(27 twin/double rooms) PO Box 98, Katima Mulilo; tel: 066 253203; fax: 066 253631; email: katima@iafrica.com.na
Zambezi Lodge is a few hundred metres off the main road as it enters Katima from Ngoma. It is the area's best hotel, boasting a swimming pool, restaurant and even a floating bar (which closes lamentably early).

Flame trees and bougainvillaea line the lodge's drive, while to your right is the town's golf course. Inside, the hotel is bright, efficient and has expanded considerably since it began. It caters mainly for visitors who stop for a night, and though the service at its open-air restaurant is sharp and attentive, its chefs seem too used to mass catering to produce anything outstanding. But there's always a swim in the floodlit pool, or even a sauna, to make you feel better.

The rooms are spread out east in a long row along the river. The nearer rooms have been refurbished in a modern, quite German, style. Tiled floors and walls throughout, en-suite toilet/shower, basic AC, minimalist desk and chair, direct-dial phone and tea/coffee-making facilities. They are quite large and comfortable, with a wide double patio door overlooking the river. Family rooms are available, but of a much lower standard. We are assured that they are due to be refurbished soon.

The Zambezi Lodge is pleasant, efficient and ideal for a one-night stop. However, its activities are limited to short cruises on the river, and it lacks the character or activities to entice visitors to stay longer.