ZAMBEZI HOUSE
Just outside the town of Victoria Falls on the south bank of the Zambezi River which forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, you find an eclectic eatery and social space that stirs the imagination.
It's a feast of Gypsetter style with a nod to the great explorers of way back when. This multi-level eating house and haute-décor concept space is stamped with the signature of Mark Valentine, founder of destination store Amatuli in Johannesburg, and the most nomadic hunter-gatherer-explorer of them all.
The structure, in the border town of Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is a ribwork of large shipping containers. The rest is made up of glass, foliage, reclaimed architectural pieces and, of course, furniture and objects that Amatuli so famously sources all over the world. The look dabbles in modern design spiced with explorer’s artifacts. It appeals on many levels, similar to the way Peter Beard's art does, for the conjuring of far horizons and bygone eras of travel delivered with contemporary style and a certain throwaway glamour.
Zambezi House, Victoria Falls by Bev TuckerFrom Victoria Falls town you need a car to get there and back. It’s just that bit too far upriver to walk - or God forbid cycle - the distance comfortably. Also, making it back intact after dark might be a problem because, well, wild things. This is no stroll along some tame city-river embankment. Zambezi House is set on the waterline of the Zambezi River within a wildlife zone. At the bottom of the lawn where a family of warthogs is grazing on their knees, you see a sign that says Beware of Crocodiles. It's not some witty gesture. They will eat you. Hippos wander around. Elephants may appear. You're quite safe inside the grounds of course. So soak up the exotic setting and the fantastical sense that you might spot Hemmingway and Denys Finch Hatton slinging daiquiris and swapping tales at the bar. Go for a meal, have drinks, open your laptop and call it a remote-work day. Or just order a tall gin and eavesdrop.
Photos Bev Tucker @safariandliving
