Little Makalolo, the ‘sister’ camp is located 15 minutes drive away. It is completely independent of Makalolo Plains, although in close radio contact. It is more intimate, accommodates only eight guests in five luxury tented suites & is situated in a teak treed area some 100m from a waterhole. The tented suites are identical to those at Makalolo Plains but they are at ground level, while the services, meals, bar & game drive activities are identically delivered for guests as they would be at the main camp.

Access to both camps is either by private transfer from Hwange National Park Gate – which we do not recommend for reasons of time ( approximately 2 hours drive ) - or by private aircraft charter to the Makalolo airstrip which is less than 45 minutes flying from Victoria Falls International Airport & by far & away, the most practical, time saving, financially beneficial manner. Guests will be met on arrival by their Ranger in a 4 x 4 safari vehicle & transferred to the camp they are staying at. Individual vehicles are there for the respective camps this airstrip serves - the two Makalolo camps & the two Linkwasha camps. The drive from airstrip to camp is approximately 35 minutes & likely you will see many animals during transfers.

Linkwasha is situated on the south eastern side of Hwange National Park in a private concession area accessible only to guests. A 45 minute air transfer from Victoria Falls to the Makalolo airstrip with a landrover transfer on arrival to both Linkwasha camps makes for simple access. The animal populations are very similar throughout this region. Both Linkwasha & Makalolo camps share traversing rights for game viewing, rare as it is to see another vehicle when out on safari, except perhaps for organized bush drinks stops.

Linkwasha is a 14 bed chalets camp where the chalets are actually tented wall exteriors, with thatch roof & large secure mosquito screened windows. Each has a spacious bedroom, can cater to Queen or twin - double beds, has a separate but enclosed en-suite bathroom, flush toilet, hot & cold running water, & both an inside & outside shower.

Little Linkwasha is a 6 bed camp with the exact same specification rooms & facilities.

Game drives in 4 x 4 safari vehicles hosted by a professional expert Ranger who is armed with a high powered weapon for security, are conducted each morning & afternoon-evening. Game drives are of approximately three & a half to four hours duration depending on the time of year, weather conditions & the animals & birds you come across.

The meals & service levels are outstanding at these two camps with attention to detail being obviously a pursuit of excellence. Like both of the Makalolo Camps, the two Linkwasha Camps come highly recommended.

Giraffe Springs is the third of the Private Game Lodges inside the National Park, yet on its own private concession lands. It is close to a waterhole that holds water practically year round & a pump is used to help the animals should a long dry spell come about as has happened in recent years. This ensures animals do not suffer & equally guests can enjoy game viewing from the balcony of the main lodge & their suites.

Ten large tented suites, each with its own en-suite bathroom facilities, hot & cold running water, indoor shower, raised viewing platform verandah & mosquito netting across double canvass zip flapped windows.

The main dining & lounge area at camp is under a thatched roof, with indoor & outdoor viewing platforms & a small plunge pool for cooling off on hot days which are aplenty.

Like Makalolo & Linkwasha, activities at Giraffe Springs include morning & afternoon game drives, Ranger guided walking safaris & visits to strategically located ‘hides’ for close up game viewing. The area has regular Big 5 sightings & is especially noted for its roan & sable antelope. The sable is the most gracious & beautiful of all being black and white with curved sabre-like horns – even lions respect & give wide berth to adult sable, usually leaving them well alone as their horns are deadly defensive appendages.

Access to Giraffe Springs is by chartered light aircraft to the near by savannah grassed landing strip, then safari vehicle transfer to camp. Giraffe Springs is for guests seeking a more ‘remote’ & isolated wildlife experience without compromising on luxury, quality, food, beverages & most of all, service levels. Giraffe Springs comes highly recommended.

Matusadona Water Wilderness is divided into two identically floating lodges. Both are run independently, although located but a kilometer or so distant of one & other. They are located offshore in quiet lagoon eddies of Lake Kariba. One camp caters for 8 double bedded units & the other, 6 double beds. Your floating accommodation unit is moored & secured by anchor & by ropes to the trees each is located in proximity to. Each unit has a raised wooden deck some three feet or more above the pontoon on which the unit is secured, with a large bedroom, huge bed, feather pillows & linen sheets, with an en-suite bathroom, separate toilet, shower & hot & cold running water.

Verandahs adorn each chalet unit with chairs for relaxing in. The windows in the chalets are large, bug proofed, & come with gauze netting. The doors to the chalets are solid framed wood.

There is a mother ship that serves as the dining room, lounge, bar, library & has a upper level viewing deck. This proves especially brilliant at night to watch the heavens from as the star show in an African inky black sky has to be seen to be believed. Guests commute between their floating rooms & the mother ship by canoes or a putt-putt lake boat with outboard motor, skillfully handled by the professional staff who are on call 24 hours a day for transporting or emergencies.

Each room come equiped with a whistle ( to summon transport to the mother ship ) a horn that is piercing & to be used only in emergencies, bug repellant, mosquito candles & amenities such as moisturizer, shampoo, conditioner & shaving crèmes. As each floating chalet is not powered by electricity (rather has solar energy) it is recommended that gentlemen use hand razors for shaving, although there are sockets for both electric razors & hair dryer however in this setting, they are somewhat unnecessary.

Daily activities include boat game drives, canoeing safaris, game walks with a professional Ranger suitably armed with a high powered weapon for emergencies, bird watching & fishing.
We do recommend the Ranger escorted game walks as tracking rhino, elephant, buffalo & lion on foot is one of the most exhilarating experiences to be had in Africa.

The staff at Matusadona Water Wilderness also organize specially escorted excursions to a nearby island where the black rhino rehabilitation program is located. Here, there are a number of wild, young black rhino, highly prized & on the endangered species ‘red flag’ list. They are being guarded 24 hours a day but are free to roam the island. When each animals reaches adulthood (which is somewhere between 4 & 5 years of age) they will be relocated to another National Park.

The Zimbabwe Government has a ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ policy for any person caught actively in the attempt of poaching. So here on this island, there is a ‘shoot to kill on sight‘ policy – hence, each group of guests will be escorted & professionally led by one of the National Park Rangers to the location of these adolescent black rhino to observe them as they wander grazing on the lush grasses& low branches that make up their diet.

It is an unbelievable experience to be guided up to touching distance to a wild, two ton, semi-mature black rhino who are known to be considerably more aggressive than their white rhino cousins. However, it is something that you are able to experience under the expert guidance of the professional Ranger staff here at Matusadona Water Wilderness.

Quite simply put, Chikwenya & the Mana Pools National Park have to be one of the most magnificent sites for a camp anywhere in Southern Africa. The main focus is tranquility – the Zambezi River flood plain & Chikwenya Island combine to deliver a plethora of wildlife – a photographers ‘eden’ & a nature-lovers ‘mecca’. If there is a little slice of heaven on earth then surely, this has to be it. The region is widely renown for large numbers of elephant, hippo, lion & eland antelope concentrated along the river when inland waterholes dry up during the winter & before late October rains replenish them.

Elephant are constant visitors, grazing on the 'albida’ forests at rivers edge. One of the main lures being the seed pods from these trees which are rich in vitamins & proteins when they drop to ground towards the end of winter around the time the animals need nutrition the most.

Leopard too are relatively common as this is excellent territory for them to lurk – holing up out of the direct sun during the day & waiting until the darkness for their skills to come to the fore. Leopard own the night hours & are deadly, efficient predators.

Lions – they are all but resident & considered ‘common’, not that lessens their magnificence. To watch a pride with youngsters clambering in & around the lionesses, keeping a respectful distance from the large males who are known to give a not so playful ‘swot’ to any belligerent or overly playful youngster, is a truly awesome experience. Chikwenya is Kodak & Nikon territory personified. But don’t be dismayed, as by no means do you need to be a professional photographer to get National Geographic quality shots here.

Two game drives each day are conducted in safari 4 x 4 vehicles, or in boats, or on foot with a professional Ranger suitably armed with a high powered weapon in case of need. The choice each time is up to the individual guests as to what they would like to be a part of. The flexibility cannot be matched, nor bettered anywhere.

The camp has 9 superb safari tents with en-suite facilities, shower, flush toilet, hot & cold running water & as well , either an outside shower or bath ‘under the stars’. Each tent is cited well apart for privacy, with panoramic views onto the surrounding flood plain.

There is a pub & lounge under a thatch roof with a plunge swimming pool on the decking which is available for use by all guests. Breakfasts are usually served on the deck under the shade of an enormous mahogany tree. Dinners more often than not are served on the decking with the heavens as the main source of light as the stars dominate the inky black African nights.

On the night prior to Livingstone making his amazing discovery that would capture the imagination of the world, he must have watched the light of his campfire & paraffin lanterns as they twinkled & skittered across the blackened night waters of the upper Zambezi as it gurgled past, lazily drifting eastward. A short 40 km above the spot where the steadily flowing Zambezi gathers strength to crash violently over the 128m drop into the abyss below, the verdant green river banks have become a haven for wildlife and birds alike as the owners of the two distinctly different Matetsi Safari Lodges have turned what was 50000 hectares of former hunting ground, into one of Africa’s leading natural retreats.

Matetsi Water Lodge

With 15kms of undisturbed river frontage, Matetsi River Lodge offers an unrivalled Zambezi relaxation experience. Here during the thirsty months, elephant come to drink & other great creatures are drawn to the life-giving waters. Shaded by Mangosteen & Waterbury trees the lodge consists of three individual intimate camps, each of six air-conditioned suites with private plunge pool, en-suite bathroom & river deck. The teak, thatch & slate interior / exterior, blend perfectly into the surroundings. Each camp of six units has its own dining, bar & lounge areas with river viewing decks.

Vast solid teak doors of each unit swing open onto a watery vista. Hippo grunt & snort practically right at the deck edge, their rumbling greeting calls & territorial squabbles adding to the ambiance of this fantastic place. Morning & evening canoeing or boat cruises, skillfully hosted by professional Rangers, are a part of the days activities. Fishing too is available. For bird watchers this is a paradise, as the water fowl & migratory species flock to this verdant spot.

Matetsi Safari Camp

A tribute to those who pioneered & braved marauding lions & wild country & set at the edge of an open grassland & a water hole which has a steady flow of animals fronting up for a drink – here is cited the Matetsi Safari Camp. This 24 bedded camp elevates luxury tented experienced to new heights. A coming together of the old romance & colonial mystique of tents & candlelight with modern conveniences of air-conditioning, magnificently appointed bedrooms, private en-suited bathrooms, Victorian claw footed baths, copper basins, hot & cold running water & vistas from the bed or the front verandah that will just take your breath away.

Whether guests visit in the heat of summer or cool of winter game is plentiful, drawn to the waterhole out front of the main dining area , library, bar & viewing deck.

Access to both Matetsi Camps is by road from Victoria Falls which is 38 kms to the west & takes approximately 50 minutes on a highway before turning onto the private unsealed roads into each respective property. Both lodges inter-change activities. Guests from Safari Camp may opt to canoe at Water Lodge & guests from Water Lodge can opt to undertake a game drive on the Safari Camp concession land. Activities outside of each property can be easily arranged – a round of golf at Elephant Hills – named purposely as elephants are frequent visitors to the lush fairways as are warthogs – or micro-light flights above Victoria Falls. Whatever your desires, your hosts at Matetsi will gladly arrange transfers & adventure options for those guests seeking them.

Neither of the Matetsi properties are fenced, so migratory trails allow unrestricted access for animals traversing. This is a natural progression & offers a glimpse of Africa in a completely natural state.

Far from the mini-bus & tourisms main trails in the south eastern section of Zimbabwe & set amidst 100000 acres of pristine veld, is Pamushana Lodge – one of the most understated yet luxurious lodges to be found in Africa. Its location is haunting. Set out on a rocky promontory overlooking the Nyamasikana River Gorge, Pamushana was destined to fit into this idyllic setting & not to dominate it.

Each of the six villa unit offers the most modern comforts & magnificent décor blended into the natural surroundings beneath the trees as if a collection of Changana village homes. The signature dry-wall is patterned on the nearby ruins of Great Zimbabwe & the thatch roofing is made of elephant grasses woven by the master thatchers of Esigodini.

The main guest lounge area is a combination of leadwood beams, roots of the rock fig trees that wrap around the shapes of the hill top into which the building is constructed & sandstone boulders which are features of the open air dining area. Then there is the great Baobab tree at the summit of the hill – its shade leads through a souring entry & opens to the first thrilling glimpse of water below. The surface of the lake seems to rise two hundred feet to meet the surface of the swimming pool recessed into the deck – a horizon of water leading to an infinitely distant horizon of hills & plains beyond.

Pamushana is a precious breeding ground & sanctuary for endangered animal species. By offering guests the finest of lodging, dining & service while providing excellence in professional guiding on game drives the Malilangwe Trust that is behind all of the conservation efforts, is able to fund its ongoing work. While the accommodation & services are one part of that equation, restricting guest numbers benefits both the animals & the guests who enjoy up-close & intimate contact with the primeval world of the Zimbabwe lowlands.

As well as the Big 5 & a wide variety of antelope species, here at Pamushana you will likely encounter the ‘Small 6’ antelope : Klipspringer, Sharpe’s grysbok, grey duiker, steenbok, Livingstone’s suni & oribi.

Bird watching is nonstop with over 400 different species of resident & migratory birds as well as a prolific raptor list - 14 species of eagle, eleven hawks & nine different owls. With both water based & land operated game viewing , Pamushana delivers the very best of game viewing opportunities while guests enjoy the many luxuries of this vast wilderness region.

Nduna Safari Lodge is owned & operated by the Malilingwe Trust which by covenant, is a completely non-profit organization focused on preservation & conservation as a source of livelihood & development for all peoples who live in this region. For years the upper echelon lodges such as Nduna & its sister lodge, Pamushana, have been havens for wildlife completely separated from the villages & peoples who are their neighbours. Malilingwe represents a different long-term vision & blueprint for the future – if the wildlife is to have a part in the development of the new nations of Africa, then it must contribute to the livelihood of the peoples who call these lands their home.

With that goal in mind, the Malilingwe Trust has instituted a wide range of programs that embrace the whole local community inside & outside of the wildlife reserve that includes education, health initiatives, scientific research & the arts. Nduna therefore is very much a part of life in the lowveld.

Like Pamushana, Nduna is a very safe place, situated in peaceful countryside, fenced with checkpoints at the only two entrances & staffed 24 hours a day by some 70 Game Scouts who are charged with protection of the wildlife & the reserve. You may actually never see one of the scouts while you are here, but this is by design as the best security is always unheralded & invisible.

Nduna’s six spacious & well appointed thatched lodges are nestled in amongst giant boulders, each one in an intimate & private setting. They are connected to the main lodge & open air guest lounge by a series of wooden walkways.

Game drives are conducted morning & afternoon-evening in open Toyota Hilux vehicles especially designed for safari driving. In addition to the daytime game activities, each vehicle is equipped with a spotlight which is operated by your Ranger, for after dusk game spotting. There are a number of comfortable ‘hides’ situated near waterholes for guests to utilize for up-close encounters in complete safety as animals come so close, yet you are an invisible presence in their world.

A different game viewing perspective is able to be provided on the Malilingwe Dam where hippos, crocodile, Egyptian geese, all sorts of raptors & water fowl present themselves to silently gliding canoes. If you are interested in fishing this dam holds many trophy bass which will chase a fly, lure or live bait. And for golfers there are three beautiful courses nearby on which all guests have automatic access rights.

There are three distinct climatic seasons at Nduna & Pamushana. April – August is cool & dry. Once the annual rainy season ends around Easter, this whole region enters a six month period of sunny weather with average temperatures of 23 – 28c. By late June, as the grasses dry off & are either eaten or trampled by animals, the game viewing gets better & better. September to November is considered the ‘hot’ season. Water is scarce & wildlife viewing is at its peak in the early mornings & late afternoon , evenings around the Dam & permanent waterholes. Midday temperatures often reach the mid to high 30’s centigrade, but humidity is low. The ‘wet – hot’ season commences late November - December & generally runs through March. This is the rainy season. Humidity levels escalate & it can be quite sticky. However with the rains return the lush greenery, a profusion of new season flowers & thousands of migratory birds as nature puts on her finest display during this time.

Access to both Nduna & Pamushana is best by air. You can fly either from Johannesburg or Harare to the local airstrip at Buffalo Range where Customs clearance is efficient & fast. You’ll be met by Pamushana staff & driven in an air-conditioned vehicle to the lodge. It is also possible to take a charter light aircraft flight from Buffalo Range immediately after you have first cleared Zimbabwe Immigration & Customs formalities & land on the grass bush runway adjacent to the lodge.

We recommend NO LESS than 3 nights – 4 days at any of these superb Private Lodges & Camps.