Thorntree River Lodge

Wonderful stay. As another guest stated, this is much more than luxury, it's luxurious. Rooms were very large and extremely well appointed. Anything you could desire was made available. Food was excellent and they even had a special Zambian food night. You could even go their wine cellar to choose your wine. The sommelier was very knowledgeable. They also offered sunset cruises on the Zambezi river, which was sublime. Some wildlife would stroll through the grounds. They made it mandatory to be escorted to and from your rooms after dark. Rooms also had pools which were nice. We stayed here as the middle part of African Bush Camps "3 country safari". Although there were fewer animals than the others, it was such a nice luxurious break from the longer days of the other camps. There was a nice gift shop, which had handicrafts from local artisans Bernadette did a masterful job explaining and showing us the work of the ABC Foundation. Very commendable!!! We've stayed at a lot of the best hotels in the world and I place Thorntree in that same category. Kudos to Franklin and his staff.

We were on our Mini Moon over Full Moon and truly have nothing but praise for Thorntree River Lodge and its spectacular setting along the Mighty Zambezi River. Our greeting was heart warming with joyful singing by many members of staff before we were sat by the River to discuss our plans for our stay, along with a neck massage, which w/Users/suzy/Desktop/IMG_8592.jpgas a lovely touch after our journey. Our villa was delightful, with the bed being one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The linen was of the highest quality, as were the thick and soft towels, with two choices of bath robes. A huge bath large enough to comfortably allow my 2m tall husband a good soak. The toiletries were a favourite of mine, and replenished when needed. Two showers, one inside and one outside provided a plentiful supply of hot water. There was a personal plunge pool, an outside seating area with loungers and a comfy corner. Inside we had a bar station, (including re-hydrate) alongside the tea and coffee facilities and a seating area. Mozzie screens meant that we could drift off with the large doors open and fall asleep to the river and animal sounds. The turn down service also ensured the mozzie net and slippers were in place along with security items on our bedside tables should they be required. There was also a daily “Thorntree Times” with a local fact, animal fact, foundation fact, weather forecast, sunrise, sunset times and the daily menu. Deliciously created meals were taken in the three dining areas – one on the deck above the river, the outside area or within the two adjacent dining areas. I don’t think we sat at the same table twice which was lovely as it gave us different views each time and the monkeys a good chance of stealing a snack from our table during the day! Evening drinks at the boma fire before dinner was a good place to meet new friends. Some evenings we were joined before dinner by a member of the Management team who regaled us with fascinating stories of the Lodge, their culture and family life. The comfortable library was cool and beautifully decorated, with interesting books, backgammon and chess, and for those who really need it, a tv! The shop full of enticing goods. The general loo’s were clean, neat and had great views! The daily activities, geared to your choice, were wonderful, and marvellously organised and guided. Vehicles were spotlessly clean and blankets were provided for the early morning game drives, along with personalised water bottles, and obviously snacks for coffee time. Every member of staff that you passed greeted you with a friendly smile and generally by your name, which was impressive. Imaginative, deliciously cooked, beautifully presented dishes – just too much food! Loved the change of seating every night to allow for differing views. Exceptional housekeeping Exceptional laundry service Great plug connections by bed Exceptional bar facilities in Villa Exceptional tea and coffee facilities in Villa Love the décor throughout the Lodge – the use of tin, wood, baskets, linen, main photographs, cushions, just gorgeous. Loved the bar that was set up in different places in the Villa each night giving you an option of different seating. Excellent team work - two minor maintenance changes were addressed within 5 minutes of reporting them. Love the fact that everyone is very respectful and greets you by name, even the security guards and the housekeepers.. Wonderful boma fire each night for gorgeous snacks and pre dinner drinks. I asked for a cocktail one evening, which was not known, I explained how to make it, and it was perfectly executed. Kudos. Marvellous that there is a foundation to help a local village. Sadly there was no time to visit this trip. Must do's - Victoria Falls, the helicopter trip (medium time and video) a morning and evening game drive with special walk, a sunset cruise. Talk to the staff, they are full of knowledge and so generous with their time. The best part of our stay at this Lodge - the personal attention. The room and service - absolutely excellent - faultless The thing I would change - the temperature of the tap water which was extremely hot! We were sad to leave this beautiful Lodge and its wonderful staff, and are already talking of going back for Tiger fishing season!

This is a tough review for me to rate, as Thorntree is a beautiful property in a beautiful location. The staff were lovely and the food was also good. We were just left a bit disappointed as we were booking our first safari adventure, and we really did not feel like we were on safari at Thorntree. After coming from Botswana, game drives and big cats, we arrived at Thorntree keen for more game and wild life. While we did the rhino walk which was cool, it is worth nothing the national park near the lodge is very small, and does not have any predators in it, just Zebra, Giraffe, some elephant and buffalo. So if you are wanting true safari wild life, big cats, and "adventure", then Thorntree is probably not for you. Overall, we felt like we were at a river resort, not a safari camp. It is a beautiful property, the rooms are amazing, and the view is great. It is a great launch pad to check out Victoria falls and get a rhino siting. But after 2 nights we were ready to leave, the river cruise lacked wild life, and was just a relaxing float. For us, overall, the experience in Linyanti expedition was far better in terms of a "safari adventure". We loved the more casual dining experience interacting and eating with the host and guides, the more glamping feel over the luxury, and the more traditional safari game drives. Obviously for others seeking the luxury experience accommodation wise, Thorntree could be a good choice! So in summary, Thorntree is beautiful, but you need to make sure you consider what safari experience you are after. For us, Thorntree was not what we were looking for, however when booking we could not have known this as it was our first safari, so we signed up for 3 quite different camps. We know for next time!

This experience exceeded our expectations. Our room and the lodge were in top notch condition. Excellent food and the room was well thought out and had everything we could have wished for. The guides were professional, yet extremely friendly and frank. We saw peltny of Hippos, several Rhino, Buffalo, and one crocodile close up!

first rate 5 star Resort we loved every part Staff Food Pool Massage Guide will return very soon 1st rate pace very clean Etc large open resort on the river great internet and Ac as well ask for Easy as your guide he is very chill extremely enjoyable river trip and trio to the falls as well as walking with the Rinos x

Warmest welcome and Luxury from the minute you arrive! Perfectly located along the Mighty Zambezi river, so we were lucky to have some Elephants visit us during the day. Celebrating our 10th year wedding annivesary and having Thorntree River lodge end off such a magical Safari trip was the best decision! They truly made my stay so romantic with all the rose petals, bubble baths, super stocked mini bar, private cadle light dinners on the jetti, sundowners, boat cruises and sooooo much more. Our stay was super exciting and filled with plenty of memorable moments especially our safari walk with the Rhinos, Zebras, Mpalas and Wildebeest all at the same time!!! That was a super special experience, Thank you very much! So grateful to have stayed with you and your amazing staff - everything was perfect!! Love Thorntree River lodge!

We arrived on my birthday after a long flight and a mess at immigration. When we pulled up and 10 people came out to welcome us with a smile and a joyful song I strayed crying. Our experience was top notch from start to finish due in most part by the AMAZING staff. Our cabin had every comfort available, along with a fully stocked and refillable mini bar. The food was unbelievable. We had a sunset cruise on arrival, followed by a romantic dinner by candlelight while listening to hippos splashing in the water. Then a whole birthday cake delivered by smiling staff while singing to me in Africaan. EZ our guide was the greatest. He arranged for an afternoon boat ride the next day with lunch and wine. We went to the falls, did a rhino walk, relaxed on our patio ( watch out for baboons)! Even after 3 nights I was sad to leave. Special thanks to EZ, Olipi, Haggai, Justine, Mercy, Bridget, Ellie, and Anod who made all the delicious meals. You all made special memories we will hold in our hearts forever.

The lodge itself is fantastic! The rooms are nicely designed and furnished. The location is a bit different than other safari lodges I’ve been to. You get to it via highway and you have reach the game drive and rhino walk via driving on the highway in the game car. Staff was great. Justina was a great host and Phillip was an amazing guide. Do the rhino walk because you get to be so close to them and get to have a drive through the park afterwards. Please delete the location of the rhino pics to keep their location from spreading as people share pics. Got to spend bday at Vic Falls which was the plan. And got to share it with new friends I met at another lodge. ❤️😊. Staff at the lodge made a cake and sang which was so sweet. Thank you!!!!

We absolutely loved Thorntree! This was our first stop on our one week Africa trip before heading to Botswana. We spent three nights here, a perfect amount of time. The location right on the Zambezi River is beautiful. We saw vertet monkeys every day at the resort as well as crocodiles and hippos in the river right in front. Our guide, Nevy, was so kind and knowledgeable. He was with us throughout our stay and took us on our morning and afternoon activities. Our first evening we went on a sunset boat tour, where we saw lots of crocodiles, birds, and hippos. We visited Victoria Falls- we chose to visit both the Zambia and Zimbabwe sides (highly recommend). We visited the protected white rhinos. We went on a game drive through the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. There are no cats there, but we saw giraffes, elephants, baboons, warthogs, vertet monkeys, etc. We also went fishing one evening on the Zambezi River and caught a tiger fish. The food was fantastic- always several options to choose from. And lots of wine! The staff plan so many lovely surprises along the way. The rooms are incredible and quite large! We loved sitting out on the deck by the river. The pool was not heated, so it was too cold to enjoy in July. We appreciated the heating and air conditioning as the mid July nights were cool (in the 50's) and days were warm (in the 80's and 90's). Highly recommend African Bush Camps and Thorntree!

We stayed here for 1 night after visiting Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. Impeccable in design and service, we had a warm welcome and every aspect is cared for, greeted with tea and towels, given a water bottle. Thank you to our amazing guide Claudia - the first female guide in all of Zimbabwe, Zambia and the region. She was so passionate and knowledgeable. All guests get activities with their stay, we visited the African Bush Camps foundational project and did a Rhino Walk. Both were amazing for different reasons, learned about the community and impact of donations for schools, healthcare, the African Bush Camps (ABC) Foundation built a healthcare facility and donated it to the government to staff and run. We saw 7 of the 11 White Rhinos in Zambia and had a marvelous game drive with elephants, giraffe etc. The design of the lodge and food / service were amazing, a new level of experience and much appreciated after we did more ad hoc stay at the falls stayed at a lovely apartment (Miombo Mews) and booked activities available. Superb and highly recommend.