In the Footsteps of Legends
Zimbabwe’s Stanley and Livingstone Hotel offers visitors to the iconic Victoria Falls an unparalleled luxury experience that is making it almost as well known as the influential men who leant it their names.
For millions of years, the almighty Victoria Falls eroded away a series of gorges along what was later named the Zambezi River. This magnificent and powerful water force was well known across southern Africa, but it was not until 1855, when missionary and explorer extraordinaire David Livingstone encountered it and named it after Queen Victoria, that it began to capture the attention of the Western World. And it still does to this day.
The Stanley and Livingstone Hotel, situated in the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls, owes the other half of its name to Stanley, the famous English reporter who was sent to find Livingstone during his expedition.
A small luxury hotel aimed at discerning individuals, The Stanley and Livingstone is situated on the 6,000 acre Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, just ten minutes’ drive from the Falls themselves. The reserve also borders on the Zambezi National Park, and offers a distinctly different African experience.
Launched in December 1999 by the Rani Resorts Group and refurbished several years ago, The Stanley and Livingstone Hotel is ideal for the type of guests who require nothing less than the best. The hotel offers 16 exquisitely furnished suites, including ten double suites, one of which is the romantic Honeymoon Suite. Each suite boasts a spacious bedroom, an en suite Victorian-style bathroom, lounge and individual secluded patio. Bathrooms are equipped with a combination of old and new – from the old cast iron bathtub to the modern power shower – and every suite also comes complete with all the necessary mod cons. This includes air conditioning, a mini-bar, personal safe, DVD player, satellite television and telephone.
When not enjoying the luxurious surroundings of their suites, guests can relax at their leisure on the hotel’s raised patio, which overlooks verdant, tropical gardens and nearby waterholes where elephants, kudu and waterbuck often visit.
A refreshing dip in the swimming pool is just the thing for hot African days, in between enjoying breakfast and lunch on the sundeck terrace or in the sun lounge, which can also accommodate up to 12 people for dinner. In the restaurant and bar, a great emphasis has been placed on providing only the finest cuisine, accompanied by an extensive wine list. Guests are encouraged to sample the fine wines from the hotel’s handsomely stocked wine cellar, which boasts a selection of connoisseur’s favourites, including South African and French blends, as well as fragrant locally produced Chardonnay.
For those guests who prefer to work up an appetite, activities at The Stanley and Livingstone have been outsourced to leading adventure activity operator, Shearwater Adventures. Shearwater is the most established in its field at Victoria Falls, and offers “Below”, “Above”, “Over” and “In Front of the Falls”, as well as “In the Bush” activities.
Shearwater activities on the reserve include night and day game drives, a lion walking safari, visits to a “scavenger restaurant”, as well as an awesome interactive experience with elephants. The game reserve consists of 3,500 hectares of pristine land and is home to all of the Big Five, as well as up to 1,500 game species. Common sightings include breeding herds of elephant, Black Rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, hyena, hippo, zebra, giraffe and warthog, as well as a wide variety of antelope species. Endangered species such as cheetah and wild dog roam freely on the reserve and are regularly seen on game drives. The reserve is also home to a bird population of over 150 different species. The reserve is dedicated to sustainable wildlife conservation through breeding and research programmes of rare and endangered species, with the Black rhino as the flagship project.
Shearwater’s “Below the Falls” activities comprise what is regarded by many as the world’s greatest white water adventure: rafting down the mighty Zambezi River, enjoying the exhilaration and thrills of some of the biggest rapids in the world. Alternatively, there is also the option of river boarding or jumping on board a high speed jet boat and experiencing the unique features of the river.
“Above the Falls” activities include cruising peacefully on upper stretches of the Zambezi River and exploring its islands, channels and wildlife on a personalised and guided river safari. Shearwater also offers canoe safaris or, for the romantic at heart, sundowner cruises.
The “Over the Falls” concept includes the legendary helicopter “Flight of Angels”, which offers spectacular views of the Victoria Falls. If this does not quite set pulses racing, guests can take off on the flight of a lifetime in open cockpit ultra-lights for unparalleled viewing. Shearwater also offers the only floatplane operating in Victoria Falls which takes off and lands on the mighty Zambezi River.
Those with nerves of steel can sign up for the “In Front of the Falls” concept, which includes an adrenaline-charged 111 m bungi jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge to the raging Zambezi River below.
The Stanley and Livingstone lives up to its annual accolades of best hotel, restaurant, hospitality and service in Victoria Falls, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the great Victoria Falls region.
For more information and bookings, call Rani Resorts on 0861 777 264 or +27 11 658 0633, email info@raniresorts.com or visit http://www.raniresorts.com/.
Text & Images: © Rani Resorts
