Discover more about The Victoria Falls Hotel
With dramatic views of the gorges of Zimbabwe’s spectacular Victoria Falls, The Victoria Falls Hotel, built by the British in 1904, was originally conceived as accommodation for workers on the Cape-to-Cairo railway and today it is a famous luxury brand. Serene lily ponds, arched loggias, and broad verandas – offering magnificent vistas – seem custom-built for a spot of high tea or a relaxed gin and tonic. Some rooms offer stunning views of the gorges and bridge below.
The history of The Victoria Falls Hotel is incomplete without reference to the development of the railway system in Zimbabwe. Cecil Rhodes tasked his friend and colleague Sir Charles Metcalfe with overseeing development of the railway system. Metcalfe took heed of Rhodes’ dream of a railway line stretching “from Cape to Cairo” and began plans for the first bridge across the mighty Zambezi.
Rhodes was insistent that the bridge should be built in a place where spray from the falls would fall on passing trains, which is why the site was chosen just below the Boiling Pot, at almost right angles and in very close proximity to the falls.
The Victoria Falls Hotel was built and operated by the railways administration, but in the early 1970s it was leased to the then Southern Sun Hotel group, the forerunner of today’s African Sun Limited. A significant development in the late 1990s was the involvement of another leading Zimbabwean hospitality operation, Meikles Africa Hotels.
Today the property itself still belongs to the National Railways of Zimbabwe and there is a shared 50/50 partnership operation between African Sun and Meikles Africa.
Built by the British as accommodation for workers on the Cape-to-Cairo railway.
Leased to the then Southern Sun Hotel group, the forerunner of today’s African Sun Limited.
Meikles Africa Hotels, a leading Zimbabwean hospitality operation, becomes involved.
Owned by the National Railways of Zimbabwe and operated 50/50 by African Sun and Meikles Africa.
Steeped in history and one of the oldest hotels in Africa, The Victoria Falls Hotel serves as a reminder of the distinguished and elegant era into which it was born and has earned its status as the epitome of grand luxury travel.
Browse the photography, or read the full history on the hotel’s website.
