Livingstone Island. Tongabezi offers five trips a day to Livingstone Island. A twin-engine boat will take you on a thrilling journey through the fast-moving channels of the Zambezi River. Once on the island, you will be given a guided tour, learning about its history from ancient times when it served as a sacrificial site to the present day and its UNESCO World Heritage status. Tuck into some teatime treats, which are made and served to you on the island by the Tongabezi team.
Devil’s Pool is famous for attracting thrill-seekers from around the world, offering daring swimmers the chance of a life-changing adventure that is completely safe. It is just a short swim from Livingstone Island and one of our guides will be with you at all times. It features as part of the Livingstone Island tour. Devil's Pool is usually open between mid-August and mid-January when the Zambezi water levels are low enough for swimmers to take the plunge.
This is a breath-taking experience that opens up a different perspective of the Victoria Falls, Batoka Gorge and Zambezi River. Whether you choose the 15-minute or 30-minute flight, you can expect spectacular views from this completely open air aircraft that is able to fly fairly low over 'The Smoke That Thunders'.
The 'Flight of Angels' helicopter trip is the chance to see and appreciate the Zambian landscape in all its vast beauty. The helicopter has specially designed bubble-shaped windows that allow for panoramic viewing and great photographic opportunities from all seats. It is an incredible angle from which to view the Victoria Falls and the winding Zambezi River.
This one is for the daredevils! The incredible force of the Zambezi River crashing down Victoria Falls creates world-famous rapids in the gorge below. With names like ‘Mother’s Revenge’ and ‘Devil’s Toilet Bowl’, you will understand why we say these rapids are not for the faint-hearted. If you get a kick out of extreme water sports, then these raging rapids will get your adrenaline pumping.
Chobe National Park is home to Africa's greatest concentration of elephants and it is amazing to see these iconic animals drinking, swimming and playing in the river while out on a boat safari. It’s not just about elephants though, as hippo, buffalo, bushbuck and puku are regulars to the riverside as are various kingfisher species, saddle-billed stork and African darter. The park is on Botswana’s northern border with Zambia, which makes a day trip to see some amazing wildlife relatively easy.
The Royal Livingstone Express is an exceptional nostalgic experience which combines the luxury and charm of five-star rail travel with the wild beauty of the Zambian bush. The train is an all-inclusive leisurely journey starting just before sunset and taking you through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. You can do this activity with a happy heart knowing about their reforestation carbon-offset programme!
You are completely immersed in the bush during this walking safari in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, as your knowledgeable guide leads you to where the rhinos have been spotted that day. Once you have located the rhinos, you may be able to get quite close and it is difficult to not be humbled while in the presence of these tragically endangered animals. Along the way, your guide will talk about the surrounding ecosystem and animal spoor you come across.
For three days during the full moon when the Zambezi River is high, a Lunar Rainbow can be experienced over Victoria Falls. This is when the moon is bright enough to refl ect in the spray from the waterfall and is a truly unforgettable sight. April to August tends to be the best time for moonbows.