Nestled peacefully on a private 15km stretch of the breathtaking Zambezi river, Matetsi Victoria Falls is a luxury, family-owned and independently run safari lodge that sits within its own 136,000-acre wilderness and comprises of 16 suites, 2 family suites and a private villa.

Having been welcomed by the incomparably warm team of hosts – and after an incredible lunch spread on the banks of the Zambezi with nothing but the perfectly still outlook and a very cheeky monkey (actual monkey) eyeing up dropped crumbs for company – we made our giddy way to the suite to freshen up.

Elsa Young

As a 32-year-old woman (and someone’s actual mother) who tragically still squeals at the sight of a spider and is perpetually afraid of intruders, staying in the middle of the wilderness wasn’t something I saw on my life’s bingo card. I also, however, despise overdone, over-fussy interiors that prioritise trends over authenticity and feel as though you could be anywhere.

Luckily for me, Matetsi has somehow found that elusive balance of total, understated luxury that is entirely integrated within its surrounds, with a contemporary, distinctly African interior and refreshingly little technological faff.

Elsa Young

Having freshened up – and taken a modest 400,000 photos of our suite’s pool gently resting on the banks of the Zambezi – we were greeted by our own private safari rangers, Lance and Willard, who were limitlessly knowledgable and who were about about to become two of our favourite people on the planet.

They asked us how many game drives we’d like to go on per day (we said as many as possible, deciding a relaxed afternoon by the pool could wait for another holiday), if a 5am wake-up call sounded doable (yes!) and what our coffee orders were for said wake-up calls (anything with an extra shot, having committed to the previous request).

And then we were off.