528 Victoria Falls
528 Victoria Falls is located just outside Victoria Falls town and a few kilometres from the Falls.
528 Victoria Falls is a personal and homely guesthouse in the peaceful leafy suburbs of Victoria Falls. The rooms are tastefully decorated and comfortable. The breakfasts are fantastic and the rooftop honesty bar is the perfect place to relax after a busy day visiting the attractions. It’s the ideal base for those seeking a little independence to explore Victoria Falls while having the friendly and attentive owners on hand to help with the planning your day.
Rooms
There are a total of eight rooms consisting of five double/twin rooms, one family room (accommodating four guests with a double bed and bunkbeds, sharing a bathroom), one family suite (two en suite rooms interleading, one bathroom with a large shower and the other with shower and bath – accommodating five guests) and a triple room. All rooms are comfortably furnished with air conditioning, tea and coffee facilities and en suites comprising a wash basin, toilet and shower.
Central Areas
The main areas include a breakfast room and small lounge leading onto a terrace overlooking the garden and swimming pool. The rooms are split over two floors whilst the top floor hosts a contemporary ‘honesty bar’ leading to a rooftop terrace with comfortable seating, overlooking the leafy gardens.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
Victoria Falls, known by the local Kololo tribe as ‘Mosi au Tunya’ (the smoke that thunders), is one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World” heritage sites and one of the largest and most spectacular waterfalls on earth.
Victoria Falls National Park is a small park that encompasses the falls themselves and the immediate surrounding countryside, including the town of Victoria Falls.
Spanning a width of some 1,700 metres, the waters of the mighty Zambezi actually plunge down five distinct waterfalls, separated by islands which account for just over 300 metres of the total span. Four of these falls are in Zimbabwe: The Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Horseshoe Falls, and one, The Eastern Cataract, is in the bordering country of Zambia. The average height is just less than 100 metres.
During the peak flood season (April and May), the flow increases to some 625 million litres per minute. At this time, the spray makes viewing of the falls from the ground almost impossible and it is advisable to take an aerial view on what is commonly referred to as a ‘flight of angels’. By September, the waters of the Zambezi have dropped significantly to allow views of the individual falls. This remains until March when the river starts to rise again.
David Livingstone was the first European to ‘discover’ the falls when he visited them in November 1855. He later wrote, “no one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” He named them after his Queen, for the first and only time deviating from his practise of naming places and features after their local native names, in this instance “Mo ku sa tunya mosi” (nowadays shortened to mosi-au-tunya). The David Livingstone statue can be found near the spectacular Devil’s Cataract viewpoint.
The rainforest area is filled with many species of fig, mahogany and date palm groves, as well as an impressive list of birds and smaller mammals such as vervet monkeys, baboons and bushbuck.
From the centre of Victoria Falls town, the Falls are a leisurely 10 minute walk away.
Activities
Aside from a tour of the Falls themselves (either guided or self-guided), some of the many optional activities which can be undertaken during your visit to the Victoria Falls include:
‘Flights of Angels’ helicopter tours over the Falls. The shorter flights concentrate on the Falls themselves, while the longer flights include flying over the Batoka Gorge below Victoria Falls.
Trips to Livingstone Island on the Zambia side of the Falls – you can plan for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea on the island and can also take your swimming costume and include a swim in Devil’s Pool – a natural rock pool on the edge of the falls!
White water rafting – experience some of the finest white water the world has to offer (dependant on water levels).
Bird watching, sunset cruises or dinner cruises by boat on the Zambezi River.
For those that like to be active, other excursions include a full day canoeing on the upper Zambezi, horse-riding and an array of adrenaline-fuelled activities such as a bungee jump, gorge swing and zip line.
Most excursions can easily be booked direct at the property, but some do require advance booking to secure availability.
Seasons
528 Victoria Falls is open all year round, though it is the rainy season from November to March.
Children from the age of five years are welcome and there are flexible accommodation options for families all wanting to be together, including the Family Suite which sleeps up to five guests in inter-leading rooms, a family room which sleeps up to four, and a triple room. With a pretty garden and pool, the guesthouse makes a good option for those looking for a smaller base with personal service, from which to explore the Falls.
In addition to supporting local artisans and community projects with the guesthouse décor, 528 Victoria Falls minimizes its footprint where possible, including the use of solar power (backup generator is needed in power shortages), and also supports two local non profit organisations, Mummy’s Angels Zimbabwe and Sewpportive Friends.
Mummy’s Angels Zimbabwe is a charitable trust that helps mothers and babies in need by distributing second-hand, leftover and donated baby goods (clothes, toys, excess nappies, bum cream or even maternity pads etc). They donate hampers to help a select few mothers in need at Victoria Falls Hospital and Chinotimba Clinic.
Sewpportive Friends is a nonprofit grassroots organisation that provides washable feminine hygiene products to girls in need in Africa. In Zimbabwe they work with a number of schools, children’s home and community groups including a women’s sewing group in Victoria Falls.
