Amalinda Lodge

We had an incredible stay here. Our only regret is that we could not be here longer. Billy knew that I had a special interest in rock art, and he was able to give us room 8, which has its own pictograph in the room. The rooms are built into the natural rocks, so every place in the lodge was beautiful. Our guide Edward went beyond the call of duty to make sure we could see a lot in a short period of time. During the first evening he took us to watch an incredible sunset from a rocky hill, and took us to see a granary that had been used during an uprising against colonialism in the 1890s. Both the rock art and the rocks he showed us in the park were incredible, worthy of its world heritage status. There were white rhinos — but I also should mention the zonkey at the lodge. I appreciate that the lodge works with the community through a nonprofit. If you stay here you should expect ti walk up and down steps, but the exercise is great after all the fine meals. The staff were all very attentive and made sure the stay was memorable. .

I cannot commend Amalinda and their wonderful, friendly staff enough. From the truly stunning architecture built in to the boulders, the fauna and stunning views. I genuinely had a lump in my throat as we were helped to our accomodation, it was spectacular, including a chain bridge to a separate balcony area. Everything was handled brilliantly by the staff in terms of your room. Food was fantastic and had a real communal vibe, with staff and holidayers socialising by the fire in the evening. What was an amazing touch was having your guide sit with you for meals, it was really lovely to know them better and learn of their fascinating amount of knowledge. Onto the guides, they really are the best in the world in Zimbabwe. Not only are they your incredibly educated guide for the bush but also your waiter, helper, protector and friend all in one. Our guide "Brightwell'." Truly is an amazing person and felt blessed to meet him, let alone be guided around the amazing places of Matopos. Honestly cannot recommend Amalinda enough for any possible reason you can think of. They really made us feel special and made our dream holiday come true.

What an amazing place - all of the staff were so friendly and considerate. The accommodation is stunning, food was amazing ( we had 2 teenagers in tow and they were very happy). Our guide Howard was super cool and really knowledgeable from the history of Matobo, to finding the wildlife (rhino a huge highlight). Nothing was too much trouble and the warmth and hospitality was really first class - we would recommend for a different safari and culture based experience

First Class. A++. This place gets my highest absolute highest rating. Beautiful location. Elegant design in a natural setting. Food was delicious. Staff was friendly and helpful. Safari guides were incredibly professional and knowledgeable. Look no further, this is the best safari lodge in the area.

We stayed two nights at the Amalinda and plan to return. The setting is absolutely wonderful, the food delicious, and the staff fantastic. We spent a lovely time exploring the park and relaxing by the pool.

We loved our stay here. The rock face of the majestic Matopos seamlessly flow into the room and cloister a lovely shower. The magnificent a**osphere of the place itself is complemented by the calm but warm welcome of the staff. Everything was as it should be, and the magic of the lodge surpassed expectation - photos barely do it justice! Thank you for a wonderful stay. We wished we could have stayed longer!

A rather interesting drive brings you up to Amalinda Lodge . Met by Billy and staff in reception who took us up the main dining area for a welcome then off to our rooms. Well, what completely unique rooms using the the local rock formations and thatch absolutely stunning. We found ourselves in room 10 with a huge sleeping area , very comfortable bed and storage for clothing . Lovely views and then the bathroom, so quirky, beautiful, and no problem with hot water you could bath alfresco if that's your thing!! A rather special addition to this room is a beautiful resting, reading spot accessed via a slatted bridge , loved it Mostly getting around was straight forward with paths lit up at night . Ammalinda is a beautiful place and a fabulous start to our three week trip to Zim , the only slight down side being the catering, plenty of food and good choice and although very tasty we just felt there was something missing . Our trips out into the national park were fantastic. Our guide Kevin an absolute fountain of knowledge showed us everything from Rhino with very small calf , bird life and butterflies, big plants and small plants all incredible. Beautiful walks and cave paintings he very much made our stay , thank you Kevin. Following our activities a relaxing swim in an amazing pool , perfect. Ammalinda is a fabulous lodge , for anyone thinking of visiting Matopos this place must be on the list, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, thanks to Billy and all the great staff for making it so. Best wishes

From start to finish we had the most unbelievable experience. We were a family party returning to our childhood haunts, and the Amalinda homestead team were outstanding. Blessed and his wonderful wife looked after us so well, everything was sorted and pristine. The food we were continuously fed was fab, and we were thoroughly spoilt. It’s such a special location and environment. One afternoon I spied my 28yr old ‘city-chick’ daughter, wandering out to see the zebras which were grazing close by, magic! Kevin our guide carefully took us through the park pointing out the most wonderful sights - flora, fauna and of course the rhinos. Oh my, very very privileged to see these incredible creatures; game wardens please keep up your wonderful work. In addition to all of this, a highlight was the daily exquisite turndown service - including an electric blanket, such a lovely treat!! Such a happy stay, thank you to the wonderful homestead team - you were wonderful.

As a quick precursor, my husband and I travelled to Africa in May to both Zimbabwe and Zambia to 5 different lodges. We were looking to see what different regions and ecosystems these countries had to offer so picked some very different areas within them. We began our adventure at Amalinda Lodge in Matopos, Zimbabwe - A very good place to start! We were met at the airport in Bulawayo by a very courteous driver named Lucky who drove us the hour long journey to Amalinda. When we turned off the road we knew we'd be in for something special as the jeep had to rock crawl over an enormous granite boulder to get into the camp. The view from the top of that boulder is sensational and should not be missed at sunset time. There is also a resident family of zebra (and a zonkey) that hang out near the driveway of the property. We continued to the reception area of the camp where we were met by Billy, the warm and friendly lodge manager. This is currently the only area where the wifi signal is to be had - not a problem at all. Guests all jokingly called it the "internet cafe" and tended to congregate there after dinner. You can move about this lodge after dark safely on your own. Paperwork taken care of we were shown to our room (#9) along with a bottle of delicious iced tea in very cute little jars. Our room was truly unique and beautiful. As other reviewers have mentioned, each room at Amalinda is different because the rooms are built right into the natural rock formations. Room 9 was at the top area of the lodge so many uneven stairs to climb, but the room and the view was well worth it. Spacious is an understatement - this room was absolutely huge with rock walls, floors and features and a thatched roof. There are skylights in the roof so as long as there is a moon, it's not pitch black in your room at night and you have some natural light during the day. Upon entering, there was a small sitting area with 2 comfortable chairs and a table between them. Behind this area there was a rock shelf which was perfect for storing our two duffel bags. There is also a small wardrobe at the entry for you to unpack any essentials. In the centre area, there is a king size bed surrounded by a mosquito net with a nightstand just outside it. The bathroom is separated from the main room area by a half wall and then some branches - so not completely private but screened off. (This was not a problem for us, but be aware - no door or curtain for bathroom privacy). The shower was a huge raised rock area within the bathroom - no door or curtain but nothing got wet outside the shower. Hot water was heated by the hardworking staff of the camp - Each room had a boiler which was heated by fire - thus hot water is available each day from 6-8 am and 6-8 pm. If you needed it at another time, you could request with a half hour notice. We only ever needed it at night during the regular time - it was no problem whatsoever. I understand from Billy that the camp h