Accommodation in Victoria Falls: Livingstone, Zambia

Published June 21, 2010 at 7:00 am |

What hotels are in Livingstone, Zambia?

Sadly, with few exceptions, hotels in Livingstone, Zambia, close to Victoria Falls are expensive. Expensive enough to make you say “not this time, maybe someday.” And with tourism being a major driver in the economy, deals and discounts are tough to come by, even if you purchase a package deal.

Your big hotels are the:

While rates change seasonally, for the travel period I was looking at, rates started at $195/night (that’s U.S. Dollars kids) at the Protea Hotel Livingstone. And that was the cheapest of the 3!

It’s easy to see why many pass on Victoria Falls because of it’s sheer expense (about as sheer as the falls drop-off). But…you don’t have to.

Are there cheap hotels near Victoria Falls?

Yes, better value hotels do exist. I don’t like to spend more than $100/night on a hotel (I’ll push it to $125 if I absolutely have to). Nor do I like to stay at backpacker hostels for $20/night. Yes, I have done that before too, but these days I’m looking for comfort, cleanliness, safety & security and value for money. Hostels are unpredictable.

So how do you find reasonable accommodation in Livingstone? Head to twitter…

In April when I booked my ticket to Livingstone, I sent a message out on twitter asking for travel advice to Victoria Falls. Richard Chanter from Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, @livilodge replied asking what I needed. I explained accommodation options and he referred me to his personal guest lodge website.

In less than 140 characters I booked my room:

Richard. Do you have a room for 1 person for 2 nights arriv Jun 5 depart Jun 7th? I’d need airport transfers how much?

How cool is that? I booked a hotel room on twitter! The cost was only $65/night, well below my usual budget. Perfect!

In fact, this was just the start of a fantastic relationship with Chanters Lodge. While my original intention was to pay for my rooms, I asked Richard if he’d be interested in sponsoring this series on Victoria Falls in exchange for 2 nights accommodation.

He agreed.

So it is with great pleasure that I can share with you Chanters Lodge in Livingstone, Zambia. The full report will be posted later this week. But until then, it was the perfect retreat for my 2 nights at the Falls.

Have you ever booked a hotel on twitter? What was it like? Share your experience by commenting.

I’ll see you out there…!

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