Jollyboys Backpackers
(📍) Location: Excellent location in the town center, 650 meters (8-minute walk) to the bus station (minibuses to the waterfall cost 15 quarta per person; shared rides are available to Kazungura and Kasane; there is also a daily bus to Kazungura at 12:30 PM).
(🛀) Facilities: No toiletries, no slippers, shared toilet, no kettle, no bottled water. Rooms are small, a single room is just right for one person, fairly clean and tidy, with a fan and mosquito net. Showers are available in the shared bathroom.
(👱♀️) Service: The front desk staff are warm and attentive.
(🍽) Dining: Breakfast is not included; à la carte meals cost 80-180 quarta (30-60 RMB), and the food is decent. Lunch and dinner can also be ordered separately; credit cards are accepted.
(💰) Price: 280 per night (excluding breakfast) from January 4th to 5th, 2026
(🎊) Value for Money: Fairly good value
(🇨🇳) Review: 📶Wi-Fi is only available at the front desk or in rooms near the front desk. There is no Wi-Fi in the rooms. There are power outlets and bedside lamps, which are very convenient.
The guesthouse provides a free shuttle bus to the waterfall daily at 10:00 AM. Free lunch is provided every Thursday evening.
The location is fantastic, and the views over the river make it a great place to dine or have a drink. This is not a luxury resort but some of the prices suggest it is. On the other hand, the staff in the restaurant and Ricki at reception were world class, attentive and professional.
The hotel provides considerate service from check-in to check-out, and the front desk is warm and professional, which makes you feel like you are in the spring breeze. The guest rooms are stylishly designed, and the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the city night view. The bedding is selected from top brands, and you can fall into a cloud-like sleeping experience. The gym is equipped with Technogym equipment, and the water quality of the heated swimming pool is comparable to that of a private club. Chinese and Western breakfasts are cooked to order, and the Benedict eggs are a must. The cleaning lady even arranges the cosmetics in an artistic shape, which satisfies detail lovers!
This hotel is located in the center of Livingstone, across the road is a large supermarket Sprit, and there are some restaurants and shops around, which is very convenient. The hotel room is small, but very clean, the wifi signal is well covered, the garden lawn inside is very well maintained, I like it very much. It was 8 o'clock in the evening when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel staff was very kind and upgraded our room. Thank you very much! This is a good hotel worth recommending.
The room was spacious and clean.
I was also able to use the kitchen and washing machine, which was very helpful.
The staff were also friendly.
It can't be helped, but the power goes out about half the day. Lol
An absolute gem! The owner, Chantal, is very involved in overseeing the day-to-day maintenance and it shows. They were extremely accommodating - we had an outdoor camper trailer which they allowed us to park and connect to electricity. All the staff are super friendly and polite. The rooms are tastefully decorated/designed and the bed was vey comfy. Beautiful outdoor pool and bar. Can’t recommend highly enough!!
Only 2 suggestions for improvement:
1) A signpost is desperately needed on the main road and T-junction to show where the place is.
2) Put a hairdryer in the room.
The environment is good, but unfortunately there is not a lot of water in the lake during the dry season. The diet is mainly western food, and you can also taste fish and shrimp in the lake. The local staple food ”Sima” is also available.
Quiet place situated in a secure area.Roads are gravel but manageable even with an ordinary vehicle.
Staff very helpful,great service too.
Very Good
5 reviews
8.6/10
Price from
BRL 271
per night
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8,9/10
Very Good
The stay was fantastic , clean room and very helping staff , with a basic breakfast and relaxing space and also the location is easily accessible, its on the main road and 15 min drive to the Victoria falls and across the road there is Shoprite and other restaurants around. The wifi was a bit slow sometimes. Overall stay was very good . Plus there is load shedding in zambia but they have backup power , Generator. You will definitely enjoy your stay. I needed a three pin charger and the staff provided, really appreciated that as without that I couldn’t charge my phone.
Sshine_yxlThe staff was very enthusiastic and helped me buy a calling card and told me where the station was. The room is big and the food provided is also very good. I only booked for one night and stayed one more night
Excellent riverside room and a wonderful resort overall. The staff are exceptionally friendly and attentive. The gardens and surroundings in the resort are well maintained. The swimming pool is a great place to relax on a sunny afternoon, the restaurant and bar has excellent food refreshing drinks. It gets quite busy on the weekend and with big groups, but you can see why once you experience the facilities. Apart from the resort it's also home to safpar, they have many different options for travel along the zambezi and falls. We chose the river float, game drive and sunset cruise combo (Around $180) and it was totally worth it! Will definitely stop by again next time I'm in town.
We really enjoyed our time at the Jollyboys Backpackers. Our private room was clean and having the en-suite was perfect for the warm and humid weather. The bar also has specials every day, so we were able to enjoy a sampler platter and a bottle of wine for a very reasonable price. While we were there the Rugby match was on, and most of the locals came to watch. It was very nice to be able to meet with and interact with the local people as well as the other travelers from the hostel.
An absolute gem! The owner, Chantal, is very involved in overseeing the day-to-day maintenance and it shows. They were extremely accommodating - we had an outdoor camper trailer which they allowed us to park and connect to electricity. All the staff are super friendly and polite. The rooms are tastefully decorated/designed and the bed was vey comfy. Beautiful outdoor pool and bar. Can’t recommend highly enough!! Only 2 suggestions for improvement: 1) A signpost is desperately needed on the main road and T-junction to show where the place is. 2) Put a hairdryer in the room.
The property is cute and has a wonderful and clean pool with lots of seating choices. Breakfast is great. The staff are all very kind and always ask if you need anything. Rooms a good and very clean. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the main street which can be exhausting when it’s 30c+ outside but otherwise in, what looks like, a good neighbourhood. Would recommend.
This hotel was really one of a kind. Cleanliness is superb, the facilities were nice & there is a live show each night in the restuarant they are thoughtful with putting water and juice refreshing on the reception everyday after u come back from ur activity
GGuest UserGreat place, very friendly staff, breakfast was just scrumptious. From the downsides is the lack of TV and some amenities, such as toothbrush, hair dryer or a rubbish bin. Besides the minor inconveniences I’d recommend the place!
Good location, I can walk to victoria fall, good hotel but the telephone in my room is broken so I have to walk to reception everytime that I need something
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