Suggested Itinerary
HIGHLIGHTS
- Spend time enriching the lives of local villages by volunteering with societal and wildlife projects.
- Relax in an infinity pool while watching elephants gather nearby.
- Feel the power of the magnificent Victoria Falls.
- Stay in luxurious and sustainable accommodations.
- Count the various species you can see while on a private river cruise.
- Experience Africa from the excitement of a canoe.
- Take part in rhino tracking, game drives, and night drives to find the Big 5.
DAY 1-5: MANA POOLS NATIONAL PARK
KANGA CAMP
This purposeful adventure begins in Mana Pools National Park along the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. Your guide will be waiting at the airport to drive you 1.5 hours to Kanga Camp, located in the national park. This flourishing park is one of the continent’s premier game-viewing regions.
Your days at Kanga Camp will consist of taking canoe trips along the flood plains, educational and exciting guided walks, tiger fishing, bird watching, and game drives. During each activity, you’ll have the chance to experience wild animals unimaginably close, all with an astonishing backdrop of the Zambezi Escarpment. Your time here will be the ideal combination of remarkable scenery, wildlife viewing, breathtaking moments, rest, and play.
The intimate Kanga Camp contains six Meru style tents, each with an en-suite bathroom and outdoor shower overlooking the water hole where elephants frequent. You’ll be endlessly entertained watching all sorts of creatures approach the watering hole from the comfort of the main lounge, dining area, or the deck.
This sustainable camp uses solar power and 80% recycled water. On arrival, a reusable water bottle will be supplied to you, which you can conveniently refill with purified water, helping to reduce plastic consumption.
Day 5-8: LAKE KARIBA
BUMI HILLS SAFARI LODGE
After checking out of Kanga Camp, your private guide and driver will transfer you to Bumi Hills Safari Lodge at Lake Kariba. This expansive human-made lake is home to a wide variety of wildlife, from crocodiles and hippos to fish and aquatic birds, while large mammals such as zebra and buffalo line the lake’s shoreline.
Positioned on a remote hill overlooking the vastness of Lake Kariba, Bumi Hills Safari Lodge and Spa sits on one of Africa’s most beautiful wilderness locations.
During your stay, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a half-day of conservation-related activities. These include:
Bumi Hills Anti-Poaching Unit
Protection of the wilderness against poachers, preserving the environment, and rehabilitating the land for future generations of man and animal are all priorities for the Bumi Hills Anti-Poaching Unit. Give assistance to this valuable mission by helping the unit collect wildlife crime data using the latest technological and logistical resources.
Bumi Hills Foundation
Extensive research is required to create a database of information on flora and fauna in the Sebungwe region of Zimbabwe to save vulnerable species and ensure the success of long-term conservation initiatives. The Bumi Hills Foundation dedicate their time to gathering this information, in turn preventing the extinction of endangered species and lessening negative environmental impacts.
DAY 8-11: HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
SOMALISA CAMP
Your journey continues in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest reserve, with a myriad of iconic animals. It’s also known as the land of the giants as it’s home to an impressive 40,000 elephants. Hidden away on an acacia island in the heart of Hwange National Park lies Somalisa Camp, providing breath-taking views from these luxurious grounds.
A landscape of diversity awaits from dense African forest to the wide-open plains of the savannah; you’re in for a raw and untouched encounter with wild Africa. Somalisa Camp is where luxury meets adventure. Listen to the distant roar of a lion during sundowners then admire a congregation of elephants nearby from your open-air bath.
Nature and tranquility are the core of the intimate Somalisa Camp, which consists of only seven deluxe canvas tents, each with a fusion of organic features and modern decor. The camp was built to exist in harmony with the environment, incorporating elements such as the expansive deck in the central area, which, if followed, will lead you to an elephant pool, often visited by gracious herds of these magnificent creatures.
As well as enjoying the stunning Somalisa Camp, take advantage of guided walks led by qualified and passionate guides, game drives, and night drives combined with storytelling and teaching.
Give back to the local people and wildlife by involving yourself in conservation activities while at Somalisa. At any given time, there are multiple projects underway with a focus on education, conservation, infrastructure, and community empowerment. Going to these projects is an opportunity for you to connect with the roots of Africa and make a positive change to this local district.
Full-day excursions to the projects can be arranged on weekdays. A typical day would be as follows:
Your day will begin at Umtshibi Camp to meet the project’s coordinator. Tour the pre-school where the Hwange staff send their children before stopping in at the Main Camp Primary School, which educates over 30 orphaned and vulnerable children.
The day will continue at the Mambanje Cattle Boma Project, which is responsible for decreasing conflict between humans and their stock’s predators by monitoring lions in the area, implementing early warning systems, and discouraging the hunting of lion.
In the early afternoon, call into the most remote and underdeveloped school in Hwange. Meet with students and teachers and see some of the incredible developments built in recent years, which include resources for the children and teachers, as well as income-generating projects.
Take some time to enjoy a packed lunch from Somalisa Camp before continuing to the Vukani Bead Making Project, where the bead makers and jewelers use proceeds for living costs and to care for orphans.
The day will finish at the Thandanani Sewing project, where those affected by economic hardship have the ability to sew for a living.
DAY 11-12: LIVINGSTONE
THORNTREE RIVER LODGE
Fly to Victoria Falls International Airport, where your driver will be waiting for you. They’ll take you to the next destination, which is approximately 1-2 hours away depending on the time spent at the border.
An original Natural Wonder of the World and a World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls is not to be missed. Just a short distance from the falls is Zambia’s Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, where you can find the eco-conscious haven of Thorntree River Lodge in a tranquil riverside setting.
The lodge has a plethora of activities to suit everyone’s interests. Relax in the infinity pool, search for animals on a private river cruise, take part in cultural visits, try your hand at a fishing expedition, get active canoeing, learn about the region while rhino tracking and on game drives, and of course, see Victoria Falls by land, water, or air.
While at Thorntree River Lodge, take part in a half-day of assisting the local Maunga Village with a potential visit to the local carpenter blacksmith to see the local way of creating goods.
DAY 13: DEPARTURE DAY
After breakfast at the lodge, your guide and driver will collect you for the transfer to Livingstone Airport to connect with your international flight home.
Interested in booking this itinerary or customizing a trip to Africa? Get in touch with a private travel designer!
