Batonka Guest lodge: Our View

Batonka Guest Lodge is a relatively small and intimate, secluded and upmarket Guest House in Victoria Falls town that is luxurious and welcoming. It is popular with foreign guests, and the service - as so often is the case in Zimbabwe - is superb. The rooms at Batonka are large, well appointed, and inviting. Their cuisine is excellent, tasty and plentiful. The management at Batonka Guest Lodge is alert and quick to respond to guest requests. The Lodge is arranged around a pretty garden with a good sized swimming pool. We really like Batonka Guest lodge and highly recommend it. It is a new lodge, so lacks the history of say Victoria Falls Hotel, and it is not as close to the town centre and the Victoria Falls, lacking a view of the latter. But it is reasonably priced and a short taxi ride (or a longer 15 minute downhill walk) takes one into the tourist centre of the town and down to the Victoria Falls.

Batonka Guest Lodge: Quick Facts

• 27 air conditioned rooms, each with a bathroom en-suite, and balcony or verandah.
• Family rooms available.
• Good food and service.
• A few minutes by taxi (or a longer downhill walk) to Victoria Falls Town Centre and Victoria Falls.
• All the usual Victoria Falls activities are offered, from White Water Rafting to Bungee Jumping and Helicopter trips over the Falls.
• Environmentally friendly with “green” features throughout such as grey water recycling and solar geysers.
• Far enough away from the town centre to be quiet and secluded, yet only a few minutes to get into town by taxi.

Batonka Guest Lodge: The Details

We arrived at Batonka Guest Lodge one night, straight after arriving at Livingstone Airport, Zambia, and crossing the border into Zimbabwe via the bridge over the Victoria Falls. What a pleasure to reach Batonka! Warm, welcoming staff, from the security guard at the gate to the manager who showed us around. The main area of lounges, verandahs and dining areas is well lit, cosy and sparkling clean. The rooms at Batonka Guest Lodge are spacious and new. Their huge four poster beds are bigger than some bedrooms! Dining can be inside, or outside on the large verandah. The staff keep a discreet eye out for you and respond instantly - almost before you need something! The establishment is small and personal yet complete privacy is easily found in the private rooms and verandahs or balconies adjoining them. WiFi is excellent at Batonka and credit cards are welcomed. Unless you are looking for the colonial grandeur and history of the huge Victoria Falls Hotel (and prepared to pay up for that) we would recommend Batonka as your base for exploring Victoria Falls and the surrounding area.