Name: Shoestrings Backpackers & Bar
Address: 12 West Drive, Victoria Falls, 00000, ZW

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2026

Belinda

You will love this property if you like music playing for most of the day. You will also like this property if you enjoy a lot of socialization. The beds are comfortable. The bathrooms in the private rooms are functional, and the staff is generally helpful. The avocado toast with poached egg was good the day I had it. If you enjoy very, very, very loud music on Friday and Saturday nights until 2 AM you will love this Hostel. When I was there, they also had a market on Saturday and Sunday that took up all of the space in their very lovely manicure line. There was no room to sit because of the market. Without the market, the grounds are absolutely beautiful.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2026

Catherine

Shoestrings has a laid back casual vibe. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The meals were well prepared and tasty. A walk with the lions was arranged by the hostel and went very smoothly. There was a football watch party and a sing along. Altogether a pleasant experince.

Self

2/10

Poor

03 Jun 2026

Matthew

Be careful of misguided information from the office and taxi drivers.

Self

8/10

Excellent

12 May 2026

Robert

I have mixed feelings about this place. If your younger and like to stay up late boozing this is an awesome spot.

On the weekends the bass from the bar kept me up till past 1 when they finally shut down.

The bar pool area is also outside and there are many smokers.

The bed was great, had mosquito nets which u will need.

And of course the price was decent .

6/10

Pleasant

09 Nov 2025

Rutendo

Tent was good. Staff were very good. Amenities were ok. Shared toilets need to be checked more often and disinfected to maintain good hygiene. The place had very good ambience. It is safari right in the middle of CBD. I enjoyed my stay and I recommend it to other travellers.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2025

James

I picked this one out of the two hostels in the area, because you could pay for it upfront when you booked (so on your credit card in your own currency) and the fact you could pay for stuff with the credit card too. In fact other than the taxi from the airport, I never used cash in Victoria Falls. Everything I went into, including the nearby supermarket was in US dollars though.

Shoestring does the main things you want in a hostel. Has a comfortable bed (I was in the six bed dorm, although the bar is behind the room, you could here music but it wasn't so loud it stopped you going to sleep or anything. The only thing I didn't like about the dorm room was you couldn't lock the door (you don't get a key).

There are small lockers outside the dorms (outside area) where you can put your own lock on to lock anything valuable, but it doesn't fit anything bigger than a daypack.

The cleaning and ground staff were all really friendly whenever I came across them. Showers were good and toilets clean. The only thing missing though is some soap, so you've got to have your own. Likewise towels.

The falls are within easy walking distance of the hostel, likewise Clearwater where G Adventure and other tour companies start their tours to other parts of Africa.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Sep 2025

ANNA LOUISA

Lovely stay. Amazing, helpful and Friendly staff. Walking distance to Victoria falls and town. Will definitely advise if you like casual travelling.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2025

Laura

Other than a couple of bugs in our room (somewhat expected), we had a great overnight stay at Shoestrings. Staff was nice, location was great (walkable to the falls!), and the restaurant/bar were great additions.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 May 2025

heather

You get what you paid for
It’s reasonable
Close to all the Downtown main event

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2025

Carl

Fun in Victoria Falls

I had a fantastic stay at Shoestrings Backpackers. The accommodation, staff, and atmosphere were all excellent. My stay was so enjoyable that I decided to stay three extra nights. I highly recommend.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2024

ALEX

Straight forward Hostel with extra amenities like swimming pool, bar, little restaurant and the friendliest staff ever

Business_and_leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2024

Amy Duckett

The staff are very nice and helpful!

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

17 Jun 2024

Eurico

Very safe and quiet area. Good vibes. Clean and the workers were friendly and helpful all the time. Will come back.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2024

Becky

Loved, loved, loved it!

If you're a hostel traveler, this place is amazing!! We loved it... from the accomodations to the central gathering place, the food and friendly staff, the ambience and security measures, plus walkable to Vic Falls. As with most anywhere, could use some upgrades, especially in the few ensuite bathrooms (and maybe some pop-in screens for the windows to allow enjoyment of the cooler night air), but even the least-best about this place was acceptable... and the best-best more than made up for slight shortcomings. Obviously, anyone used to upscale hotels probably should not stay here, but if Motel6, hostels, camping, etc., are an acceptable mode of travel for you, I cannot imagine you would not also love Shoestrings Backpackers. We would absolutely stay again!

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2024

Noemi

Love the food and the staff

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Feb 2024

zoie

Shoestrings is a property that is in the heart of Victoria Falls, which is a touristic town, but many locals live there too so you get a mix of both vibes.
We chose the hostel due to its location.
We were given an orientation when we first came, which was good, so we knew where things were.
Upon entering our twin private ensuite room, there were two mosquito nuts, but I didn’t realise until later from the evening that there were holes in them, so we got bitten.

We were also not made aware that there were parties happening that evening and the evening after, so the music was loud for a good while. It is a hostel, so it is expected for it not to be quiet, but a heads up would have been good.
The quality of the room was somewhat okay. However, the sheets did have stain from them and we did find a hair in our bed, so I do think they need to be more far in their cleaning.
But when we bought it to their attention, things were change quite quickly.
The breakfast is reasonably priced from around $5.
However, I ordered something where the main component of the dish was not available but wasn’t told until I got my breakfast and I wasn’t offered a refund in anyway shape or form.
Would I stay there again, probably not there are other places, that are slightly more expensive, but you get more. But if you are looking for a central hotel, like to party then this potentially might be the place for you.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

07 Dec 2023

Arlene Estelle

We had an awesome stay. I travelled with my friend staff was friendly and helpful

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2023

Sofia

Good location, friendly staff

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2023

Sarah

Great stay at shoestring

We absolutely loved staying at shoestring. The staff was wonderful and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. Ann made sure we had some great adventure booked and was happy to arrange them for us. The food was good. We are vegan and they were able to modify some meals that worked for us. I would definitely recommend shoestrings to friends and family.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2023

Abigail

I stayed in one of the tents with beds in. It was super comfy and great value for money. I had dinner and breakfast which were both lovely and great value for money. The staff were friendly. Would recommend.

Leisure Self