The Best Boutique Hotels in Zambia

The Protea Southern Belle is a houseboat located on Lake Kariba in Siavonga which is in the Southern province of Zambia. It has 22 cabins including a presidential suite with a private balcony, five suites, ten double cabins, four twin cabins and one triple cabin. All cabins except the twin and triple cabins are outward facing. Guests can enjoy off board activities organized by the hotel such as fishing, bird watching and game viewing. There are also two conferences rooms on the boat, which are perfect for business travelers.

The Chongwe River House is a uniquely designed four bedroom private house located in the Lower Zambezi national park on the banks of the Chongwe River. The house comes with a private chef, a house manager and a safari guide who on request can take guests on a walking or canoe safari. The river house is clearly inspired by the environment, with pebbles from the river incorporated into the ceiling and a massive thorn tree, the branches of which make up part of the structure. Rooms are spread across two floors, with the main room boasting views of the river and mountains in the distance. Guests can fly in via a landing strip located 15 minutes away from the property.

Shiwa Ng’andu is an English style colonial house built in 1911 by Sir Stewart Gore-Browne in Muchinga province. The house overlooks a a lake of the same name where guests can enjoy sundowners, boating or fishing. The Shiwa manor house has four ensuite bedrooms decorated with original items from Sir Gore-Browne. Meals are prepared by the owners Charlie and Jo Harvey who possess great knowledge about the history of the house. Guests also have full access to the library which has letters Gore-Browne wrote over the course of his residence at Shiwa. Other activities that can be enjoyed include hiking to the Nachipala Bareback hill and soaking in the Kapishya hotsprings, which are eleven miles from the house.

King Lewanika Lodge was opened in May 2017 as the only permanent camp in Liuwa Plain National Park, the site of the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa. It has six villas, including a two bedroomed family villas which were constructed with steel, canvas and thatch. Activities include day and night game drives, boating, walking safaris and guided nature walks. The villas are raised to allow guests to take in views of the expansive flood plains. In April, guests can catch a sighting of the Kuamboka ceremony of the Lozi people. King Lewanika is open from October to July.