About 700 feet from Zambezi National Park and less than a 10-minute drive to Mosi-oa-Tunya, a.k.a. Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Mbano Manor Hotel is the first luxury boutique hotel in the city of Victoria Falls owned by a Black female Zimbabwean.
“Most investors could not believe that a Black woman could open a five-star-style lodging,” says proprietor Matifadza Nyazema, who courted more than 100 of them after completing her Ph.D. thesis on Black economic empowerment in the hotel industry. Today she is inspiring other Black women to rise up in African tourism.
Traditionally, the role of Southern African Black women in the tourism industry has been limited to arts and crafts or entry-level and mid-management positions. There was an implicit narrative in the patriarchal culture that a woman’s role was at home, nurturing families, but today many African women feel that they can achieve higher education, build a thriving career, and care for a family. “The future of African tourism lies in the hands of its people, and Black women are taking center stage,” says Nyazema. “I believe my story, and similar stories of Black women in business, are creating a significant shift towards an inclusive tourism industry. African women have the capacity to be leaders, innovators, and storytellers with the authenticity and knowledge to lead the continent’s hospitality industry with excellence.”
Not only was Mbano Manor Hotel the first development in the western end of the city, it had a hand in bringing electricity and water to the area, creating opportunities for other private developers in the process. The hotel employs 34 staffers from surrounding townships and offers internships to students at local hospitality and culinary schools. Its 18 elegant suites and one villa are harmoniously incorporated into the surrounding four-acre teak forest. (Only two trees were removed during the construction process.) Accommodations are spacious, with hand-painted tiles, oversized bathtubs, and teak furniture, and decorated with African art and fabrics. At the hotel’s Terrace restaurant, regional specialties such as mazondo (cow heels) and chomolia (African kale) are prepared using ingredients from Mbano’s garden. In 2025, Mbano is also slated to add a wellness center, outdoor Boma dining experience, and a viewing platform to soak in the sunrise over the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls.
Cross-border collaborations in tourism, infrastructure, and services are allowing the free movement of people, not just wildlife, across the region—the world’s largest land-based transboundary conservation area. While the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) region, which launched more than a decade ago, is still rolling out its five-country visa program, visitors can now purchase a $50 multiple-entry visa to stay overnight in both Zambia and Zimbabwe. “Travelers to the region can cross borders easily, spending less money on visas, time on checkpoints, and exploring more of the conservation area on a single trip,” says Barbara Murasiranwa-Hughes, regional representative for the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe. Angola, Namibia, and Botswana are expected to join the KAZA UNIVISA initiative soon.
Nyazema expects Mbano to be a jumping off point for a fresh crop of visitors. “Our ideal location in the heart of the Kavango-Zambezi region allows us to have a leading role in enhancing accessibility for international travelers who want to visit iconic destinations like Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park,” she says. “The visa allows us to develop and promote curated regional packages and itineraries, offering guests seamless travel experiences that combine Zimbabwe’s product and hospitality with neighboring countries’ attractions.”