Reviews of Palm River
Wildlife sightings and reviews
3 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Palm River and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jul-2022, 4 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Palm River.

Leopard
0% success

Elephant
25% success

Buffalo
0% success

Zebra
0% success
D&K
New York City
"Palm River Hotel review"
3 nights Arrived 25 Jun 2023
"Excellent, high end accommodations. Very special and lovely place. Unparalleled location right along the Zambezi waterfront. Staff were very friendly, attentive,helpful.
We were impressed by the number of excellent vegetarian choices at the restaurant, even more so by contrast with the menu at Cassia Restaurant at Ilala Lodge.
The rooms at Palm River were well-appointed and very comfortable having a balcony that looked out on the Zambezi! The communal areas (which are covered but open to the outdoors) were very comfortable and inviting.
The shuttle buses are available on demand to go to Vic Falls town, not on a limited basis. The drivers were very nice and accommodating. Easy transfers to and from Cassia Restaurant.
The hotel put us in touch with a local operator for a one day excursion to see the Zambia side of the Falls and Livingstone which we found very worthwhile
Please urge your guests to use his services and see the Zambia side and Livingstone on a day trip!" See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Namibia
We were impressed by the number of excellent vegetarian choices at the restaurant, even more so by contrast with the menu at Cassia Restaurant at Ilala Lodge.
The rooms at Palm River were well-appointed and very comfortable having a balcony that looked out on the Zambezi! The communal areas (which are covered but open to the outdoors) were very comfortable and inviting.
The shuttle buses are available on demand to go to Vic Falls town, not on a limited basis. The drivers were very nice and accommodating. Easy transfers to and from Cassia Restaurant.
The hotel put us in touch with a local operator for a one day excursion to see the Zambia side of the Falls and Livingstone which we found very worthwhile
Please urge your guests to use his services and see the Zambia side and Livingstone on a day trip!" See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana; 3n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr and Mrs L
USA
"Palm River Hotel review"
2 nights Arrived 29 May 2023
"The Palm River is a lovely, modern hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River. It was perfect for a two night stay after our flight from the U.S. first stopping in Johannesburg for one night. They have a delicious Boma barbecue set up by the river with fire pits and soft drumming- during our first dinner we were informed that the hippos had arrived! Two hippos had come up from the river to graze on the grass- such an exciting thing to see! We toured the spectacular Victoria Falls- so many rainbows!
Be prepared to get drenched- bring flip flops and a rain poncho. The second day we had an elephant encounter that was fantastic to be so close to these gentle giants - very informative about their rescue and potential release. You are able to walk with them and feed them.
Another highlight is the sunset cruise that leaves from the hotel’s dock. A beautiful ride and introduction to seeing elephants, hippos , bird life in and along the river. Gorgeous blood orange sunsets to enjoy with drinks and snacks.
The food - friendly hospitality and pretty decor was a wonderful two day stay before going on Safari in Botswana." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Be prepared to get drenched- bring flip flops and a rain poncho. The second day we had an elephant encounter that was fantastic to be so close to these gentle giants - very informative about their rescue and potential release. You are able to walk with them and feed them.
Another highlight is the sunset cruise that leaves from the hotel’s dock. A beautiful ride and introduction to seeing elephants, hippos , bird life in and along the river. Gorgeous blood orange sunsets to enjoy with drinks and snacks.
The food - friendly hospitality and pretty decor was a wonderful two day stay before going on Safari in Botswana." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant
Multiple sightings
A and N
VA
"Palm River Hotel review"
2 nights Arrived 8 Jul 2022
"Very polite and helpful staff. Restaurant and lobby area very attractive decor. All rooms have river view and porch or balcony which is very nice. Bathrooms are spacious. Restaurant had a medium sized menu but enough choices, everything was very good. You can order off the "snacks" menu for lunch and dinner which worked well for my teenager. Breakfast was great, a continental buffet plus hot dishes off menu. Pool attractive and pleasant. Complimentary tea w/ a few sweet and savory snacks in afternoon was nice. Staff can book outings and activities. They also arrange a shuttle to the falls for guests, but you need to arrange for your complimentary return with your shuttle driver which was a little confusing, I'd prefer shuttles on a schedule, but we managed to work it out. There is nothing nearby so if you want to be in the middle of things or walk to restaurants don't choose this place, but if you want to have a quiet and tasteful base for activities I recommend it. We stayed on our way from US to a safari in Botswana, it was nice to have a day to help adjust to time change before the safari, this was a great place for that. You can get picked up at the hotel for any local activities. The hotel has boat line associated with it that docks on the property, but they were not available for cruises while we were there but the hotel arranged a dinner cruise with another group and it was easy and we had fun."
See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
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