Nestled along the banks of the Zambezi River, 18km upstream from Victoria Falls, Tongabezi offers an idyllic romantic getaway with unbeatable river views all around, as well as a plethora of activities to make for an even more memorable stay.

Two friends, Ben Parker and William Ruck Keene, established Tongabezi back in 1990. It was one of the first of its kind and set the standard in design for lodges across the continent. Tongabezi has since grown to be recognized as one of the best properties in Africa.

Among the choices of accommodation on offer are 6 Houses and 5 River Cottages. Every room is beautifully constructed from natural materials and filled with art collected from all over the African continent.

The houses are named the Tree House, the Bird House, the Nut House, the Garden House, the Honeymoon House and the Dog House.

The Tree House, unsurprisingly, is built in the branches of three riverine trees and has stunning views of the river. The Garden and Dog Houses are perfect for family stays with two bedrooms each. All the rooms feature en-suite bathrooms.

The Honeymoon House was the first house built with romance in mind and comes with a king sized canopied bed, a plunge pool and an outdoor day bed and bathtub.

Mealtimes and activities can be arranged in your room or privately on one of the many decks or in the Lookout or Hangout.

A personal valet is available for every room. Your valet will cater to your every whim and assist in planning your activities, or if you so choose, your plans to do nothing.

There is no set schedule for you to follow and you can choose from a wide selection of activities that are included in the price of your stay like Mukuni Park visits, sunrise and sunset boat rides, guided bush walks, museum tours, fishing on the Zambezi River and even visits to local villages.

The paid activities include visits to Chobe National Park in Botswana, bungee jumping, helicopter rides, white-water rafting and microlight flights.

You can begin your day with a sunrise cruise on the river to check out the local wildlife as they visit the river for an early morning drink. Hippos, warthogs, elephant and buffalo are among the animals you can expect to see.

Enjoy a picnic on the sand or have drinks at the mobile sand bar while you marvel at the sunset over the waters. Once the sun has set you might want to treat a loved one to a romantic lantern-lit dinner on the floating Sampan, with a three-course meal delivered by canoe. The dining experience at Tongabezi is world class, with the daily supply of fresh produce grown in a state of the art vegetable and herb garden and fruit orchard.

Tongabezi also has a health spa where various treatments and massages are offered to help you further relax during your stay.

If you’d like even more seclusion, perhaps a short escape to Sindabezi Island for a bush camp experience is just the thing for you. For the thrill seeker, plan a trip to Livingstone Island to get a more immersive experience of Victoria Falls. At low water you can stand at the very point from where famed explorer David Livingstone once caught his first full view of the falls and even take a dip in the infamous Devil’s Pool, right on the waterfall’s edge.

During your trip you could also take a moment to see the Tongabezi Trust School. Tujatane started as a CSR initiative to help the local children within walking distance of Tongabezi to have access to a primary education. Vanessa Parker, wife of the owner of Tongabezi, started it in May 1996. The school began with only 15 students (mostly staff member’s children) and has since grown to educating 240 students.

The school is fully funded by generous donations from various donors whose support has made it possible for the school to expand to 9 classrooms, have a food and medical programme, a fully operational science laboratory and computer lab with 10 donated laptops. The school also has an amphitheatre and a music room with various musical instruments including the Marimba.

The school has a holiday club that runs when school closes for the holidays to give students some extracurricular activities to engage in during their free time. It also assists struggling students with extra teaching support.

Whether you’re looking for epic experiences, community values, or just a quiet space to soak up the magic of Africa, learn more about how you can experience this wild romantic adventure by visiting tongabezi.com