Six Senses is to undertake its first sub-Saharan African project with a game resort and wellness resort within Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park.

Slated to open in 2025, Six Senses Victoria Falls will comprise partially concealed, tree-level lodges to provide a bird’s eye platform to view the surrounding nature and wildlife.

Light eco footprint

The hotel chain is working with the development team of Worth International, comprising SIP Project Managers, DSA Architects International, and CKR Consultant Engineers, on a modular scheme consisting of a series of stilted wooden structures.

This is designed to ensure the lightest possible footprint while still withstanding any close wildlife encounters. Fabricated off-site to minimise construction impacts, the arrangement of lodges and villas will be connected by raised walkways and bridges.

Accommodation and amenities

In addition to 22 lodges with private terraces, there will be 15 deluxe lodges with suspended pools. Some of these lodges can be inter-connected. Plans are afoot for 17 individual pool villas, nine of which offer multi-bedroom accommodation. The blurring of the interior and exterior design evokes reconnection to nature and moments of mindfulness.

The site will feature a main welcome pavilion and a lounge lobby, where amenities will include a raised restaurant and lounge, specialty dining and braai bar, and sunset look-out bar. The Six Senses Spa and wellness facilities will include four treatment rooms, a gym, a yoga deck, outdoor hot pools, a panoramic sauna, and an integrated retail and concept store. The jungle gym is literal and therefore accompanied by a ranger.

Authentic design

The brief to the DSGN interior design consultancy team is to capture the eclectic and authentic spirit of Zimbabwe. The timber floors and natural finishes will serve as a canvas to showcase ceremonial and bespoke furnishings and artwork. The aim is to achieve sophistication and comfort overlayed with colours, textures, and craftsmanship.

The eco resort is part of The House of Chinhara initiative to recover Zimbabwean tourism by elevating the available accommodation count and quality for visitors to the UNESCO protected area, as well as providing host accommodation facilities and hospitality training opportunities.

The hotel chain is very used to developing sites in remote locations, with upcoming sites including desert destination Six Senses Southern Dunes in Al Wajh, Saudi Arabia, bringing 76 luxury keys to the Red Sea Project in Q4 2023; Six Senses Össurá Valley, set within 4,000 acres of privately-owned land in Svínhólar near Lóni, Iceland, delivering 70 rooms in Q1 2024; and Six Senses Belize on Ambergris Caye island in the central American country, where guests will be able to access a secret beachfront from the 65-key resort completing in 2025.

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