Elephant Hills Lodge, Victoria Falls

Elephant Hills is a large 5 star InterContinental resort hotel on the banks of the Zambezi, close to the Victoria Falls. It is easily reached by road and makes quite and impression with its large grey buildings and beautiful blue swimming pool. The resort is the home of an 18-hole Championship golf course, skillfully designed by Gary Player.

Not surprisingly, golf is quite a popular attraction at the resort. The course has a 72 stroke-rating on site and people from all over the Victoria Falls region come to play on its greens. Whether you’re a pro or an enthusiastic novice – the resort will be able to cater to your needs. The pro shop is well stocked and has 16 sets of clubs and 4 cars for hire. 

But golf is by no means the only pastime at the resort. The hotel also has a casino, a beauty salon and a hairdresser (a proper barber for the men). There is also a Leisure and Sports Health Club on site which offers 2 outdoor swimming pools (one of which is the largest in the country), a sauna, 2 squash courts, 2 floodlit all-weather tennis courts, a volleyball court and a sportswear shop – and these are only the on-site activities!
Off the property the selection of activities is also quite impressive; including elephant back safaris, river cruises, white water rafting, bungee jumping, helicopter flights over the falls, trips to town and cultural villages and many many more.

Being so close to the Victoria Falls, the resort sports some great views of the green surrounds. All of the rooms have balconies, so it’s easy to view the beautiful green surrounds (and even the cloud of spray emitted by the masses of falling water in the distance from some). The wildlife in the surrounding area is also spectacular and game drives in the nearby national park are a popular pastime. Here you can encounter herds of elephant, buffalo, kudu, waterbuck, warthog, baboons and various other small animals and birdlife, although you will most probably also encounter some wild animal ‘visitors’ on the golf course itself!

The hotel is perfect for large (or small) conferences and can take up to 700 people. Many prestigious events such as the Face of Africa (1999) were held here, and they are more than capable of catering to larger than normal groups.

Elephant Hills offers its guests a palate of endless activities and professional service. The location is superb and the setting vibrant and exciting. It is ideal for families and those into sports, golf or an active lifestyle. If you’re after a holiday filled with lots of choices – this is the place for you. 

Elephant Hills can accommodate 552 people in its 276 luxury bedrooms and 13 recently refurbished suites.
As you would expect from a large resort hotel, the rooms have all the modern comforts you could think of including air-conditioning, overhead fans, mini-bars, satellite television and radio, telephones (bathroom and bedroom), mini safes and a coffee and tea stations. And if that’s not enough, the hotel has 11 executive suites, 1 deluxe suite and 1 presidential suite that are even better equipped. We even saw a bathroom scale in one of the rooms (but vowed to avoid it at all costs).

The unique dark grey architecture and teak window frames are understated and stylish, and give the place a very professional feel. These dark colours are well contrasted with the lush green of the vegetation and the vibrant blue of the large swimming pool. 

The hotel facilities are of a high standard and also very family-friendly. Many of the rooms have inter-connecting doors to ensure easy access between rooms, while there are tons of activities to keep kids of all ages occupied. 

All the rooms have balconies and you can actually see the spray from the nearby Victoria Falls from the rooms in the River Wing – quite spectacular. The Golf Wing has beautiful views of the golf course where a wide variety of wildlife can be spotted.

The resort is also disability-friendly with lifts on all floors and two rooms specially equipped for disabled guests. The porters have also been trained to assist those with special needs. 

Elephant Hills offers its guests a variety of dining venues to choose from.

The Samukele and Kasibi restaurants are ideal for informal dining, offering a carvery and an a la carte menu. There is also a poolside grill where the friendly staff serve freshly barbequed meat and salads.

The hotel has a stylish cocktail bar on its fourth level – called the Mapopoma (the local name for the Victoria Falls). It has spectacular panoramic views of the surrounds and is great for a sundowner or pre-dinner drink. Snacks are also available during the day from the Mapopoma Bar and Terrace and the Halfway House golf course snack bar near the putting green.

Where large groups are involved, they try to keep the dining venues different and exciting, and like to rotate themes and ideas to cater to guests’ needs. 
 

Location: Elephant Hills is situated on the shores of the Zambezi River, roughly 3km upstream from the Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls is the nearest town, and the Victoria Falls Airport is 27km away. 

General facilities:
• 3 Restaurants
• Massive swimming pool
• 18 hole Championship golf course, 72 stroke-rating on site
• Well stocked Pro Shop within the hotel with 16 sets of clubs and 4 cars for hire
• Casino
• Business centre with photocopying, typing, facsimile, e-mail and Internet facilities
• Hairdressing & beauty salons
• Leisure and sports health club with 2 outdoor swimming pools, sauna, sportswear shop, 2 squash courts, bowling green, 2 floodlit all-weather tennis courts and volleyball court
• Open air atrium in which the Victoria Falls rainforest has been skilfully recreated
• Foreign exchange facilities
• Curio shops
• Open secure parking
• Car hire and touring desk 
• Adventure booking centre
• Conference facilities (maximum 700 people)
• Offices available for conference delegates
• Health services: clinic, sister from 8-5, doctor on call (24 hrs) and medical air rescue services
• Indoor games 
• Packed lunches
• Disabled facilities: two wheelchairs, two specially designed rooms and elevators on each floor

Room facilities: 
• Balconies
• En-suite bathrooms with separate baths and showers
• Shaver outlets
• Air-conditioning
• Overhead fans
• Hairdryers
• Sprinkler system 
• Smoke detectors
• Direct-dial telephones: bedside and bathroom
• Mini bar 
• Remote-control colour television (CNN, M-Net, SABC, Movie Magic)
• Radio channels 
• In-room safe
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• Bathroom scales

Activities: 
• Flights over the Falls
• River rafting 
• A traditional tribal dancing show 
• White water rafting
• Game drives (including full day game drives to Hwange and night drives)
• Shopping for artifacts
• Golf
• Canoeing
• Bird watching trail - mornings
• River Cruises 
• Flight of the Angels helicopter flights (6 seater)
• Horse trails
• Walking safaris
• Elephant back safaris
• Tour of nature sanctuary
• Victoria Falls Steam Safari Express
• Bungi Jumping
• Rafting
• River boarding
• Microlighting 

Services:
• Laundry (same-day) and valet service
• 24-hour room service

Open: Elephant Hills is open all year long.