Skip to main content

Batonka Guest Lodge

Batonka Guest Lodge Victoria Falls Zimbabwe 27-room garden guest lodge with pool in a quiet residential suburb near the falls

Highlights

  • Twenty-seven ground-floor rooms: sixteen Pool View Rooms and eleven Garden View Rooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and a private patio
  • Eight interleading Garden View Rooms, ideal for families and groups travelling together
  • A 10–15 minute walk to Victoria Falls town centre (1 km) and 2.2 km from the Rainforest entrance to the falls
  • An in-house restaurant serving breakfast, an à la carte lunch and a three-course dinner, plus a fully stocked bar
  • An activities desk that books falls tours, Zambezi sunset cruises, game drives in Zambezi National Park and walking tours

Information

  • Lodge type: Luxury Guesthouse
  • Location: Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe – quiet residential suburb, 1 km from the town centre
  • Lodge size: 27 Rooms
  • Recommended stay: 2-5 nights
  • Malaria risk: Yes – Victoria Falls is a malaria area; take prophylaxis, with the highest risk in the November to April rains
  • Getting there: 18–20 km (about 20 minutes by road) from Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), which has direct flights from Johannesburg of roughly 1 hour 45 minutes; 45 minutes by road from the Kazungula border with Botswana; no light-aircraft transfer needed

Escape to Serenity: Discover the Charm of Batonka Guest Lodge!

Batonka Guest Lodge is a 27-room guest lodge in a quiet residential suburb of Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe. It is 1 km from the town centre and 2.2 km from the Rainforest entrance to the Victoria Falls themselves. That puts the restaurants, markets and activity operators of Victoria Falls a 10–15 minute stroll away. At night you still get what the busier hotels on the main road cannot offer: birdsong, a dark garden and a proper night's sleep.

Batonka Guest Lodge is built around its gardens. The rooms stand in small blocks of five or six, set among manicured lawns and indigenous trees, and each block is angled so that the patios keep their privacy. The main lodge brings everything else together: indoor and outdoor dining, a cosy lounge, and a wide verandah that opens onto the lawns. It is the best seat in the house for a late-afternoon drink after a morning soaked in spray at the falls.

Batonka Guest Lodge is a warm, friendly and relaxed place to stay. The team knows Victoria Falls inside out, and nothing is too much trouble, from a packed breakfast for an early rafting start to a last-minute table for a sunset cruise.

Rooms And Suites

Batonka Guest Lodge has 27 rooms in two categories: sixteen Pool View Rooms and eleven Garden View Rooms. All are on ground level, and each has an en-suite bathroom and a private patio.

The sixteen Pool View Rooms open onto patios that look across the lawns to the pool. Each has a large en-suite bathroom with double basins, a bath and a separate shower. After a day at the falls, a long soak is exactly what is needed.

The eleven Garden View Rooms face a private garden of lawns and indigenous trees that draws a steady stream of birdlife. Each has an en-suite bathroom with double basins and a generous shower. Eight of these rooms interlead, so families and groups can travel together without sharing a single room.

Every room at Batonka Guest Lodge comes with the following:

  • Air conditioning and free WiFi
  • King-size or twin beds with mosquito nets
  • Satellite TV, mini-fridge and in-room safe
  • Tea and coffee station, hairdryer and writing desk

Cuisine And Wine

Batonka Guest Lodge rates are bed and breakfast. Lunch and dinner are ordered from the in-house restaurant and paid for by the course, so you eat exactly as much or as little as you want. The cooking is home-style and generous. You can dine inside or out on the verandah.

  • Breakfast – a continental spread of cold meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, cereals, muffins and croissants, with a cooked breakfast to order
  • Lunch – an à la carte menu of around six dishes plus desserts, with toasted sandwiches available all day
  • Dinner – a three-course menu with two choices per course, priced per course, so a single main or a double dessert are both perfectly acceptable
  • Bar – a fully stocked bar with a broad range of wines and spirits

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes can be requested in advance.

Facilities

Batonka Guest Lodge offers everything a two-to-five-night Victoria Falls stay requires, without the bustle of a large hotel:

  • Swimming pool surrounded by lawns and sun loungers
  • Lounge and bar in the main lodge
  • Verandah with indoor and outdoor dining
  • Curio shop with locally handcrafted pieces
  • Activities desk for booking excursions
  • Free WiFi throughout and on-site parking

Activities

Batonka Guest Lodge's activities desk books every major Victoria Falls excursion, and most of them start less than ten minutes' drive from the lodge. Popular choices include the following:

  • Guided tour of the Victoria Falls – the Rainforest entrance on the Zimbabwe side is 2.2 km from the lodge
  • Zambezi sunset cruise – drinks on the upper Zambezi as the hippos surface and the light turns gold
  • Game drives in Zambezi National Park – elephant, buffalo and plains game, about five minutes' drive from the lodge
  • Walking tours – the town, its history and the riverine birdlife
  • White-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge – for the adrenaline end of the spectrum

The Victoria Falls change dramatically through the year. From March to May the Zambezi is in full flood and the spray can rise high enough to hide the falls. From August to October the views are clear, the weather is dry, and the curtain of water is at its most photogenic.

Child Friendly

Batonka Guest Lodge is one of the most family-friendly bases in Victoria Falls town. Eight of the Garden View Rooms interlead, so parents and children can have separate rooms with a door between them. The enclosed gardens give children space to run, and the pool is the obvious reward after a morning of sightseeing.

The Batonka Guest Lodge restaurant offers simple, nutritious children's meals. The activities desk can arrange age-appropriate outings such as guided nature walks, gentle river cruises and visits to local attractions.

FAQ's

Where is Batonka Guest Lodge in Victoria Falls?

Batonka Guest Lodge is in a quiet residential suburb of Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe, about 1 km from the town centre and 2.2 km from the Rainforest entrance to the Victoria Falls. Restaurants and shops are a 10–15 minute walk away. The falls are a longer walk or a five-minute drive. Victoria Falls International Airport is 18–20 km from the lodge, roughly 20 minutes by road.

How do you get to Batonka Guest Lodge?

Batonka Guest Lodge is reached by road from Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), which is 18–20 km and about 20 minutes away. Direct scheduled flights from Johannesburg to VFA take roughly 1 hour 45 minutes. Travellers arriving from Chobe in Botswana drive in through the Kazungula border in about 45 minutes. No light-aircraft transfer is needed, and Uyaphi arranges road transfers as part of the itinerary.

Is Batonka Guest Lodge suitable for families with children?

Batonka Guest Lodge is an excellent family choice in Victoria Falls. Eight of its eleven Garden View Rooms interlead, so parents and children can have separate rooms with a door between them. The enclosed gardens and swimming pool give children space to play. The restaurant serves children's meals, and the activities desk can arrange family-friendly outings such as nature walks and river cruises.

What meals are included at Batonka Guest Lodge?

Batonka Guest Lodge rates are bed and breakfast, with a continental spread and a cooked option each morning. Lunch and dinner are ordered separately from the in-house restaurant. Lunch is an à la carte menu of around six dishes, and toasted sandwiches are available all day. Dinner is a three-course menu with two choices per course, charged by the course. Drinks are extra.

Is there malaria at Batonka Guest Lodge in Victoria Falls?

Batonka Guest Lodge is in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, which is a malaria-risk area all year round. The risk is highest during the rainy season from November to April. Travellers should see a travel doctor before departure about antimalarial prophylaxis. At the lodge, use the mosquito nets over the beds, and wear repellent and long sleeves in the evenings.

How many nights should you stay at Batonka Guest Lodge?

Batonka Guest Lodge works best for two to five nights. Two nights gives you one full day to see the Victoria Falls properly. Three or four nights leaves time for a Zambezi sunset cruise, a game drive in Zambezi National Park or white-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge. Five nights suits families who want a slower pace, with afternoons spent at the pool.

In Conclusion

Batonka Guest Lodge is the right choice for travellers who want to be close to the Victoria Falls without sleeping in the middle of the crowds. It has 27 garden rooms and interleading family rooms. Home-style cooking is ordered as you please, and the town centre is a 10–15 minute walk away. The lodge delivers comfort, warmth and genuine value in a town where prices can climb steeply.

Batonka Guest Lodge rates are offered as part of a tailor-made Uyaphi safari. The lodge rarely stands alone. It pairs naturally with the elephant herds of Hwange National Park, with a crossing via Kazungula to Chobe in Botswana, or with a few nights on the Zambezi upstream. We handle the flights into Victoria Falls, the road transfers and the activity bookings, so all you do is arrive.

Batonka Guest Lodge is a year-round base, and your timing decides which Victoria Falls you see. March to May brings the Zambezi in full, thundering flood. August to October gives clear views of the gorge and pairs perfectly with dry-season game viewing in Hwange. Uyaphi.com has been planning journeys through Zimbabwe since 1999, and 27 years on we still enjoy matching the right season to the right traveller. Tell us your dates and your wish list, and we'll build your Victoria Falls stay around them.

Rates From

Rates form part of a safari itinerary

Rates Information

Batonka Guest Lodge Rates
Per person per night sharing
Rates are in US Dollar
*Rates may vary according to season

Rates Include
  • Bed
  • Breakfast
Rates Exclude
  • All other meals
  • All drinks
  • All flights and transfers
  • Travel insurance
  • Gratuities
  • Activities

Book This Zimbabwe Lodge Now

 

Zimbabwe Travel Topics

The Perfect Zimbabwe Honeymoon

Most honeymoons are an exercise in doing very little at considerable expense, and there is a great deal to be said for that. Zimbabwe simply arranges better company for it. Elephants come down to drink below the deck while you are still on your first coffee; the guide turns out to know which lion crossed the airstrip in the night; dinner happens on a Zambezi deck while the light goes orange and then goes altogether. Nobody puts Zimbabwe at the top of the shortlist — Kenya and the Cape get there first — which is precisely why the lodges are quieter and the guiding is better than it needs to be.

Top 10 Must See Attractions In Victoria Falls

Livingstone named it after a queen who never saw it, and the Tonga had been calling it Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, for a very long time before he turned up. Theirs is the better name. Five hundred million litres a minute go over the edge in full flood, which is enough to soak you through a hired raincoat before you are halfway along the Zimbabwe footpath, and enough to hide the falls entirely if you have come in the wrong month. There is also a rock pool at the very lip of the drop that people swim in. We will come to that.

5 Best Lodges In Victoria Falls

You can see the falls properly in ninety minutes. The rest of the week happens wherever you are sleeping, which makes the choice of lodge matter more here than almost anywhere else in Zimbabwe. Some of them are town hotels with a shuttle and a buffet. Others sit far enough upriver that the loudest thing at breakfast is one hippo disagreeing with another. The gap in price between those two experiences is usually smaller than you would expect, and the gap in the holiday is not. Here are five I would put my own money on.

10 Reasons To Visit The Zambezi River

The Zambezi begins as a spring in a patch of Zambian woodland you could step across, and ends two and a half thousand kilometres later in the Indian Ocean, having spent much of the journey acting as the border of half of southern Africa. Six countries. One waterfall that needs no introduction, a dam that made an inland sea, and a stretch below that dam at Mana Pools where you are permitted to walk. It is also, at six in the evening with the light going, the single best place in this part of the continent to be sitting still.

Luxury Tented Safari Camps in Zimbabwe

"Tent" is a word working extremely hard in this part of the brochure. It covers canvas on a hardwood deck with a four-poster and plumbing that would pass in Kensington, and it also covers a bucket shower and a zip. What the two share is the actual reason to choose either: canvas does not keep sound out. You hear the elephants arrive at the Hwange waterhole at two in the morning. You hear the hippos settling their differences on the Zambezi. You lie there listening rather than sleeping, which is rather the point of the whole arrangement.

10 Reasons To Visit The Hwange National Park

Hwange should not really work. Most of it sits on Kalahari sand with no permanent river anywhere near it, and the reason elephants stand shoulder to shoulder at Nyamandhlovu Pan in October is that somebody is running a diesel pump. That decision was taken in the 1920s by a warden named Ted Davison, and it has been kept up, more or less, ever since. Fourteen thousand square kilometres of managed thirst. The Big Five are all present on paper, though I would not build a holiday around seeing the rhino. The elephants are an entirely different proposition.

Zimbabwe Travel Bucket List

For most of the last century the Rhodesian authorities preferred to believe that Zimbabweans had not built Great Zimbabwe. Phoenicians were proposed. So were the Queen of Sheba's architects. The stonework is Shona, laid without mortar, eleven metres high in places, and it is the only ruin I can think of that gave its name to the country containing it. That is the sort of country this is. The obvious things — the falls, the Hwange elephants, the rapids below the gorge — are worth every hour of the flight, and underneath them sits a second Zimbabwe that most itineraries never touch.

10 Reasons to Visit Victoria Falls for an Unforgettable Experience

The bridge was cast in Darlington, shipped out in pieces and bolted together over the gorge in 1905, and people now jump off it on an elastic rope. Victoria Falls has been like this ever since: a serious piece of natural history with an adrenaline economy bolted to the side of it. You can run the grade five rapids in the Batoka Gorge in the morning and be on a boat with a gin and tonic by six, watching the same water arrive flat and innocent above the lip. Both are honest ways to spend a day here. So is doing neither.