By Kudakwashe Matizanadzo
Victoria Falls: WHEN a legend posts, people listen. And when Dale Steyn posts about the Victoria Falls people book flights.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and in particular the The Victoria Falls River Lodge, might have had it’s biggest marketing win in decades as far as sports tourism is concerned after legendary South African pace bowler Dale Steyn posted a beautiful story about the lodge on his X account recently.
Post of a legend: Dale Steyn ‘s post on X that removed any potential stain on Zimbabwe hospitality industry sector as she prepares to host a momentous Cricket event in 2027 in the Vic Falls
Known for his 145km/hr thunderbolts, Steyn is just as famous for his second love: fishing. He has spent years chasing Tiger Fish on the Zambezi telling followers on X that the river is where he goes to breathe between cricket and battles.
His latest post from the Victoria Falls River lodge did what no brochure can. No filters. Just Dale being Dale, the ‘Steyn remover’.
Posting on his X account on July 21, Steyn said “Cricket fans! If you are looking for a place to stay in Victoria Falls for next year’s world cup, don’t look further than Victoria Falls River Lodge. No joke, this is not a paid advertisement. I’m here now and it’s just incredible. Thank me later!”
Steyn, 439 Test wickets in his career; the most feared outswinger in the world during his prime, now a voice every cricket fan listens to posted a tweet that spark the start of most big trips these days.
And every cricket fan who saw it will do exactly what one does when Steyn speaks: listen.
In 2027 Zimbabwe co-hosts the Cricket world cup together with South Africa and Namibia. A new state of the art stadium is already rising in the country’s premier tourist destination. Every fan plotting the trip has one question, where does one stay during the world cup? And Dale just answered the question.
After landing at the Victoria falls airport, you clear the gate into Zambezi national park: the spray of Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke That Thunders beckons in the far distance like a low cloud.
Hippos watch you pass, Elephants swim. One minute you were checking live scores, the next you are in a river safari.
That is the genius of Steyn. He knows cricket fans don’t just want a hotel near the ground. They want a place where they can ‘bowl over’.
The lodge sits on a curve of the Zambezi called the Zambezi crescent. It’s not a hotel, it’s 21 private hideaways. 13 luxury tented suites, six island treehouse suites and two luxury villas for families and groups who would have travelled together for the cricket.
Someone will definitely say Steyn was right, because Dale knows fast bowling and knows what it means to find the perfect line and length. Victoria Falls River Lodge found it decades ago, right on the banks of the mighty Zambezi; close enough to hear the roar of the Falls – yet far enough to hear your own heart beat again.
Memories of Zimbabwe’s exploits still linger in most fans’ minds. So eyes will definitely be set on the Chevrons as fans will be eager to see if they replicate the heroics of the T20 world cup.
As you sit in the open-air dining area, under a million stars, and the conversation drifts back to cricket arguing whether Sikandar Raza’s ‘reverse sweep’ was better than anything we saw in the 2026 T20s? Will Zimbabwe stun another giant like they did Australia?
So when you come for the World Cup, come for the cricket but stay for the river.
