You’ll Fall Head Over Heels For These Victoria Falls Wedding Packages

Victoria Falls Weddings

Fall head over heels for these packages

Find Your Fairytale Wedding Venue

If you’ve been searching for the ultimate destination wedding, look no further! Destination weddings are becoming the new normal, as couples choose to celebrate this pinnacle life moment in an exotic destination with their closest friends and family. But planning your dream day from another part of the world comes with its own set of unique challenges. Not only are you planning a wedding, but you’re also planning a vacation for you and your guests. It can be overwhelming, which is why we have designed these Victoria Falls wedding packages in jaw-dropping venues.

 

Riverside Romance

White sandy beaches and the shimmering Zambezi River led the design aesthetic for our most popular wedding package. Luxury cruise boats transport guests to the enchanting ceremony site, a hidden gem along the blue-green stretch of the Zambezi. From the river, it looks as though the trees have been gently parted to reveal an exquisite oasis where you will say you I Do’s.

The natural environment comes to life with vibrant floral arrangements, creating a beach vibe that harmonizes with the surrounding wilderness.

After the ceremony and sunset cruise, guests are transferred to the next jaw-dropping venue – the Wild Horizons Lookout Café. The iconic restaurant is the perfect place to have your first dance, indulge in a three-course meal, and create life-long memories.

Say ‘I Do’ On The Edge

Tucked away on a private wilderness concession, the Batoka Gorge is one of the most breathtaking wedding venues in the world. Inspired by the dramatic beauty of the Batoka Gorge, this wedding package sets the tone for a marriage built on adventure. The site epitomizes rustic romance with soft, sophisticated special touches. From the gentle rumble of the rapids below to the swaying trees and organic elements, you will fall in love with every inch of the bush venue.

After the ceremony and sun-kissed cocktail hour, guests are transferred to the Wild Horizons Lookout Café for the wedding reception. 

Elegance & Elephants

This fairytale wedding is complete with gentle giants and a picturesque riverine setting. The ceremony takes place in a private wilderness sanctuary, where panoramic views of the Masuwe River form the backdrop. Incorporate the inherent unpredictability of Africa into your special day by surprising your guests with an elephant encounter after the ceremony. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is the wow factor every dream destination strives for.

After the ceremony and sun-kissed cocktail hour, guests are transferred to the Wild Horizons Lookout Café for the wedding reception. 

The Lookout Cafe

In a town filled with natural wonder and staggering scenery, the Wild Horizons Lookout Café is an iconic landmark in Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls Bridge stretches across the Batoka Gorge with the spray from the waterfall curling like curious clouds through the black basalt channel, The package includes exclusive use of the Lookout Cafe, a plated three-course meal, chairs, arch and the signing table.

Get In Touch & Let's Start Planning Your Dream Wedding!

4 + 15 =

The Intimate And Exclusive Elephant Camp

Southern Africa stirs to life as travellers dream of their next adventure from a new point of view. Mindful of the challenges of a transformative year, The Elephant Camp West epitomises the future of safaris under canvas, offering guests a restorative sanctuary that harnesses the healing power of nature. The design of Camp West harnesses the simple elegance of The Elephant Camp Main. The flagship design has been thoughtfully adapted for exclusive use by family and friends who crave meaningful distancing from the world’s demands and distractions. 

Inspired By Nature

Resting lightly on 4500 acres of private wilderness, The Elephant Camp has always been synonymous with restorative retreats and exclusive experiences.

From the interior spaces’ uncluttered beauty to the careful placement of each suite to capture the best views, the carefully crafted camp is enveloped by stillness and serenity.   

From the outdoor showers to the private plunge pools, the lodge invites continuous engagement with nature’s healing power. 

Reimagined through a modern perspective, the essence of adventure inherent to a tented safari experience is more aligned with how travellers have evolved. Simplicity, sustainability and comfort remain the golden thread of the design, amplified by thoughtful touches that inspire meaningful connections with the environment.

The main deck overlooks the cavernous Batoka Gorge, with the cloud of mist from the Victoria Falls commanding the skyline. 

Activities can be adapted and planned according to preference and private game drives, walking safaris, gorge sundowners, elephant encounters and more allow guests to immerse themselves in every experience. We have now included a luxury cruise on the Zambezi Royal in the inclusive-activities on offer to guests staying at The Elephant Camp. 

Victoria Falls river cruise on the Zambezi

The Zambezi Royal Luxury Sunset Cruise

The luxurious Zambezi Royal is a single level cruise boat and offers a unique and intimate way to view the Zambezi River.

During the premium two hour guided sunset cruise guests can look forward to 5-star service on board, consisting of imported wines and spirits, gourmet hot & cold canapés.

Find out more here. 

 

A Guided Tour of The Victoria Falls Rainforest

Victoria Falls has captivated philosophers and poets. The Natural World Wonder engages all the senses, and vibrates through you. Guests staying at The Elephant Camp can book a morning or afternoon Guided Tour of The Victoria Falls Rainforest (excluding Parks Fees). 

Discover more about Victoria Falls throughout the year here. 

The Victoria Falls Canopy Tour

The Canopy Tour is a great family activity and offers fantastic views of Zambezi rapids, Victoria Falls Bridge & the spray of the Falls.

Observe the riverine forest from a variety of different vantage points – from above, below and within the canopy itself. The Victoria Falls Canopy Tour offers a network of slides, trails and rope bridge walkways within the canopy of the hardwood forest of the Zambezi gorges.

The Canopy Tour is family fun with a unique birds-eye view of one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Find out more here

Wild Horizons elephant encounter

Meet The Elephant 

The Elephant Encounter affords guests the opportunity to unobtrusively observe some of the biggest personalities in Africa, in a pristine wilderness environment overflowing with raw natural beauty. Guests spend time and connect with elephants in the most positive and natural way possible.

Find out more about the Elephant Sanctuary here. 

Other activities include:

The Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary is accessible only to our guests, giving travellers a secluded space to reconnect with nature in the company of their loved ones. The Elephant Camp West is part of The Elephant Camp Collection, but the intimate lodge caters exclusively to groups of friends and families with a secluded main area, dedicated guide, chef, host and private game vehicle. 

 

The exclusive-use itinerary ensures guests can explore the endless space on their terms. TripAdvisor rated The Elephant Camp as the seventh-best hotel in Africa for service. Our dedicated team is intuitive yet discreet, understanding that the experience is a chance to return to life’s simple pleasures and meaningful moments.

Get In Touch

Our products have a purpose. From community empowerment to conservation and culture, we create meaningful and enlightened travel experiences that enrich your experience while giving back to the legacies that make Victoria Falls so spectacular.

Get in touch to book your safari to Victoria Falls today and experience the abundant beauty Victoria Falls promises throughout the year.

Wild Horizons Offers COVID Testing

In addition to extensive new health and safety protocols, Wild Horizons guests staying at our luxury Victoria Falls lodges will have the option of an in-house COVID-19 PCR test that can deliver results within hours. This builds on our six ‘Golden Rules of Prevention’ to provide a comprehensive approach to health and safety. Whether they require the test for onward travel or simple peace of mind, in-room COVID-19 tests can be arranged with the lodge management team for $60 per person.

The new measures are completely driven by the customer and were implemented with a specific question in mind, ‘When you are willing and able to travel again, what will be important to you?’ The new procedures are a direct result of that discussion.

As we move towards a new era of travel, the open space and tranquillity that define a safari experience will meet the trend for travel that emphasises wellness, space and exclusivity. We have been staying at home but staying ahead to ensure that our guests can travel with confidence and comfort, knowing that their safety is at the forefront of our mind. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kind Regards,

The Wild Horizons Team

(October 2020)

Being whisked away by Dean Jones

Africa is a nation rich in a diversity of flavour, and as Virginia Woolf so adequately said: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”. The Elephant Camp is committed to providing guests with a delicious cuisine that celebrates our bounty of fresh local produce, ensuring that every meal is an experience to be remembered and revered.

Dean Jones, Wild Horizons’ Executive Chef, based at The Elephant Camp, recognises that food is more than just a meal, but an art in the most delicious form. He believes that “being a chef is an expression of character, passion, creativity and love”.  Dean did his culinary training at Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town, which is highly acclaimed for its three-year Grande Diploma Course. However, it was while watching his mother prepare sweet and savoury snacks for functions as a young boy that his seeds of passion were sown. He soon recognised food as a way of bringing people together and expressing himself through the different flavour profiles in each meal.

During his culinary training, Dean was taught the fundamentals of French Cooking. Throughout his first year, he mastered the techniques that would come to define, and radiate, through his expertly accomplished dishes. During his second year, Dean spent two months in five different kitchen environments, where he gained valuable experience working at several reputable restaurants, including The Conservatory at The Cellars Hohenourt, Myoga Restaurant at the Vineyard Hotel in Claremont, and The Foodbarn in Noordhoek. Dean’s innovative and creative recipe development and food styling skills can be attributed to his time spent with Abigail Donnelly at the Woolworths Taste Magazine.

In the April of 2016, Dean was selected as a semi-finalist out of tens of thousands of chefs from around the world in a global competition called The San Pellergrino Young Chefs Award. Due to this Global competition, at the age of 30, Dean was recognised as one of the worlds ‘up-and-coming’ young chefs.

If food is the body of good living, then wine is the soul. Under the guidance of Chef Margot Janse at Le Quartier Francais’s The Tasting Room in the beautiful Cape Winelands of Franschhoek, Dean gained valuable knowledge about the process of tasting wine, as well as the winemakers themselves. Dean will introduce and execute decadent Wine & Coffee pairings, as well as High Tea & Champagne pairings that are sure to exhilarate our flow of international clientele. Having been motivated by a variety of multi-talented and well-renown chefs, Dean is now striving to be the type of food connoisseur that future diners and chefs are inspired by.

Dean has a passion for pastry that arose while he spent time in his Ouma’s bakery as a young boy. Through his flaky phyllo pastry, tantalising tarts, and buttery crisp croissants, Dean’s freshly baked menu achieves a wow factor in textures, flavours and presentation. American humorist Erma Brombeck was right when she told the world: “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.” It will take a strong-willed person to wave away Dean’s pastry display.

The concept of travelling is infused with the aromas and tastes of each place that we visit, and in order to truly absorb a culture, we need to savour the delicacies that the region has to offer. The meals devised by Dean are well worth travelling for.

Happiness is derived from good food, good music and good wine, all three of which Dean has a well-nurtured passion for. His creativity in the kitchen shapes food artistry that introduces diners to new sensations, cultures and tastes.

“Life is made up of many wonderful, colourful people, and food has a way of bringing cultures, families and friends together. It has the ability to induce nostalgia, calm, healing and peace.” – Dean Jones.

Chef Renzo

While sitting in the stunning Lookout Café overlooking the Batoka Gorge, with a salted caramel pretzel milkshake in hand,  I was fortunate enough to catch up with Chef Renzo on his annual visit to the Wild Horizons properties . Originally born in Portugal, Chef Renzo moved to South Africa in 1994. He has spent many years working closely with and for several leading hotel chains. His varied experiences have given him different and exciting perspectives on food. He visits the Wild Horizons group annually to work with the in house chefs and to bring in creative new ideas in the menus being offered. In keeping with current trends the Wild Horizons group, incorporating The Elephant Camp, Stanley and Livingstone, Imbabala Zambezi Safari Lodge and the Lookout Café, like to update their menus seasonally with imaginative ideas to celebrate the move from winter into summer.

Chef Renzo stresses that a key component of a menu is the availability of ingredients and at all times there is an emphasis on quality and freshness. He told me that a current food trend at the moment is the use of herbs and this will be a key component in many of the salads gracing Wild Horizons tables. He and the team are always on the lookout for delectable bites with a difference.

Many guests of the Wild Horizons group are often lucky enough to visit at least two of the properties and as such it is important that each lodge boasts its own style of food. In keeping with the Wild Horizons mantra that every dining experience must be different Chef Renzo is planning on implementing a revolving menu at each lodge that will include a buffet, a set menu including at least 3 options and a bush braai out of camp. He plans to make even further use of our unique and glorious African settings on the doorsteps of our lodges.

Of course availability of stock can sometimes hinder the imagination but there is no shortage of fresh salad ingredients in Victoria Falls . Much to the delight of our chefs, local entrepreneur Dave Cooper has started up his own hydroponic vegetable garden within Victoria Falls. Moving away from mass market gardening Dave is growing, with unbelievable success, a wide variety of the more unusual and yet sought after salad ingredients including fancy lettuce, a variety of tomatoes, several varieties of edible flowers and a spectacular array of fresh herbs.

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Wild Horizons look forward to spoiling you with our new and creative menus that are welcoming in the summer of 2016. Written by Libby White

‘The Elephant Camp furthers efforts & aims for Top Sustainable Tourism Award’

The Elephant Camp has recently been invited,  with other leading hospitality establishments in Victoria Falls, to spearhead a new project in Zimbabwe. This is to be part of Green Tourism, the largest and most established sustainable certification programme in the world, with the aim of achieving one of their respected awards.

Green Tourism Award means that a business works responsibly, ethically and sustainably; contributes to their community; reduces their impact on the environment and aims to be accessible and inclusive to all. Businesses that meet the required standard receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold award.

The Elephant Camp has worked tirelessly since its inception, to reduce the impact of the business on the environment and improve links with the local community and now feels the time is right to join the programme. We currently have the following initiatives in place and look forward to expanding upon these:

  • Solar Heating: All of our water heating systems are either solar or currently in the process of being converted to solar.
  • Worm Farm: All plant waste there from Elephant Camp, as well as most elephant dung from our resident herd, is fed into our worm farm, creating valuable compost for use in our organic vegetable garden.
  • Organic Garden: In order to supply as much organic produce to our guests as possible The Elephant Camp produces much of its own herbs, spices and vegetables for use in our kitchens.
  • Indigenous Tree Planting Program: To rehabilitate areas that were once denuded of trees by uncontrolled wood collection, we created an indigenous tree nursery. Trees are grown from seed and are transplanted once established, into areas in need of rehabilitation.
  • Biological Monitoring and Erosion Control: The Elephant Camp employs a qualified Environmental Officer to monitor the biology of the reserve and assists with mitigation. Bi-annual biological surveys are conducted, alien vegetation is eradicated and soil erosion is carefully managed in the reserve and on neighbouring communal areas.
  • Community Relations: We make every effort to employ staff from neighbouring areas, and work closely with the community on projects such as transporting thatch from neighbouring areas annually for roofing of homes in neighbouring areas annually for roofing of homes.
  • Education: The Elephant Camp frequently hosts school children on educational trips, teaching them about and allowing them to experience, the beautiful natural environment and the threats that face it today.

The Elephant Camp will be graded on-site by a qualified team of assessors against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas such as energy/water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity, social involvement and communication.

Craig White, Operations Director said:

Wild Horizons pride ourselves on being driven by a team that is passionate about our environment, and fully committed to sustainable environmental practices. The inclusion in Green Tourism is an exciting development to our business, as The Elephant Camp strives to be a leader in sustainable tourism practices. Whilst we have come a long way on our own initiatives, the inclusion in such a prestigious body gives us a host of new challenges which we are determined to meet in our quest to reach Gold Standard status.

It is also extremely exciting on a National level, to see that Zimbabwean Tourism has evolved to the stage where international bodies such as Green Tourism are keen to establish a foothold in the country. This inevitably encourages  local companies to strive toward sustainable environmental practices. International travellers are seeking out establishments that practise environmentally sustainable  tourism. This naturally encourages operators to look closely at their businesses from an environmental perspective, or risk being left behind as  tourists become more discerning in their holiday choices.

About The Elephant Camp

The Elephant Camp is a luxurious and intimate lodge under canvas within easy reach of Victoria Falls. Situated on a private concession with breathtaking views of the Victoria Falls’ spray, and the spectacular gorges which separate Zimbabwe from Zambia. We also cater to exclusive groups and families at The Elephant Camp West, which has exclusive suite accommodation for 8 guests in 4 luxury tents.

About Green Tourism

Green Tourism awards recognise places to visit that are taking action to support the local area and the environment in general. Green Tourism is the largest sustainable certification programme of its kind, assessing hundreds of fantastic places to stay and visit worldwide, with Zimbabwe being the latest addition to their portfolio.