Zambezi Sands Safari Lodge Prioritizes Wellness, Local Community

Safari lodges are often consumed by missions of wildlife protection and environmental conservation, with commitments to local communities falling lower on the list. 

Seeing this, Vimbai Masiyiwa, co-founder and CEO of Batoka Hospitality Group, aka Batoka Africa, was motivated to do things differently. 

“I was bothered by the strong focus on wildlife and the lack of attention on people,” she told TMR. “There’s a strong pillar in wildlife conservation, even in fauna and flora conservation, with very little focus on, ‘what are we doing for the human beings that live in surrounding communities?'” 

Masiyiwa, 28, grew up in South Africa before moving to London and earning her master’s degree in entrepreneurship from University College London. A few years ago, she was representing her family (her father is billionaire technology mogul Strive Masiyiwa) on the board of a small safari lodge company. From that experience, she saw how the tourism and hospitality sectors make a difference in people’s lives. 

As a result, she co-founded Batoka Africa, which owns Zambezi Sands in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and another safari lodge currently in construction, with her mother, Tsitsi Masiyiwa, and became the first Black woman to own a safari lodge group in Africa. 

“It’s not a position I sit in comfortably because I don’t want to be the only one sitting in the spot for very long,” Vimbai said. “I think it’s good for people who look like me to know that this is a space that we can exist in. It is a very white male dominated industry, and it calls for diversity.” 

People-driven mission 
Batoka Africa’s social-focused business model took off right from the beginning. When the company began construction on Zambezi Sands in early 2020, it created a supply chain of local textile workers for its architecture and design elements. 

From there, the hospitality group entered an agreement with the nearest Zimbabwe village to employ their people at the lodge. Now, 90% of the staff at all levels at Zambezi Sands are locals. “Hospitality is one of those industries where employment is really transformative for low-income countries,” Vimbai said. 

Batoka Africa also runs The Tesse Fund, which allows employees to develop projects that benefit the community, such as schools, libraries, and training and development. Ten percent of the revenue for guests’ stays at Zambezi Sands goes to this fund.  

By being heavily involved in the community, the hotel helps positively impact the environment and wildlife, supporting anti-poaching, fire prevention and mitigation, and sustainability efforts. Zambezi Sands is part of the Beyond Green hotel collection. 

Wellness safari experience 
Zambezi Sands is a river lodge of 11 tented suites that combines luxury and authenticity. There are six pool suite rooms, six deck suite rooms, and a family suite. The facilities include a dining room with theatre kitchen, lounge bar with a shaded outdoor deck, and an indoor main lounge with dining area. Spa treatments are available, as well as a fitness training program. 

Located in Zambezi National Park, the lodge offers a range of activities, some on-site and others about an hour away at the famous Victoria Falls. These include guided game walks and drives, guided tours of the falls, a children’s lodge walk, fishing and helicopter safaris, and more. There are also cultural experiences such as cooking classes. 

In August, the lodge will host its second annual women’s wellness retreat, which is run by experts in the field and capped at 20 participants. It includes fitness training, yoga, journaling, and an overall holistic health approach amidst the safari experience. 

“We’re really looking at the role of a woman in society, the role of a woman in family, and the role of a woman and leadership, and what are some of the responsibilities and burdens that she takes on, but how can she create balance in all of that?” Vimbai explained. “So that’s really a big focus for us this year. We’re super excited about it, and the intention is to grow that wellness business over time.” 

Information for travel advisors 
Batoka Africa has launched Discovery Dinners to meet with travel advisors around the world, educating them about the company and forming relationships to ultimately get advisors and their clients experiencing the lodge. 

The next Discovery Dinner will be in New York in September, and others are set for London and Dubai. Batoka Africa can also offer a comprehensive fact sheet about the experience so advisors can decide if it’s the right fit for their clients.