The Victoria Falls Safari Collection, operated by the Africa Albida Tourism hospitality group, is a portfolio of properties renowned for capturing the very essence of Africa in one of the region’s most iconic destinations – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The collection incorporates the flagship Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the premium 20-room Victoria Falls Safari Club, the spacious Victoria Falls Safari Suites, the family-friendly Lokuthula Lodges, the “must-do” Boma – Dinner & Drum Show, the rejuvenating Victoria Falls Safari Spa and Queen Nandi Place (a new state-of-the-art MICE facility catering to upmarket events and conferences), all located on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, just 4km from the Victoria Falls.
The much-anticipated launch of Queen Nandi Place, a versatile upmarket events venue located on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, was held on Friday, 4 April, drawing members of the local travel trade and business community to celebrate its opening.
In a restructuring exercise to align the group for growth and expansion, leading hospitality group Africa Albida Tourism (AAT) has announced senior appointments, effective September 1, 2023.
Leading hospitality group Africa Albida Tourism has signed up a Mauritius-based PR firm in a move which is expected to bring more French-speaking visitors to Zimbabwe, chief executive Ross Kennedy says.
The renowned Victoria Falls Safari Lodge in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, is getting a fresh new look, with new furniture, soft furnishings and décor across its 72 rooms and central area, which includes the Buffalo Bar and MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant.
The newly opened Victoria Falls Safari Spa has been popular with both families and couples visiting Zimbabwe’s leading travel destination with full body massages and facials being the most sought-after treatments.
Victoria Falls Safari Spa is taking shape very quickly, and is on track to open its doors in October, paving the way for a new standard in health and wellness in Zimbabwe’s leading tourist destination.
The largest and first purpose-built spa in Victoria Falls is scheduled to open in October, following a rapid post-Covid tourism recovery, placing Zimbabwe’s top tourist attraction on the map as a wellness destination.
The easing of Covid-19 related travel restrictions - and particularly the removal of mandatory quarantine - by the Zimbabwean government, has been hailed a “lifesaver” for tourism by Victoria Falls-based hospitality group Africa Albida Tourism.
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate last month recorded its highest occupancies since the onset of Covid-19 in March 2020, with operators in Zimbabwe’s top tourist destination hopeful of a recovery following the collapse of the industry.
The Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and its natural habitat. The Victoria Falls Rainforest is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and has been designated a World Heritage Site, under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The Falls are surrounded by the 2 340-ha Victoria Falls National Park and the 57 000-ha Zambezi National Park. These state-protected areas are home to numerous species of fauna and flora, which have been subject to a dramatic increase in various forms of poaching. VFAPU’s mandate is to minimise poaching activities in its area of patrol, as well as to rescue and rehabilitate animals injured by human interference.
Charles Brightman, a local safari operator and award-winning conservationist, together with Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Africa Albida Tourism’s flagship property, established VFAPU in January 1999, in an effort to fight the alarming levels of poaching. Since then, VFAPU has worked in close co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Victoria Falls City Council and the Zimbabwe Republic Police to achieve many successes.
Having started off with 3 scouts, the unit has grown in strength and now has 16 full-time scouts actively patrolling an area of approximately fifty square kilometres surrounding Victoria Falls. Patrols operate seven days a week, day and night.
Education is key in the fight against poaching, and VFAPU and its partners conduct several community outreach programmes to increase awareness on the need to conserve the environment for future generations.
VFAPU’s scouts have to date arrested over 900 hardened poachers, removed more than 23,000 wire snares from their area of patrol and rescued over 300 mammals injured by snares.
In 2023 VFAPU merged with The Bhejane Trust under an association called the Wildlife Conservation Coalition (WCC), headed by conservationist Nathan Webb. The WCC was established to take over the joint management of these two well-established trusts, and the merger allows for the pooling of resources and expertise and unites conservation efforts in the region to achieve greater success. Whilst both VFAPU and The Bhejane Trust maintain their individual brands and conservation mandates, their unity offers many great opportunities to enhance their conservation footprint.
