Name: Bushbuck River House
Address: Plot 1607 Off Nakatindi Road Liyoyelo Farm,Off Nakatindi Road, Livingstone, Livingstone, Livingstone, 10000, Zambia
Rating: 10

Smoke-free property

Garden

Terrace

General

Non-smoking rooms

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Linens

Mosquito net

Toiletries

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Kettle

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Transfer services

Transfer

Barbecue grill(s)

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Livingstone Airport

Victoria Falls Airport

Bushbuck River House

Livingstone

This place  is a little hidden gem!  Beautiful views of the Zambezi River.  Staff go out of their way to make your stay a memorable one.   Food absolutely delicious!  Fantastic chef!  We stayed in the cottage which was very well appointed and comfortable.  Highly recommend!  

Hidden Gem on the Zambezi

Rustic, basic,wild and a bit tired and neglected. We arrived on 13/2/20 and were met by Linda at the airport. Linda spoke her mind but very helpful and knowledgeable and booked all our excursion and trips which went very smoothly. Albert the chef cooked excellent food with a big smile on his face. Current and the rest of the staff were so friendly and extremely helpful. This place could be absolutely superb with some TLC but the previous owners have been trying to sell the property for 6 years (sale has just gone through) and it feels like they have let the place run down. Overall we enjoyed our stay though we felt in its current condition it was expensive.

Not quite what expected

This review is a bit late but well-deserved. We stayed for a few days in Nov 2018 during the dry season and we had a great time. Bushbuck is a small estate house on a large farm property about 15 easy minutes from downtown Livingstone. We really appreciated that wildlife is free to come and go on the property (elephant, buffalo, deer, hippo). We heard lions across the river and hippos on the property at night, and regularly passed buffalo on the way to Livingstone. The property is large, with direct access to the Zambezi, and is secure with askari patrols. There is also a viewing platform near the river for birdwatching. The room was comfortable, with its own bathroom. The food and drink were wonderful (I loved the Savannah cider and the usually chocolate-based desserts). The staff were all friendly and our host was super-knowledgeable about all the things to do nearby as well as all the animals that come across the property, and she happily arranged a couple of tours for us. There are also domestic cats and dogs to pet and play with. It's a little like staying with family relations rather than in a hotel.

Comfy farm with wildlife on the Zambezi

Was a great place to stay for 3 days , Alan and Albert perfect hosts , great accommodation,  and the food was to die for,  and the location was truly amazing just what was needed to start the holiday. Hope to return one day soon!

Bushbuck Gem Livingstone

The guesthouse is located by the river. Elephants, hippopotamuses, bushbucks and other kind wild animals freely pass through the large garden, ideal for a little ornithology, too! The place is very quiet and very beautiful. The pool is very nice - the water was cooler than that of the Zambezi, but she was doing a good job for us! We are in the bungalow, which is a very nice room, with a large double bed, and another room with two nice beds. The kitchen has provided us with two very convenient dishes for our family, and we have been very easy to eat in the kitchen for the past 6 years.

Happiness in Nature

Thanks to Linda and the Bushbuck River House staff, we had a great stay in Livingstone and didn't want to leave. We stayed in the main farmhouse and enjoyed the grounds on the Zambezi River. On the first afternoon, we were greeted by an elephant in the back garden and buffalo on the road into the lodge.

Linda was very knowledgeable and helped us create an itinerary to meet our family's wish list. She has a great relationship with local outfitters and drivers. We also enjoyed her company and hearing her stories each night at dinner. Albert, the chef, prepared delicious meals using local ingredients. Our en suite guest room had a comfy king bed and a twin bed. It had fresh water and kettle for hot tea and coffee. The river house is a traditional Zambian farm house with a thatched roof, pool, and beautiful gardens. Highly recommend!

Wonderful Stay and Excellent Service

Family of 3.  Stayed from 11-14June.  Accommodation and all pre-arranged activities with Linda EXCEEDED all our expectations.  The place itself is very clean and serene- truly an outback setting which is lovely.  A very short walk to the banks of the Zambezi River.  ZERO mosquitoes!!!  And hot, freshly-cooked food served every meal time- Albert is such a gem of a chef (still can't get over his roasted pork with apple sauce).  

Highly recommend this place.  Linda's got everything covered- from airport pick-ups to arranging activities to game drives.  She just does it all... seamlessly!!!  She made our stay truly memorable and special in every way.  If you need anything, Linda's got it.  She's remarkable!  Thank you Linda for having us.

Home away from home (best stay ever!)



The Location of the guest house could not be better. Just  next to the national park, only 15 Minutes away from town center. After leaving the main road, you drive about 1,5 km trough the African bush on a good private road, before you reach the entrance gate. 

You get immediately the feeling of staying at some friends house and not in one of those artificially made up and often overdesigned places, which are trying hard to give you the feeling you are in africa, but could as well be anywhere else in the world. 

This place feels like a real home, with real people  and not just a hotel ,,business,, with employees, told to be nice. 

There is a large garden behind the house  where most vegetables are grown - all organic - and shared at times  with elephants and monkeys.

Dinner  is cooked on demand and has to be ordered in advance, therefore always fresh and homemade and just perfect. No waist or recooked or precooked stuff. 

The place has only very few rooms, all in perfect conditions, clean and with great attention to details. Probably the smallest lodge on the Zambezi with the largest garden and bush surrounding it. 

The nature is kept completely unspoiled and untouched. The riverfront  has not been overbuilt at all with fancy terrasses, pools or cabins , like most other lodges nearby , blocking animals to pass. 

You will find  very few guests,  but a lot of nature and the frequent visit of many different animals, including elephants, hypos, crocs, buffalo and  bushbucks. 

They all enjoy this  unfenced place coming often daily from the nearby national park. 

Internet is working fast enough. I communicated without problems  on skype and WhatsApp. 

Very few mosquitoes (in fact did not see any) compared to the often infested places in Town.

 No light pollution, as you often have from larger hotel infrastructure,  made the night a highlight to see the stars unbelievably close. 

I will come again - with friends - to share with them this great place. 



Charming guest house surrounded by untouched nature

We were lucky enough to stay at BBRH for 3 nights after a few weeks of overland travel.  It was the best decision we made that trip!

Linda (manager) started by going above and beyond expectations when she kindly offered to pick us up outside of Livingstone upon learning we'd be walking over the border from Zimbabwe early in the morning. It foreshadowed our whole experience at BBRH as we were treated like family from that moment on!

On arrival, we were greeting by a breeding herd of elephants munching at the edge of the garden.  There were plenty more opportunities to spot wildlife right on the property, and owners Oriel and Alan were happy to share their bit of paradise with guests!  We stayed upstairs in the cottage and thoroughly enjoyed the lovely view and gentle breezes. 

We had all our meals on site and were treated to a wide variety of lovely meals made fresh by Albert.  All the staff (especially Linda)  did an amazing job of accommodating and working around some challenging food allergies without compromising flavour or presentation.  I felt completely at ease that the food was safe from allergens, and could relax and enjoy the meals without worries for the first time in weeks.  I cannot thank them all again for the peace of mind that afforded.  

Any and all activities available in and around Livingstone can be arranged by Linda on-site, and with years of experience living and working in the area, you will not find a more knowledgable guide than her!  More than that, any time chatting to her  often results in side-splitting anecdotes of her many adventures guiding overland expeditions between Eastern and Southern Africa, always delivered with dry British wit. 

In short, whether looking for adventures of your own (or perhaps recovering from a few already enjoyed) there is no better place to stay inthe Livingstone area.  We will be back to stay much longer next time and highly recommend it to anyone.

Best decision we made!

Linda was a wonderful host picking us up from the airport and has great local knowledge. We needed gluten free food and Albert the chef did not disappoint a really nice place to relax and provide a base for activities.

Bushbuck River House

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Payment