Royal Livingstone Hotel

Highlights

• A five-minute walk to Victoria Falls
• Set inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
• Zebra, giraffe and impala wander the riverside lawns
• Pool and timber sundeck on the banks of the Zambezi
• Hotel transfers to the Royal Livingstone Express steam train
• Butler service in rooms and suites
• Seven room categories and three suites, garden or river view

Information

• Lodge type: Luxury 5-star hotel
• Location: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Livingstone, Zambia
• Lodge size: 173 rooms and suites
• Recommended stay: 2–5 nights
• Malaria risk: Yes. Livingstone is a malaria area, and antimalarials are recommended year-round
• Getting there: 14.9 km (about 20 minutes' drive) from Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone; 25 km from Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe; 10 km (about 14 minutes) from Livingstone town. No light-aircraft transfer is needed.

Experience The Splendour Of The Royal Livingstone Hotel By Anantara

The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara is a 173-room, five-star hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River. It stands inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, a five-minute walk from Victoria Falls. Few hotels in Africa sit this close to a natural wonder. You can stroll to the Falls before breakfast, back for a swim, and out again for the lunar rainbow on a full-moon night.

The hotel is laid out as 17 colonial-style buildings with deep verandas, set among indigenous trees along the riverbank. At its heart is a sequence of thatched buildings holding the lounge, restaurant and bar. The swimming pool runs straight down to the water, with a sweeping timber deck reaching out over the Zambezi. It's one of the finest spots in southern Africa for a sundowner.

Inside, the lounge walls carry paintings and maps of David Livingstone's expeditions. The shaded library veranda, with the river sliding past below, is made for an unhurried afternoon with a book. Originally a Sun International property, the hotel has been run by Anantara since 2016. The service carries that polish: butlers in every room category and a front desk that books every activity in the area. Zebra and giraffe graze the lawns between the guest wings, so watch where you're walking on the way to dinner.

Rooms and Suites

The Royal Livingstone offers ten categories of accommodation: seven room types of 30 to 41 sqm and three suites of 52 to 88 sqm. Every one is air-conditioned, with an en-suite bathroom, butler service and complimentary Wi-Fi. Each room sleeps two adults and one child.

• Premier Garden Rooms (30 sqm): garden views, with a choice of private balcony or ground-floor terrace. These are the best value on the property.
• Deluxe and Grand Zambezi River Rooms (30 sqm): river views from a balcony or terrace, separate bath and rain shower.
• Executive Garden Room (41 sqm) and Executive Zambezi River Room (30 sqm): both add a corner sunroom, and the river-view version has a work desk.
• Livingstone Junior Suite (52 sqm): river views, extended living area and espresso machine.
• Livingstone Suite (63 sqm): separate living room, private terrace and river views.
• Presidential Suite (88 sqm): the grandest address in the hotel, with separate living and dining rooms, a kitchenette and an expansive terrace over the Zambezi.

Our advice: pay the step up to a river-view room. The Zambezi is the reason to be here, and waking to it beats waking to a garden, however lovely the garden.

Cuisine and Wine

The Old Drift is the main restaurant, serving a menu that blends European and African flavours, and breakfast is included in every Uyaphi booking. Dinner can go well beyond the dining room. Anantara sets tables beneath the riverbank monkey trees and in the herb garden. The Mukuni Boma dinner brings local food and culture to the table. The Sundeck is the place for a chilled glass of wine as the sun drops into the Zambezi. For the most memorable meal in Livingstone, book a seat on the Royal Livingstone Express, a restored steam train serving dinner on its way to the Victoria Falls Bridge.

Facilities

The hotel has a riverside swimming pool with a timber deck over the Zambezi, a spa, a gym with Technogym equipment, a running trail, and conference facilities for business travellers. Other services include:

• Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout
• 24-hour room service
• Laundry service
• Guest parking
• Airport shuttle, water-taxi arrival and private transfers (at extra cost)
• Shuttle to sister hotel Avani Victoria Falls Resort, a ten-minute walk away

Activities

Victoria Falls is the headline act, a five-minute walk from your room. Most of Livingstone's other big experiences can be booked at the front desk:

• Victoria Falls walk: the Zambian rainforest trail along the lip of the gorge
• Livingstone Island and Devil's Pool: swim at the edge of the Falls, in the low-water season only
• Rhino walk: track white rhino on foot in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
• Game drives in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
• Sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi
• White-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge
• Bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge
• Microlight and helicopter flights over the Falls
• Royal Livingstone Express: the vintage steam train, run by Bushtracks Africa, boards at Bushtracks Siding, with transfers from the hotel. It runs three times a week in high season and twice weekly from 1 October to 31 March

Book the train early. Seats are limited, and it's the experience our clients talk about most when they get home.

Child Friendly

Yes, the Royal Livingstone welcomes families, and every room takes two adults plus one child. Children love the riverside pool and the zebra on the lawns. Next door, sister hotel Avani Victoria Falls Resort runs AvaniKids, open daily from 9am to 4pm. Children aged 4 to 12 can join on their own; ages 2 to 4 need a parent alongside. Activities are complimentary for Avani's resident children and charged for non-residents, so we'll confirm access and any costs for Royal Livingstone guests when we book your stay.

Spa and Wellness

The spa offers massages, body treatments and facials, with therapies given on the riverbank beneath the monkey trees, the Zambezi drifting past and the Falls rumbling downstream.

Keen runners and gym-goers are well looked after too. There's a gym with Technogym equipment and a running trail through the grounds, so you can keep up the routine while on a Zambian safari.

Royal Livingstone Hotel FAQs

How far is the Royal Livingstone Hotel from Victoria Falls?

The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara is about a five-minute walk from Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. It sits inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the banks of the Zambezi River, upstream of the Falls. Guests can walk to the Falls at sunrise, return for breakfast and go back later in the day. That makes it one of the closest luxury hotels to the Falls.

Is there malaria at the Royal Livingstone Hotel?

Yes. The Royal Livingstone Hotel is in Livingstone, Zambia, which is a malaria area, and antimalarial medication is recommended year-round. Risk is generally higher in the wet months, roughly November to April. Speak to a travel clinic or your doctor about the right prophylaxis before you travel. Pack insect repellent and wear long sleeves in the evenings for extra protection.

How do I get to the Royal Livingstone Hotel?

Fly into Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone, Zambia, which has scheduled flights from Johannesburg. The Royal Livingstone is 14.9 km from the airport, about a 20-minute drive. Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe is 25 km away, but that route involves a border crossing. The hotel offers airport shuttles, private transfers and water-taxi arrivals at extra cost.

Is the Royal Livingstone Hotel good for families?

Yes. Every room at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia sleeps two adults and one child, and the riverside pool and grazing zebra are big hits with children. Next door, sister hotel Avani Victoria Falls Resort runs AvaniKids, open daily from 9am to 4pm for ages 4 to 12, with 2- to 4-year-olds accompanied by a parent. Uyaphi confirms access and any charges for Royal Livingstone guests when booking.

When is the best time to stay at the Royal Livingstone Hotel?

It depends what you want from Victoria Falls. The Falls are at their most thunderous from about March to May, when the spray can hide the view. From roughly August to December the water drops, views open up, and Devil's Pool and Livingstone Island become accessible. The Royal Livingstone, beside the Zambezi in Livingstone, Zambia, is a rewarding stay in every season.

Are meals included at the Royal Livingstone Hotel?

Uyaphi rates for the Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara in Livingstone, Zambia include bed and breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi. Lunch and dinner are paid as you go at The Old Drift restaurant, the Sundeck or a private riverside dinner. Activities, transfers, flights, visas and gratuities are extra. Rates are quoted per person per night sharing, in US dollars, and vary by season.

In Conclusion

The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara puts you a five-minute walk from Victoria Falls, with colonial verandas, riverside lawns where zebra graze, and butler service in every room. Two to five nights here pair naturally with South Luangwa, the Lower Zambezi, Chobe or Hwange, and we'll arrange the flights, transfers and activities around your trip. Come from March to May for the full roar of the Falls, or from August to December for clearer views and a swim in Devil's Pool. Uyaphi.com has been planning tailor-made African holidays for 27 years, since 1999. Tell us when you'd like to travel.