Shoestrings Backpackers Lodge Vic Falls Reviews

Great place. Nice bar by the pool, super friendly staff. Rooms are clean and comfortable.

Stayed in room, comfortable, good garden grounds, food, drinks and service - quirkely decorated.

Very lovely place, I loved the tents! Very clean and organized

The reception was great at helping with tours. However, the AC shut itself off at night, which was unideal if you wanted to close windows to keep the insects out.

This is hotel but they don’t have common kitchen what is standard in another lodge we stay in region

Before I spent Friday night at Shoestrings, I thought it was amazing and had only a shining review to leave. I had a bad issue with the music but there’s also many great things about Shoestrings, please scroll down to pros to read. PLEASE READ: Friday and Saturday SHOESTRINGS IS A CLUB!!! You can not escape the music, it is so loud that it woke me up at 23:30 In my tent all the way in the back. So that no one thinks I’m exaggerating, I attached an image of a sound meter from our tent and it is reading as loud music. The thing is I love clubbing and would have really enjoyed participating if I had known. But instead I booked an early activity through Shoestrings Friday and Saturday morning. No one said “hey that’s pretty early for Saturday, Friday night is is our party night you might not be able to sleep” or I would have adjusted accordingly. There was no mention of this on their website either. In fact the website says that Shoestrings is for all types of travelers of every age including families. So what happened when I was woken up at 11:30 was I talked to the staff and they said boss refused to even turn down the music a little because it would “kill the vibe”. The staff offered me a different room but it was equally loud. They told me the music would stop at 1:00am but it didn’t. I went to complain again and the boss did apologize and offer some compensation but anyway music wasn’t turned down until 1:20. The boss did say that he would update the website to read that loud music would be played late on Friday and Saturday so hopefully he does that. Update: it has been more than a month later and there’s no update. So basically I’m so disappointed because I could have partied with them but Instead was in hell trying to sleep in a club, got 4 hours of sleep and was exhausted on a super expensive trip. I’m also really disappointed that the owner did not keep his word and update the website. PROS Other than the music issue I loved staying at Shoestrings. The location is superb. The staff were nice and extremely helpful. The shared area is clean, decorated with beautiful artwork, has a nice pool and small playground for kids. I booked the tent and it was very comfortable and had good privacy and circulation. The shared bathrooms are fine, lots of mosquitoes but it’s not really the owners fault. It’s very affordable. The food is good, there’s vegan options and the price is competitive with nearby restaurants. Tuesday there’s an excellent local dance performance. The staff is helpful for questions about activities and how to book them. If they update the website and warn people about the music it’d be perfect. I decided to leave Vic Falls a day early because I wanted to actually sleep and I saw a lot of Families and older couples were staying at Shoestrings for Saturday night, I’m sure they don’t know about the music so good luck to them. It’s a huge lack of communication. In conclusion: If you want to party until 1:00 Friday and Saturday then I absolutely recommend shoestrings, it would be so fun. If you want to wake up early for Safari or like to sleep early in general stay Sunday-Thursday.

Highly recommended place to stay and enjoy Victoria Falls.

You can walk from the Zambia-Zimbabwe border! It was a great hotel in this area, reasonably priced, clean, and had a hot shower! Although I didn't use it, there was a restaurant and pool in the hotel, and a supermarket nearby!

Overall very pleasant and a great option. I would stay here again without a shadow of a doubt.

Tent accommodation, you need to clean by yourself, Environment: General, the loud music at the bar lasts until 3 am on weekends or holidays Service: Not bad, booking travel activities and taxis⭐

I stayed in a dormitory. The room, shared shower, and toilet were all well-cleaned and nice. I planned to stay one night but ended up staying an extra night. However, there is a bar space which is very noisy and plays music until late at night, so it may not be suitable for people who want to relax. I was tired so I ate at the restaurant attached to the hotel. A beef burger was $9 and a beer was $2. The taste was okay.

Excellent location - the waterfalls are half an hour's walk away. The most budget option with this location. Green area. The living area is separated from the cafe by a gate. The pool is located in front of the cafe. It's small, and I would like it to be cleaned more thoroughly. But after the heat of the day, it’s great to have it. The number is similar to the photo, but take into account a good lens and light! If you don’t expect the gloss of an expensive hotel from a hostel. Everything is fine. The staff is friendly, thank you!

The first thing the hotel warned us about upon check-in was that there would be music until one in the morning... Naturally, there were no options. The room has a concrete floor and a rusty sink. 2 cockroaches were killed.

Cool space. Clean, comfortable beds and friendly staff. Brekkies were simple but filling and at a great price. And the best coffee!! A great base from which to explore Vic Falls with knowledgeable staff to guide your experiences!! Kudo's to the team!