Named after the local Toka Leya people, this stylish camp is situated in a beautiful spot on the banks of the Zambezi, around 6km upstream from the Victoria Falls, and is a particularly good option for families travelling and overnighting in the Livingstone area.
Overview
Opened in mid-2008, Toka Leya Camp consists of a total of 12 spacious and smartly-furnished safari tents, including 9 double rooms and 3 family rooms (the latter something of a rarity in these parts.) A good-sized swimming pool with sun loungers and umbrellas, a curio shop, a spa with treatment rooms and a riverside campfire (which is lit in the evenings) complete the list of attractions at Toka Leya.
Food & service
Under a canopy of knobthorn, jackalberry and waterberry trees are Toka Leya Camp’s main open plan dining room and lounge area, again overlooking the fast-flowing waters of the Zambezi. The lounge is built around the trunk of a large sausage tree, beautifully decorated in muted colours, with chandeliers hanging from the canvas ceiling and African artefacts on the walls. To the side, a comfortable dining room serves up very tasty food, notably from the fabulous pizza oven (always popular with the children) and at the lower level is a decked veranda and well-stocked bar.
Rooms
Each room is raised on a wooden deck, and consists of a twin or double four poster alongside a small lounge area, complete with writing desk and high-backed leather chairs for relaxing. A separate en-suite bathroom features an indoor and outdoor shower. Family rooms are of exactly the same design, but with an extra bedroom at the back of the tent. All enjoy great river views. Wi-Fi – which can be slow – is accessible in the main lodge.
Activities
Activities on offer include the classic tour of the falls from the Zambian side as well as wildlife drives in the Mosi-oa-Tunya park, river cruises (including at sunset), guided walks, helicopter flights, elephant-back riding, micro-lighting, canoeing, jet boating, white water rafting and fishing.
Impact
Conservation
Toka Leya Camp has created a successful tree-planting initiative which takes place on site. The greenhouse and nursery grow the seedlings while effective recycling projects help to feed the shrubs through an environmentally-friendly waste-water treatment plant and the kitchen’s composting worm farm. Surplus trees are donated for the rehabilitation of other sites within the Park or to NGOs such as GreenPOP to be planted in other areas that need regeneration.
Community
Wilderness Safaris supports Children in the Wilderness, a programme which provides educational life skills and environmental awareness for children who live in villages close to conservation areas. At this moment in time (2018) CITW has benefited over 10,000 children from seven African countries.