Our very 1st excursion into Hwange
Although Woody and I are both Zimbabwe born and have spent most of our lives living in Zim, it was shocking to realise we had never been to Hwange National Park. With Woody’s business going on annual shutdown for 3 weeks over the Christmas period, we decided to make the most of this and travel down to Hwange to have a proper look see what this park was all about.
I contacted Wilderness Safaris to see if they would be able to host us for a night or 2 and show us around the south-eastern side of the park, where 3 of their camps are located on a private concession. We were soon booked to go to their adventure camp, Davison’s (named after the first warden of the Hwange National Park, Ted Davison, who dedicated 30 years of his life to the park and its animals).
After entering and paying National Parks fees through the Main Camp entrance, we had a lovely 2-hour drive through the park to get to camp, following good directions we had received from Wilderness Safaris. A high clearance 4×4 is ESSENTIAL if you are going to be driving in.I dread to think what would have happened if we had not listened to this warning, and gone in a regular 2-wheel drive vehicle, as there is very thick Kalahari sand in certain parts. As we drove up to the camp, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the biggest herd of sable either of us had seen in our lives, casually drinking at the water hole in front of the camp. What a welcome! The Camp Managers, Naomi and Abbi, had been expecting us, and were on hand to greet us, and show us around camp, before introducing us to Richard, our guide for the duration of ourstay. The lodge tries to be as eco-friendly as possible. One of the ways they do this is by not using plastic water bottles. Guests are issued a glass water bottle upon arrival, which they keep for their entire trip, refilling it at the main entertainment area when need be. We were very impressed with this, and it was the only lodge we have seen on our travels so far doing this.
We had arrived a little later than expected, and so after unloading our bags, and a quick trip to the loo, we were off on a game drive with Richard. (Before I go any further, I just HAVE to mention the loo, it is open fronted and has the best view from a toilet I’ve ever seen, right out over the water hole in front of camp.) We weren’t sure if we would see a lot of game because we had come during the rainy season, so the bush gets very thick, but we were pleasantly surprised to see loads. The first being a herd of elephants right next to the side of the dirt road. One female in particular was very inquisitive, and every time we tried to leave, she would quickly step into the road in front of us! It was the most bizarre thing. So, Richard would switch off the engine, and we’d sit watching her for another 10 minutes, until she started wandering off, and then again, as soon as we started the vehicle and tried to drive off, she’d rush back and stand in the road.
She eventually let us leave, with some quick thinking driving from Richard, and we proceeded on the game drive, seeing many new-born wildebeests, zebras and even some young ostrich chicks. So clumsy on their feet to start with, but soon getting the hang of it. Richard timed our sunset drinks for when we got to the Ngamo Plains, a new favourite for Woody and I. The drinks were ice cold, and the view phenomenal, definitely one for the memory bank. As we were getting ready to leave, a lion roared from not too far away, giving us chills and inspiration to get up in the vehicle quickly.
When we got back to camp dinner had been set up in the boma area near the pool, under the stars. We were entertained watching a couple of children’s fascination with a “toktok” beetle that had wandered into the boma. Lovely to see children so young out in the wilderness learning about nature, instead of glued to their i-phones. We had atasty three course dinner, and after all the traveling, were soon ready to be escorted back to our room by Richard. The room was beautifully set up, with a personal welcome note on the bed for us, a special touch.
We were up early the following morning for our game drive and familiarisation tour of Wilderness Safaris other 2 camps on this concession, their Classic Camps, Little Makalolo and Linkwasha. Apparently Makalolo means “bush man,” and Linkwasha means “elephant trail,” both interesting and fitting names. My favourite of these 2 was Little Mak, it had the most divine infinity splash pool, overlooking theirpan. I could just imagine relaxing in it with a nice cocktail served from the bar nearby. Linkwasha was very modern, and as it is linked to the national power grid, it even has the luxury of air cons in the rooms. The most popular feature of Linkwasha is their underground hide next to their water hole in front of camp. Little Mak and Linkwasha both offer an extra unique activity, which is the Star Bed Experience. This is when you are whisked away to a specifically built structure, which is located overlooking a Pan, where you get to spend the night, with no other guests or noise to disturb you. A guide is discreetly stationed in his own accommodation within radio call in case of emergency. I definitely want to add it to my bucket list.
Richard had boasted that “every guest who comes to Davison’s sees lion”. I challenged him on this, as time was running out before we had to leave, and lo and behold, on our way back we very suddenly came across a pride of lions! We actually got quite a fright, as they were in some bushes on either side of the road we were traveling, and we therefore didn’t see them until we were right next to them, a bit scary when in an open vehicle! There were 3 females and 2 males.Only one male lion was clearly visible, andhe looked straight at us with his intense yellow eyes.
Sadly, we couldn’t hang about too long, as we needed to get back on the road to our next destination, but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Davison’s Camp. It is a fantastic place, with great staff, and we highly recommend Richard the guide, we learned so much from him on just those 2 game drives. Our very first stay in Hwange will never be forgotten, and holds a special place in our hearts.
My personal rating of:
- Best guide – Richard
- Best welcome note
- Best loo with a view
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