Matetsi River Lodge, Matetsi Private Game Reserve, Victoria Falls / Zimbabwe

Experience the magic that is Matetsi Victoria Falls: the ultimate safari experience and idyllic accommodation retreat from which to visit the largest waterfall on earth. this resort is amazing , Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Hotel Location

Victoria Falls airport is less than an hour’s drive from Matetsi Victoria Falls and Matetsi Private Game Reserve and is approximately 15 minutes by helicopter transfer. Matetsi Victoria Falls is also accessible with a road transfer from Livingstone Airport (Zambia) and from Kasane (Botswana).

Located on a private 15 km (9 miles) stretch of the Zambezi river, Matetsi River Lodge and River House are set up within the 55 000 hectares (123 000 acres) of Matetsi Private Game Reserve’s pristine wilderness.

Magnificent UNESCO world heritage site, the Victoria Falls, is roughly 40 km (24 miles) downstream from Matetsi Victoria Falls.

 

Rooms

Picture of room River House ( based on all inclusive, prices are per house unit )

River House ( based on all inclusive, prices are per house unit )

Guaranteed: per room night Non-Guaranteed: per room night

This exclusive-use, 4-bedroomed private villa features en-suite bathrooms, its own kitchen, open-plan indoor and outdoor living and dining areas with wide verandas and a sparkling private pool overlooking the Zambezi. River House offers a private safari vehicle and a dedicated team including a personal guide, tracker, chef and butler, ensuring a tailor-made safari experience unlike any other.

Amenities

  • Air-conditioned
  • Indoor and outdoor lounge areas
  • Private swimming pool
  • Wide verandas
  • 4-bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms
  • Private safari vehicle
  • Fireplace and outdoor fire bowl
  • Open plan indoor and outdoor dining areas
  • Dedicated team

Includes

A Matetsi River Lodge Suite stay includes luxury accommodation, three meals daily, house selection of non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverages, refreshments on game drives, safari activities including game drives and optional safari walks; birdwatching; a sunrise or sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River and additional boat cruises subject to availability, amateur fishing, canoeing, and complimentary laundry. As well as, scheduled luxury return transfer to/from Matetsi from/to within the Victoria Falls area, i.e. VF town, VF Airport, VF borders with Botswana/Zambia.

The following can be booked ahead of travel as required: transfers from/to Kasane or Livingstone to/from Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) border), or other transfer arrangements, and Victoria Falls activities that are not offered as a complimentary part of the guest stay. These in-house items would be to guest’s own account: all items of a personal nature; telephone calls; shop/boutique purchases; spa treatments; gratuities; champagne & exclusive (premium) beverages and cigars.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Picture of room River Lodge Family Suite ( based on all inclusive, prices are per Suite unit )

River Lodge Family Suite ( based on all inclusive, prices are per Suite unit )

Guaranteed: per room night Non-Guaranteed: per room night

The River Lodge Family Suites each consist of a master suite with a twin bedded room for children up to age 16. The two rooms are both en suite and connected via an enclosed passageway offering convenient and secure access to loved ones.

 

Amenities

  • Spacious and air-conditioned

  • King-size / twin beds

  • Private plunge pool and decks
  • Views of the Zambezi
  •  

Includes

A Matetsi River Lodge Family Suite stay includes luxury accommodation, three meals daily, house selection of non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverages, refreshments on game drives, safari activities including game drives and optional safari walks, birdwatching, a sunrise or sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River and additional boat cruises subject to availability, amateur fishing, canoeing, and complimentary laundry. Scheduled luxury return transfer to/from Matetsi from/to within the Victoria Falls area, i.e. VF town, VF Airport, VF borders with Botswana/Zambia.

The following can be booked ahead of travel as required: transfers from/to Kasane or Livingstone to/from Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) border), or other transfer arrangements, and Victoria Falls activities that are not offered as a complimentary part of the guest stay. These in-house items would be to guest’s own account: all items of a personal nature; telephone calls; shop/boutique purchases; spa treatments; gratuities; champagne & exclusive (premium) beverages and cigars.

 

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Picture of room River Lodge Suites ( based on all inclusive, prices are per person )

River Lodge Suites ( based on all inclusive, prices are per person )

Guaranteed: per room night Non-Guaranteed: per room night

Each air-conditioned suite is fitted with a sumptuous king-size bed, circular bathtub, indoor and outdoor rain showers, a private plunge pool and decks that flank inspiring views of the Zambezi.

The spacious River Lodge suites feature luxurious local and repurposed materials and design references to time-tested riverside living and fishing and weaving traditions of the region. Wide-spaced guest areas on the Eastern and Western sides of the lodge feature indoor and outdoor living and dining spaces, an interactive kitchen, bar, and boma. This offers an al fresco dining area around a blazing fire bowl under starlit skies.

Amenities

  • Indoor and outdoor rain showers
  • Private plunge pool and deck
  • Spacious and air-conditioned
  • Sumptuous king-sized bed
  • Large circular bathtub
  • Views of the Zambezi River
  • A wide range of guest facilities

Includes

A Matetsi River Lodge Suite stay includes luxury accommodation, three meals daily, house selection of non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverages, refreshments on game drives, safari activities including game drives and optional safari walks; birdwatching; a sunrise or sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River and additional boat cruises subject to availability, amateur fishing, canoeing, and complimentary laundry. As well as, scheduled luxury return transfer to/from Matetsi from/to within the Victoria Falls area, i.e. VF town, VF Airport, VF borders with Botswana/Zambia.

The following can be booked ahead of travel as required: transfers from/to Kasane or Livingstone to/from Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) border), or other transfer arrangements, and Victoria Falls activities that are not offered as a complimentary part of the guest stay. These in-house items would be to guest’s own account: all items of a personal nature; telephone calls; shop/boutique purchases; spa treatments; gratuities; champagne & exclusive (premium) beverages and cigars.

 

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Restaurants

Picture of Dining

Dining

In addition to private dining with a private chef and butler provided, Matetsi River Lodge and River House guests enjoy open-space East and West camp bars, bomas and social dining facilities, as well as the intriguing cellar with an extensive wine list. Zimbabwean Executive Chef, Shane Ellis, provides a fresh and evolving menu of international and local fine foods including Zambezi bream (fresh-water fish), vegetarian and vegan options and local highlights including venison, sadza (white cornmeal) and peanut butter rice which is much loved in the area.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Activities

Picture of Matetsi Victoria Falls Wine Cellar

Matetsi Victoria Falls Wine Cellar

Since its opening in 2016, family-owned and independently run Matetsi Victoria Falls has shaken up the luxury lodge scene in Southern Africa. One of the renowned features of the lodge is its truly unique wine cellar, the concept of which is intricately linked to the family-owners themselves.

A Collector’s Paradise

Someone once said “all great lodges have a wine cellar”, but the family-owners are not known to do things by halves, and so the wine cellar is not simply there to tick a box, it’s an exceptional creative space that houses some very special collections that can be enjoyed by guests during their stay at Matetsi Victoria Falls.

Design Concept

The owners’ vision for the wine cellar was of a fun and functional space. The vaulted brick ceiling and wooden wine racks being inspired by the wine cellar at their personal residence. The owners’ have also chosen to share their personal collection of Toy Soldiers and Dinky Cars with their guests, and these are housed in glass cabinets along-side the collection of wine.

Design Details

Local Zimbabwean architectural designer, Kerry Van Leenhoff of Form Studio Design, has brilliantly tied everything together with a combination of classic and interesting design features, including a large baobab root table surrounded by comfortable leather sofa and chairs, and custom-made camp chairs by Nigel Joscelyne, with worn leather seats and fabric backs embroidered with scenes of village life. The quirky chandeliers with hanging toy soldiers and dinky cars complete the masterpiece.

The Finest Wines from Southern Africa

Dave Slater, a close relative of the family who is based in Cape Town (the heart of the South African wine scene), and has a passion for wine, was tasked with selecting “the finest wines” from Southern Africa to be showcased in the Matetsi Victoria Falls cellar, which can hold 3,000 bottles of wine. Dave, being an engineer by training, decided the term “finest” was rather vague, and so decided on set selection criteria, specifically that the wines must either be “Iconic” or “Interesting”. And so, the owners’ collection of “Interesting and Iconic wines of Southern Africa” was born.

The House Selection

With the cellar master’s close relationship to the family, he has been able to ensure that the 15+ house wines (white, red, rosé and sparkling) offered at Matetsi Victoria Falls are all wines that the family owners’ themselves enjoy and would offer to guests in their own home.

Shannon Sanctuary Peak Sauvignon Blanc, Waterford Rose-Mary, Tokara Shiraz and Graham Beck Brut Sparkling being personal favourites of each of the family members.

Interesting & Iconic

The difference between “Iconic” and “Interesting” is most simply expressed by the sounds emitting from a wine connoisseur as they browse the selection in the wine cellar, a confident “hmm” for each iconic wine, an emphatic “ooo” for an interesting wine.

The Iconic wines speak for themselves. Hamilton Russel Vineyards, the wine list offers both the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir. De Toren Fusion V. Meerlust Rubicon. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance. The list goes on…

As for the Interesting wines, some of them are single production and will (probably) never be repeated, others will perhaps one day be referred to as iconic in their own right. All have unique stories behind them, here we share just a few.

Botanica Mary Delany Collection Chenin Blanc: female winemaker Ginny Povall left her life in the USA and moved to South Africa to produce wine. A book could (should) be written on her, an essay just on her Chenin Blanc, but let’s just say she has taken an out-of-fashion grape and produced nothing short of excellence.

Bein Merlot: Swiss veterinarians and oenologists Luca and Ingrid Bein have a tiny 2.2 hectare vineyard planted with Merlot grapes where they perform precision viticulture and winemaking to bring this carefully crafted wine to the market.

Paul Cluver Gewürztraminer: a family owned and operated estate and wine cellar involving four of Paul and Songvei’s five children produce this German varietal on their large farm in the Elgin valley.

Luddite Shiraz: Fast becoming an iconic South African shiraz, this Verburg family made wine – wife Penny in the vineyard, husband Niels and daughter Alice in the cellar – is made with the passion that saw the Verburgs gathering experience in Australia, France, New Zealand and Chile before buying their own Bot River property.

French Champagne, Whisky, Cigars and a View

No wine cellar is complete without these essentials, and the owners have chosen two classic French Champagnes, an extensive range of blend and malt whisky, and a selection of cigars to complement the offering.

As for the view, the wine cellar sits on the banks of the Zambezi River, and it’s not uncommon for guests to spot hippos passing by while enjoying a tipple from its very special collection. The cellar offers itself as an ideal setting for a relaxed tapas style lunch, or sundowners with canapes perhaps followed by an al fresco dinner on the terrace prepared by Matetsi’s exceptional chefs.

What to look out for on your next visit?

We may not all be avid collectors or have any knowledge of the significance of the Toy Soldiers and Dinky Cars collection, however, if one takes the time to browse through, there is almost certainly at least one piece that will resonate with them.
Whether it’s a dinky car that they played with as a child, or the QEII Coronation set reminding them of a significant date in British history, or simply the toy models of elephant and lion that they might have seen while out on safari on Matetsi Private Game Reserve earlier that day.

What to look out for in years to come?

Vertical tastings. Each year as guests enjoy the wines from the wine cellar, new vintages are introduced. And so, in time this wine cellar will hold a range of vintages of some of the most iconic wines in Southern Africa. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Matetsi Victoria Falls video includes a short clip from the wine cellar and gives a glimpse of what makes Matetsi Magic.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Picture of Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

As it is known in local Zimbabwean Tonga, “The Smoke that Thunders” is a magnificent UNESCO world heritage site and is classified as the largest waterfall in the world. Located between Zimbabwe and Zambia on the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls is 40 kilometers downriver from Matetsi Victoria Falls.

 

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Picture of Zambezi River and Falls Fishing

Zambezi River and Falls Fishing

Fishing on the Zambezi River, around Victoria Falls, is an experience of a lifetime. Pole and fly fishermen from all corners of the globe flock to these waters in order to experience some of the best freshwater fishing Africa has to offer

Although more than 75 species of freshwater fish flourish in these warm, nutrient-rich waters, many anglers arrive with one thing in mind – landing a Tiger. Tigerfish are probably the world’s most infamous freshwater fish, revered for their power and fierce set of teeth. Some of the Zambezi River’s other noteworthy game fish include Yellow-belly Bream (Nembwe) and Vundu, a local species of catfish that grows up to 45 kg (100 lbs).

Furthermore, surrounded by the unimaginably serene Southern African wilderness, you will fish in awe of your beautiful surroundings. The Upper Zambezi is calm, allowing you to fully appreciate the local wildlife, often seen enjoying a drink on the river’s edge.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Picture of Boat Cruise & Canoeing

Boat Cruise & Canoeing

At Matetsi Private Game Reserve you have the opportunity to experience an exclusive riverboat cruise or canoeing excursion along our private stretch of the Zambezi.

Cruise or paddle along the banks of the river, taking in the marvels of this spectacular sanctuary which is home to hippos, crocodiles and nearly 700 species of fish. Indulge in exciting photographic opportunities or simply drink in the views as herds and birds come to the water and bathe or stroll by along the river’s edges.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

SPA & Welnness

Picture of Massages & Treatments

Massages & Treatments

Enjoy Africa’s deep heritage of traditional healing with a selection of massages that use holistic therapies and all-natural, eco-friendly ingredients and essential oils for relaxation, recharging or detoxin

Otherwise, opt for a manicure or pedicure. Sit back and relax while your hands and feet are pampered.

Our selected luxury products and treatments are inspired by the wisdom of Africa’s traditional healers and celebrate our vibrant heritage, communities and plant life. Beginning with a traditional African foot cleansing ritual that clears thoughts and brings calm, your treatment experience is completed with tranquil traditional Rain Stick Therapy sounds.

 

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!

Hotel Description

World Class Safari Experiences

Just 40 km upriver from the rush and spray of the Falls, Matetsi Victoria Falls offers both world-class safari experiences and an idyllic oasis from which to explore, adventure, relax and recharge. Experience stellar five-star services rivaled only by the spectacular natural wonders surrounding Matetsi River Lodge and River House. Guests, accompanied by knowledgeable, conservation-minded guides, are invited to explore Matetsi Private Game Reserve’s 55 000 hectares of protected and unspoiled wilderness on foot, by vehicle and by boat, while great herds of elephant, buffalo and plains game delight and amaze.

Luxury Hospitality

John Gardiner and his family combined the family’s experience in luxury hospitality with their passion for conservation and for the beauty of their home, Zimbabwe. The Gardiners, with local architect Kerry Van Leenhoff, dynamic hotelier Franco Rienzo and the teams of talented local artists, artisans, game rangers and hospitality staff, create the finest safari and cultural experiences, showcasing the richly varied beauty of Zimbabwe’s people and magnificent wilderness.

Above all, the Zimbabwean spirit, at the heart of everything that is done on the property, makes Matetsi Victoria Falls a unique experience: from the visionary owners’ passion, to the distinctly local design and architecture, and to the artistry and warmth of the Matetsi team. Matetsi weaves a magical quality to leave guests with greater insight into the culture and surrounds, treasured memories, and a longing for more Matetsi Magic.

“Although this ultra-luxurious nature retreat reopened little over a year ago (it was formerly known as & Beyond Matetsi River Lodge), in that time it has become the luxury destination here as it pioneers a whole new way of experiencing ‘the Falls’, scooping up a number of design awards and travel accolades in the process.” 

Villa & Suites

Highly acclaimed for the distinctly African, exquisite interiors, Matetsi showcases polished earth finishes, lustrous hand-beaten local copper detailing, and cool contemporary flows between interior and exterior living spaces. Guests enjoy a diverse range of sociable or retreat spaces and indulge in the wilderness in privacy and comfort.

For more information please contact our concierge@above-5.com or concierge@above5stars.com or chat with us via our website chat !!!