Game drives and walks exploring Northern Hwange National Park

After breakfast, we’ll depart for the morning exploring the Nehimba concession and the beautiful northern part of Hwange National Park. As you’ll see, the north is distinctly different from the southern part both in topography, habitats and species of wildlife. Nehimba is situated right on the edge of the mopane woodlands of northern Hwange and the Kalahari sandveld of the west, and so offers the full spectrum and diversity of fauna that Hwange has to offer. The elephant hunting lions of this area are famous. The area is well watered so is host to large numbers of animals throughout the year but particularly during the dry season. We’ll return to the lodge for a leisurely lunch and then afternoon siesta or perhaps relax by the lodge swimming pool, frequented by Hwange's thirsty herds during the dry season.

Sundowners at the Nehimba seeps

Sundowners at the famed Nehimba Seeps is a must-do activity while staying at Nehimba in the dry season. The Nehimba Seeps are a specially designated conservation area and one of the few year-round, naturally occurring water sources in the massive Hwange National Park. The seeps are an ancient water resource that was once used by the San huntsmen. Today the area is frequented by elephants, which dig for minerals and water; this sacred spot will leave you with special memories and photographs.

Back at the lodge, enjoy drinks and then dinner while watching the elephants slurp from the waterhole just steps away.

Transfer to Southern Hwange via Elephant Express game-viewing train

Early risers will depart for a sunrise morning game drive and walk, exploring the area around Nehimba Lodge.

After breakfast back at the lodge, embark on a 2-3hr game drive exploring the northeastern part of Hwange National Park before reaching Dete Railway Station just outside Hwange’s Main Gate. From Dete, we’ll board Imvelo’s one of a kind game viewing train, the Elephant Express, for the 2.5hr trip down the eastern border of Hwange National Park to Imvelo's Bomani Tented Lodge located in the southeast corner of the park.

Southern Hwange is famous for the Ngamo plains, the largest savannah grasslands in the park, fringed with Acacia and Leadwood trees. Here this mix of open grasslands and woodlands provides the perfect mosaic of habitats for the full spectrum of plains game resident in Hwange including wildebeest, buffalo, kudu, waterbuck and sable. Predators are regularly spotted, especially lion, jackal and cheetah. Leopards and wild dog also known to frequent the area.

We'll arrive at Ngamo siding in the late afternoon, depart the Elephant Express and board 4 x 4 game drive vehicles for an afternoon game drive and sundowners. Following a beautiful Zimbabwe sunset, we'll night drive back to the lodge looking for nocturnal wildlife just starting their "day." Enjoy a delectable 3-course dinner out under the stars followed by coffee or a night cap around the campfire.

Elephant Express game-viewing railcar

The eastern boundary of Hwange National Park is marked by an historic railway line – part of Cecil Rhodes’ dream of an empire stretching ‘from Cape to Cairo’ with the railway line as its backbone. The section of track the Elephant Express travels was opened early in the 20th century (around 1904) and is perfectly flat and straight – the longest straight rail line in the world when built. Freight and passenger traffic still use the line, as well as our own custom-built rail car, the Elephant Express. This is the most unique and fun way to travel to Camelthorn Lodge or Bomani Tented Lodge in southern Hwange, a refreshing and welcome break from road travel, with excellent game viewing on the way. The Elephant Express seats 22 passengers and the finishes are comfortable and elegant. They include individual coach seating, a chemical toilet, teak tables, plenty of space for luggage, and a large aisle that allows guests to walk around comfortably and provides unrestricted game viewing. Imvelo also provides drinks of all kinds and delicious snacks en route! Watch the video below for a preview of the Elephant Express experience!

Village and school visit

Imvelo Safari Lodges is deeply committed to bringing together local rural communities and our safari guests, for their mutual benefit. Twenty minutes’ drive from the lodge our guests have the opportunity to enjoy an actual and un-orchestrated look at village life in rural Matabeleland.

This morning sees an early start with breakfast in the dining room before heading to nearby Ngunyana Village. Here you will walk from the village to nearby Ngamo School with the school children on their morning journey to school. Once you arrive at the school you will have the opportunity for some interactions and singing with the students before heading to Ngamo Village for an un-choreographed visit where you will see some of Imvelo's community initiatives firsthand, including a meeting with the headman of the village. On your visit to the village you will be able to gain insight into the day to day life of a rural Zimbabwean including information on thatching roofs, tilling fields, milling maize and weaving baskets.

Note: The school visit may not be possible depending on whether school is in session. The actual experience may differ from what is described above due to Covid protocols. Masks and social distancing are required for any school and/or community visits.

Game drives and walking safaris exploring southern Hwange

Vehicles must stay on the roads in the Park so we often combine a game drive with a spontaneous walking safari to explore more terrain off the roads. In this wild area every walk provides fascinating insight into Hwange’s circle of life; watch Hwange’s elephants shake trees to loosen and then eat the pods, while on a smaller scale, dung beetles roll up the elephant dung containing those tree seeds into balls, bury the ball and lay an egg to incubate in it, while the seed is now well-placed to germinate and start life as a new tree!

Just before sunset, we’ll stop at a water hole to watch the sun sink beneath the horizon before heading back to the lodge to freshen up for your dinner under the brilliant stars.

Visit the Imvelo Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary and meet our rhino!

Today head to the Imvelo Ngamo Rhino Sanctuary where you'll meet our new residents, Thuza and Kusasa, as well as the Cobra Rangers guarding them 24/7. Start with a behind-the-scenes look at the Cobras basecamp, where you'll learn more about their work along with Imvelo's many other community and conservation programs. Hear a short talk on the origins and ideas behind the formation of the Cobras unit and how they protect the rhino, as well as the future plans for our ground-breaking Community Rhino Conservation Initiative.

Head off on foot or by vehicle with the Cobras to meet Thuza and Kusasa! There will be lots of photo opportunities and quality time to watch and enjoy our rhinos in their natural environment on the Ngamo plains; how close you will be able to get to the rhino will be subject to conditions on the ground.

Each guest at Bomani and Camelthorn Lodges pays a rhino conservation and community levy; these funds all go into the rhino sanctuary along with community projects in the nearby villages.

Imvelo's "Look-up blind" at Stoffie's Pan

After visiting the rhino, we'll head back into Hwange in search of game- by vehicle and on foot - before making a stop for a bush lunch next to our specially built underground game-viewing blind at Stoffie’s Pan aka the "Look-up" blind, named such because its located at the water level so you'll be looking up at the elephants! After lunch, we’ll enjoy some time in the blind with snout-level viewing of thirsty elephants just feet way! The blind is furnished with comfortable seating and a toilet as well.

In the late afternoon, we’ll continue to explore the Ngamo plains on foot and by vehicle. After sundowners, we’ll night drive back to camp, exploring the Bomani concession, looking for nocturnal species that prowl the plains after twilight.

Full day safari or “Pump run” to Jozibanini

After breakfast at the lodge, depart for our adventure safari into the most remote part of Hwange National Park and Imvelo's Jozibanini Camp.

Enroute to Jozi, we'll make a stop at the Makona Ranger station and meet some of the national park rangers who patrol in this remote corner of Hwange (this visit is dependent on whether the rangers are at base at this time). Imvelo funded and installed a state-of-the-art solar powered water pump at Makona which provides water for the rangers, their organic vegetable garden and for wildlife at the nearby Makona pan. In addition, the solar array provides power for lights and radios at the station.

We’ll arrive at our rustic and wild Jozi camp in the late afternoon in time for sundowners with the elephants at the Jozi pan. Dinner will be served under the stars and around the campfire

The Jozi Story

Jozibanini has an interesting story which reinforces the importance of your visit here. A ranger station named Jozibanini was abandoned in the early 2000's due to lack of park funds, leaving the south and west of the park largely un-patrolled by rangers and never visited by tourists. As a result, tragically elephant poaching raised its ugly head in this area in 2013. After these poaching incidents, Imvelo Safari Lodges decided to establish an outpost at Jozibanini which staff and a privileged few tourists could use as a base for both management of water resources and a safari experience unlike any other. Presence in the area would also deter poachers, and who better to employ to protect the new project than ex-poachers who have turned over a new leaf. By introducing tourism, the Jozi project has helped protect and conserve hundreds of kilometers of remote park, and regular traffic on the route has translated into reliable support for both parks pump attendants and about 25% of Hwange’s thirsty wildlife in the dry season. To learn more about the Jozi story, watch this video.

Exploring the Jozi area by bike, vehicle and on foot

After breakfast over the campfire, grab your day pack and then head off on a guided mountain bike ride through the elephant paths along the inter-dune troughs around Jozibanini. The ecosystem here is semi-desert akin to the Kalahari in neighbouring Botswana. Ancient windblown fossil sand dunes are separated by shallow valleys where elephant paths have compacted the terrain, providing Imvelo with the opportunity for a unique experience of game viewing by mountain bike. These rides can be from 30 minutes around camp to a full day exploring deep into southern Hwange, depending on your energy, fitness and adventure level!

Enjoy a delicious lunch back at camp or for the adventurous cyclists, a picnic lunch under a shady tree where you can have a siesta before the bike ride (or vehicle if you prefer!) back to camp in the afternoon.

Sundowners at the Jozibanini Look-up blind

In the late afternoon, we’ll head into the underground “Look-up” blind for spectacular photographic opportunities of the wildlife, just feet away, at the Jozi waterhole. We’ll enjoy sundowners inside or atop the Look-up blind and once the sun has set, take a quick drive back to camp for a tasty dinner out under the glorious night sky.

Jozi star beds - sleeping under a blanket of stars

If you’re feeling adventurous or in need of more star gazing, the beds can be rolled into the deck of the tents for an extraordinary star-bed experience gazing skyward at millions of stars in the dark Hwange sky. As one guest put it, "Jozi isn't a 5 star camp, it's a five million star camp!"

Scenic flight to Victoria Falls International

After one final breakfast in the bush, you’ll transfer to the Libuti airstrip (20-minute game drive) and board your light aircraft for the 45 minute – 1 hr scenic flight over Hwange National Park to Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA). During the flight, you can appreciate the grandeur of the park, the varying topography and the differences between the south and the north - the north features hills, granite kopjes and mopane woodlands versus the Kalahari sandveld and plains of the south and west.

Arrival and transfer to Victoria Falls River Lodge

Arrive at Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Airport, clear customs (if arriving on an international flight), and collect your bags after which you’ll be met for your transfer to the jetty along the mighty Zambezi River where you'll board a boat for the short ride to Victoria Falls River Lodge. Look out for hippos, crocodiles and even elephants drinking on the banks of the river on your cruise upriver to the lodge.

Sundowner Cruise on the Zambezi River

A relaxing voyage on one of the Victoria Falls River Lodge luxury river cruisers is arguably one of the best ways on earth to soak in the magnificence of the iconic Zambezi River and its surrounds. Sit back and let the gentle ebb and flow of the Zambezi lull and relax you as the sun begins to drop below the horizon. Sip on a sun-downer drink whilst viewing her creatures, big and small, coming to the water’s edge to lap at its liquid life.

Morning activity and transfer to Victoria Falls International

Enjoy your final Zimbabwe sunrise sipping tea or coffee on your private deck as the sun rises over the Zambezi river and the mist settles. Depending on the time of your departing flight, you may enjoy a short morning activity or leisurely morning at camp before your transfer to VFA for your outbound flight.