By Jeff Silverstein
There are safari lodges, and then there is Zambezi Grande.
Set on a prime stretch of the legendary Zambezi River in southeastern Zambia and just on the doorstep of Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambezi Grande is the kind of intimate lodge that delivers the perfect balance of incredible wildlife with high-end luxury.
My wife and I incorporated a stay at this family-owned game lodge to our Zambian safari itinerary as a way of adding the kind of opulence and laid-back luxury you might find in a boutique hotel while still being in close proximity to the bush and we were not disappointed.
Like most camps in the Lower Zambezi, activities at Zambezi Grande range from game drives and walking safaris to river cruises, bird watching and fishing for elusive tiger fish, but it’s the design aesthetic that evokes a bygone safari era that stands out here.
From the moment we arrived and were greeted with a warm Zambian welcome it was the vibe of the place that took centre stage.
Ever since it opened in 2021 after a major refresh overseen by the well-known South African interior designer Michele Throssell, the lodge has offered up a unique blend of access to fabulous game viewing with a serious dose of glamour.
The genesis of Zambezi Grande goes back to 2019 when Michele and her family, together with her investment partners, came together to transform what was once an old holiday home on the banks of the Zambezi River, into one of the areas premier safari lodges.
Michele has worked on a number of high-end homes and lodges including & Beyond’s lodge in the Sabi Sands Reserve, but Zambezi Grande offered up the opportunity to do something different – to take an ownership stake and embark on what would end up being a family passion project to sensitively reimagine the former Cape Dutch homestead into a luxe lodge.
The result is nothing short of magnificent.
Incorporating the beauty of the national park, dramatically framed by the rugged Zambezi Escarpment to the north and the wide Zambezi River to the south, the design somehow manages to embrace old world elegance and charm with contemporary living in a way that honours the African bush while revealing the soul of the home.
All the luxury touch points one would expect from a boutique property are here but the first thing that strikes you is just how homey, relaxed and polished it all feels.
“The goal was to create the best luxury escape on the Zambezi River but also retain the homeliness and character of the old homestead,” says Michele. “To be the quintessential African-safari, or home away from home.”
Mission accomplished. This is a space where the staff get to know your preferences, and you can get served one of your favourite drinks without having to ask for it.
“We wanted to create that feeling of restorative peace, of being in someone’s beautiful home where that sense of peace and luxury is all encompassing instead of feeling rushed,” says Colette Ball, one of the owners of the lodge who has worked on a number of design projects with Michele.
Adding to that sense of calm is the river itself – one of Africa’s most iconic waterways. “It’s this magical combination of the lodge and its proximity to the river which is constantly flowing that acts as a reminder of life moving past and how lucky we are to have such a beautiful place to plant our souls in to enjoy the passing moments,” says Colette.
Big comfy sofas you can sink into and oversized coffee tables invite you to kick back, delicious gourmet meals that are refined but not over the top served by exceptionally attentive staff in a setting adorned with safari curiosities all give it an old-world elegance and luxury feel without it feeling too hotelly, or soulless.
“We looked at what was around us and what was on offer, and while there are some more traditional bush camps in the area, we inherited this Cape Dutch structure that was a bit dated,” says Michele. “It was important to honour the place that gives the lodge life, but we wanted to do this in a new and interesting way while still paying homage not just to the provenance of the original home but to the preservation of the abundant wildlife and ecology of the area. So instead of knocking it down, we reimagined and enhanced it.”
One of the first things that strikes you are the finishes that somehow bridge the gap between mid-century cotemporary luxury and traditional African safari romance. The interiors feature authentic, repurposed historical pieces like old cabinetry, feature lighting and even a restored vintage piano that serves as a nice focal point.
Deep leather seating is paired with solid hardwood tables, and coffee tables are scattered with safari curiosities, harking back to an early explorer’s study. One wall is even adorned with framed historical depictions of the various regional coats of arms from Zambia’s history that somehow anchor the space in local heritage and a bygone era.
High contrast finishes like black and white terrazzo floors and touches of brass are seamlessly blended with historical elements like claw-foot tubs, rattan, and dark woods to give it a tailored, luxury safari-chic vibe without overplaying the colonial story or being too colonial.
Nothing just happens here, everything is carefully thought out, and the experience of staying here unfolds in a way that somehow manages not to feel fussy or over the top.
It all adds up to this wonderful sense of restorative peace and calm, surrounded by some of the most prolific wildlife in all of Africa.
Before the transformation, the original Cape Dutch building was a brick-and-mortar private holiday home with odd colours, quirky finishes and a layout that needed serious tweaking.
Michele and her colleagues from Michele Throssell Interiors set about giving it a major makeover while making sure to highlight the soulfulness the home already had. Beds were moved forward, desks were cleverly positioned behind the beds, lovely seating areas were established, and the bathrooms were brought inside the rooms.
Even the ceilings in the bedrooms, which were originally much higher, were lowered and replaced with intricate bamboo lattice work – mimicking the traditional building techniques used in early safari camps.
“When we first started working on the rooms there was a huge void in the ceiling that made it feel too high,” says Michele. “So, we pulled it down and putting the reed lattice work into the ceiling helped to give the rooms a lovely sense of texture, luxury, comfort and space.”
The lodge’s five free-standing Superior Suites all come with oversized king beds, indoor and outdoor showers, bespoke in-room bars, and private verandahs overlooking the river, and the five Luxury Rooms all offer up their own serious dose of luxury in the bush.
Anchoring the lodge and cantilevered high above the riverbank is the infinity pool. Rather than just being a place to swim, it’s serves multiple purposes and is the perfect place to enjoy a drink on the pool deck or nearby terrace while wildlife pass nearby along the banks of the river.
But it’s the colour palette – inspired by the contrasting hues of the bush – that is most striking. Michele explained that a huge inspiration was flying over the Zambezi River itself. “Nature is always an inspiration, and it was the colours of the river, the greens, the water, the grass – it was all a huge inspiration for where to take the lodge from a colour perspective.”
The colours that stuck with her were the muddy greens, the odd splashes of lime, the chartreus from the river reeds, and the explosion of plants and water lilies. Michele was fascinated by all these shades of greens and chocolatey grays and one of the principal colours she chose was Forest Floor – an olive green so dark and muted, it almost resembles a charcoal gray that gives the interiors a dramatic, moody quality.
The result is a lodge that feels more like a riverside home where you can find a little space to relax and unwind, enjoy gourmet experiences like craft cocktails and award-winning local gins, all while being surrounded by the mesmerizing sights and sounds of the African bush.
Indeed, the Lower Zambezi National Park sits right on the doorstep of the lodge and is in many ways the jewel in the crown. Spanning just over 4,000 square kilometers of unfenced wilderness, the park is alive with large herds of elephants and buffalo, along with lions, leopards, hippos and over 400 species of birds, many of them rare.
And because the park’s habitats range from riverbanks to woodland and open plains, game drives often reveal a surprising variety of animals. Even on shorter drives, wildlife sightings appear quickly.
The beauty of Zambezi Grande is, by virtue of its proximity to the park, there are multiple safari experiences that can be highly tailored.
Because it is a standalone, owner-operated lodge, the entire guest experience can be highly curated. And the river offers up the opportunity for a multi-dimensional safari experience – something that is entirely unique to the Lower Zambezi.
Being right on the river and the doorstep of the park allows the lodge to take guests out on river safaris – one of the most unique ways to experience the wildlife because it blends a front-row seat to the wildlife with the dramatic landscape of the Zambezi Valley – but also head further down river where you can get deeper into the national park without spending a lot of time on land and head out for a more traditional game drive.
Being in the Game Management Area or GMA – a protective buffer on the edge of the park – as opposed to being right in the park also meant the team at Zambezi Grande worked that much harder on the food and beverage experience – something that is near and dear to the owners’ hearts.
One of their iconic experiences is the Thousand Star private Island Dinner – a fully immersive evening that moves the dining experience entirely out of the lodge and onto a secluded island in the middle of the Zambezi River.
Imagine ending the day with an afternoon sunset cruise – and as you watch the sun go down over the water and the nearby escarpment, you are greeted by a romantic safari setting lit entirely by the glow of lanterns and a roaring campfire.
After gathering around the fire with drinks in hand to share stories of the day’s game drives, you sit down to a multi course meal cooked over an open fire paired with premium South African wines under a star-studded sky.
There are so many lasting images of our stay here. Sunrises over the river in the morning, sunsets on the other side in the late afternoon, the dense sky at night with stars that shine through, the greens and purply black of the escarpment and raw reddish-brown earth, and of course the wildlife.
To have all this in one place is what sets Zambia, and Zambezi Grande apart.