Top 7 Best Bush Camps in Zimbabwe.

One of Africa’s most lucrative safari destinations for a long time has been Zimbabwe. All five of the famous Big Five can be found in parks like Hwange and Gonarezhou National Parks, which are populated by some of the largest herds of elephants on the continent.

The elite bush camps in these parks, many of which are located on private concessions, are also well-known for providing guests with an intimate and luxurious African wilderness experience. During a recent long tour through Zimbabwe, our expert Philip Briggs stopped by a number of these sites. He provides feedback on a few of his favorites below.

There is no set order of quality for the lodges and camps listed below.

1. Matobo National Park’s Big Cave Camp

Of all the lodges in Zimbabwe, Big Cave Camp has one of the most beautiful sites. Perched atop one of the massive granite whalebacks characteristic of the revered Matopos Hills, it is part of a private reserve that borders Matobo National Park.

Comfortable A-frame cottages made of stone and patch provide accommodations; each has a private patio with breathtaking views of the surrounding rock formations and an en suite bathroom. A natural rock pool, a lantern-lit cave-style boma (circular enclosure) for sundowners, and a comfortable dining area with a huge teak table where staff and guests share meals are among the other amenities.

The private reserve has some animals. Around the resort, keep an eye out for the colorful mocking cliff chat, the cute rock hyrax, and the delicate klipspringer antelope. The guides at the lodge may take you into the nearby national park to see beautiful rock art, go on foot white rhino tracking, and take in the well-known vista from Cecil John Rhodes’ boulder-top tomb.

2. Hwange National Park’s Bomani Tented Camp

Bomani is hard to top for an outstanding and unique wildlife viewing experience in Zimbabwe. This traditional bush camp is located on a 20 km²/8 mi² private concession that is divided from Hwange National Park’s southern boundary by a railroad line. With buffalo, cheetahs, and lions all frequent visitors, it provides great general wildlife viewing.

Additionally, game drives typically travel to a rarely visited area of Hwange that is well-known for its high densities of zebra, wildebeest, and other grazers. An underground photography hide that provides breathtaking worm’s-eye views of elephants and other wildlife arriving at Stoffie’s Pan to drink is one of the area’s distinctive features. Bomani is also next to and managed by Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can go on foot and track the only white rhinos in Hwange.

Ten cozy tented rooms and suites, along with one thatched house, make up the camp. Each has a terrace with views of the floodplain, a private bathroom, and four-poster mattresses with mosquito nets installed. During the dry season (April to October), the permanent pan that is a true animal magnet is visible from the stone-and-thatch communal dining area, which also features a small swimming pool.

3. Hwange National Park’s Camelthorn Lodge

Located in the center of the private Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary on the southern edge of Hwange National Park, Camelthorn Lodge is named for the towering camelthorn acacia whose heavyweight branches shade the terrace. Together with five neighboring towns, this 162-hectare (400-acre) piece of woodland community land is managed. It’s a cooperative effort to establish a buffer zone to prevent crop raiding outside the park while giving residents definite financial advantages from tourists.

This magnificent resort, which has eight spacious villas designed in a contemporary African style with mosaics, traditional artwork, and breathtaking wildlife images, is fully staffed by members of the community. While the upper balconies, which are accessed by a spiral staircase, offer fantastic views into the canopy and occasionally contain a plunge pool, all villas feature spacious en suite bathrooms with tubs and showers.

Game drives are typically held in the isolated southern region of the national park, which provides a favorable mix of excellent animal watching and extremely low visitor counts, or on the same private concession that sister camp Bomani uses. A long-term campaign to bring these ancient animals back to Hwange also began in May 2022 with the translocation of two male white rhinos to Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary. The rhinos can be followed on foot and frequently pass the resort. You may only do this in one location in Hwange.

4. Hwange National Park’s Verney’s Camp

You will adore Verney’s Camp if you like to observe elephants in action. Verney’s Pan, which was formerly a seasonal source of drinking water but is now pumped year-round to give a permanent supply, is visible from this traditional bush camp. Hundreds of elephants will likely pass by as one maternal group after another descends to drink if you spend an afternoon here during the hottest part of the dry season. Playful recreational swimming and intense greeting customs are frequently associated with them.

At Verney’s, the gorgeous, roomy standing tents face the waterhole and are raised on wooden stilts. Game drives are held on a private concession or in other, less-visited areas of southeast Hwange, if you can tear yourself away from this spectacle. On night drives in the concession, leopards can occasionally be seen, and this location, which is surrounded by floodplains, mopane, and teak forest, is a good place to seek for lions and African wild dogs.

5. Hwange NP’s Deteema Springs

Located on a secluded private concession northeast of Hwange, this upscale tented camp doesn’t cut corners on the “wow factor.” Overlooking year-round natural springs that are a favorite among the local elephant population, the camp is situated on a low rocky outcrop.

All of the opulent standing tents have excellent views, are stilted, and have private bathrooms. But when it comes to evening spectacles like lions prowling, hyenas whooping, and elephants splashing, tents Numbers 6 through 8 truly stand out. Although it may not be the most restful sleep, this makes for a fascinating evening.

Intriguing tiny fauna can also be seen nearby, such as bands of dwarf mongoose, colorful birds like Meves’s starling, red-billed hornbill, and long-tailed paradise whydah, and klipspringers that bounce between the rocks. Nearby Deteema Dam is the main destination for wildlife drives, where you can probably spot hippos, many types of antelope, and, if you’re lucky, a sizable resident lion pride.

6. Hwange National Park’s Nehimba Lodge

Nehimba, another resort in northern Hwange that will satisfy elephant enthusiasts, looks out over a pumped waterhole that is typically teeming with waterbirds (you may see 20 different species in one scan). At the height of the dry season, it frequently draws several hundred elephants.

The lodgings are in cottages made of canvas, thatch, and stilted wood that are arranged in a horseshoe shape around the water and include broad balconies, outdoor showers, and inside tubs.

Exciting animal watching is frequently offered in-house at this small wilderness resort. Additionally, it is located inside a private concession that is unique and provides excellent year-round animal viewing, especially of lions. It really shines at the conclusion of the dry season. There are only cars from the lodge because practically all activities take place within its 175km²/80mi² concession. Exciting guided hikes and night drives in pursuit of leopards and other nocturnal animals are added to regular game drives.

 

7. Gonarezhou National Park’s Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

All five of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) can be found at Gonarezhou, one of Zimbabwe’s most fascinating and little-known national parks. It also has what is likely the densest number of elephants in the world, with over 11,500 of them wandering about 5,000 km²/1,931 mi².

The enormous sandstone buttresses of the 200-meter (656-foot)-tall Chilojo Cliffs and the floodplain dotted with baobab and palm trees close to the wildlife-rich confluence of the Save and Runde Rivers are two of Gonarezhou’s breathtaking scenic features.

Chilo Gorge, a clifftop resort with opulent stone-and-thatch chalets overlooking the Save River as it flows along the eastern park boundary, is the sole traditional safari lodge serving this expansive wilderness. The resort, which is situated above a well-known elephant crossing spot that frequently becomes crowded in the afternoon, offers plenty of wildlife views.

The striking Chivilila Falls are part of the community conservation area that includes Chilo Gorge. It is perfectly situated for guided full-day or overnight trips to Chilojo Cliffs and half-day game drives near the Save-Runde Confluence.