Camelthorn Lodge

Guests can choose between the Double Forest Villas and Twin Forest Villas. The double rooms feature a massive king-size bed, and the twins consist of two double beds. Enjoy a luxurious stay in the heart of the wilderness, in a spacious bedroom with both overhead fans and fireplaces to keep the climate as comfortable as possible. The rooms are light and airy, with windows and glass sliding doors to provide sweeping views of the picturesque landscape. Guests can enjoy watching the passing wildlife from the comfort of your private outdoor maisonette where you will find hammocks for lounging in, and a private deck that is perfect for enjoying a romantic dinner under the stunning African night sky. Each room has a comfy lounge area and en-suite bathroom – complete with a shower, double basin and toilet.

Guests staying at Camelthorn Lodge can look forward to three delicious meals each day. Start your morning with a light breakfast of cereal, toast, yoghurt and fruit before going on your first activity of the day. You can also order hot food from the kitchen and a cup of tea, coffee and juice. On returning to camp, lunch will be served, before high tea and sweet treats are available before the start of the afternoon activities. Dinner is a three-course meal where guests can enjoy South African delicacies and homely dishes. Finish off the day with a delicious dessert before watching the stars emerge with a refreshing beverage.

Venture out on an exciting game drive and explore Hwange National Park from the comfort of a specialised safari vehicle. The open-sided vehicles allow uninterrupted photographic opportunities and can cater for 7-9 guests per drive. The camp’s knowledgeable guides will be able to teach you interesting facts about the incredible animals of Zimbabwe, as well as showing you the best spots for viewing game. Look out for Hwange’s massive elephant population, giraffes, zebras, lions, hyenas, buffalo, wildebeest and hippos, as you traverse the plains and roam the African wilderness. Night drives are also available.

Explore the bush on foot on a walking safari, and experience the smaller details that make safaris more immersive. Your experienced guide will be able to teach you how to recognise tracks, and follow clues left in the wilderness that will lead to incredible game viewing opportunities. Explore at your own pace, without the noise of an engine to startle the wildlife, and take advantage of incredible photographic opportunities. Game walks are often an early morning activity when the wildlife is most active.

Hunker down in a game viewing blind and observe oblivious animals as they congregate at the waterholes. There are a number of game viewing blinds at Bomani Tented Lodge, allowing guests to spend time up close with elephants as they drink and bathe, and capture candid shots of these incredible giants in utter peace. Enjoy a quiet afternoon under the hide’s shade while standing within an arm’s reach of Zimbabwe’s astonishing wildlife.

Imvelo Safari Lodges maintain a number of artificial waterholes that support the local wildlife. Guests are invited to take a day trip to the various waterholes, delivering supplies such as fuel and oil for the motors, and rations and supplies for the pump attendants. Guests can then enjoy a packed lunch within the national park, before taking a game drive back to Bomani Tented Lodge in the afternoon.

Travel to a rural village in Matabeleland and take a tour of a local school. The headteacher will lead you around the school building and introduced you to their pupils. Meet local children who will sing traditional songs for you to enjoy, and then take the opportunity to interact with the class and learn from the students as they learn from you. Witness the everyday life of the villagers, and discover the local culture and heritage that is carried down by each generation.

Enjoy the stunning and diverse landscape of the Hwange region as you race across the Ngamo plains on the back of a horse. Take a trip with one of the lodge’s beautiful and intelligent horses, and enjoy a tranquil afternoon together while viewing the local wildlife and incredible scenery. There is a weight restriction of 90kgs and children under the age of 16 years are unable to go on rides except for the Beginner Bush Experience. All rides are led by qualified guides and trackers, and there are a range of horses suitable for differing levels of experience. The pace of the activity will also be based on riders’ experience. Dash across the forests and grasslands and lose yourself in the surrounding natural beauty.

Bomani Tented Lodge is an Imvelo safari lodge which is part of the CAMPFIRE program, an initiative that builds bridges between local communities in Zimbabwe and tourism and wildlife conservation.

‘CAMPFIRE is the acronym for Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources. The philosophy underlying the project is: the people living within the natural resources are best placed to manage them and when doing so in a positive way, should reap the benefits directly. Over the past eight years, Imvelo has ploughed over US$ 2.5 million into local communities. The money is distributed to where it is needed most – education, providing clean water and developing initiatives to ensure the local people are benefiting directly from tourism.’

By drilling and maintaining boreholes, Imvelo continues to provide local communities with reliable and clean water sources. This helps support the health of the local people who depend on safe drinking water – a precious commodity during Zimbabwe’s dry season.

‘Over the past eight years, Imvelo has been responsible for the establishment of over 80 new village wells and boreholes in 4 districts at a cost of more than US$1.5 million. Together, these wells and boreholes provide approximately 1500 school children and 2280 households totalling 13 680 people and their livestock, with clean drinking water. In addition to the installations of new boreholes and wells, existing boreholes have been repaired at a rate of more than 50 repairs a year. This program has transformed the lives of over 120 000 villagers.’

In 2011, Imvelo launched its first mobile safari with the aid of 24 Spanish and Italian volunteer dentists in order to offer free dental care to local communities. From some of the patients, the dental care and procedures they received have had massive positive impacts on their health and may have even been life-saving.

‘In the past seven years, well over 20 000 dental procedures have been carried out on over 20000 patients, including extractions, fillings and root canals – for free!’

More recently, in 2015, Imvelo were able to add an eye care clinic to their dental safari which treated 221 patients in its first year. Glasses, received as donations, were provided for those who needed them and elderly people were able to regain the ability to read. In 2018, the eye care clinic was able to treat 2,211 patients and provide people with sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun’s harsh UV rays.

Imvelo gives support to 14 schools in the area in which they operate. The Ziga and Ngamo Primary Schools, which are both located on the edge of Hwange National Park, have transformed from being the worst primary schools in the district to two of the best thanks to money raised by both donated funds and safari camp lease fees. This money went to providing clean and safe classrooms with furniture, electricity and water. Teachers have also been provided with comfortable accommodation as well as training support and a salary. To help increase the number of children proceeding to secondary school on completing their primary education, Imvelo built the Ngamo Secondary School which is now open with hundreds of students who can continue to learn in a safe and maintained environment.

‘Since 2014 we have constructed over 9 double classroom blocks accommodating 720 students, repair and maintenance of existing classroom blocks, built 13 teachers’ houses and 3 ablution blocks, purchased and supplied classroom furniture for 612 students and their teachers, and provided 95 students with bursaries for school fees, uniforms and stationery to name a few.’

Bomani Tented Lodge supports local schools through Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that encourages guests to utilise their spare suitcase space by bringing much-needed donations for local projects. Bomani Tented Lodge asks guests to bring school supplies such as pens, notepads, bookbags and colouring pencils, as well as art supplies, textbooks, flashcards, musical instruments, sports equipment, educational games and office supplies. These donations are taken directly to the schools by the lodge, where they will benefit both teachers and students.

The wildlife within Hwange National Park is reliant on artificial waterholes, which if they were to run dry would result in the deaths of thousands of animals. Imvelo is working to make this programme more eco-friendly by using solar-powered water pumps in the more recent boreholes in order to reduce the consumption of diesel and fuel needed to maintain the waterholes. The solar pumps also provide a power source for rangers to make use of for radio communications with HQ and charging batteries. Imvelo is continuing to replace diesel pumps with solar-powered ones to reduce carbon emissions.

Imvelo clears and manages over 280 kilometres of fire guards each year in order to protect wildlife habitats from wildfires. Imvelo safeguards thousands of square kilometres of wildlife habitat through this initiative, as well as the animals that live within this area. The project is funded through Imvelo’s revenue and donor funds raised on both local and international fundraising events.

Imvelo has been hugely supportive of the ‘Scorpions’ Anti Poaching Unit which operates in the south of Hwange National Park by providing training, supplies, bedding and wages to the rangers who help protect the wildlife from illegal poachers. The Scorpions work to remove wire snares and aid both police and national parks in catching and arresting poachers who hunt protected animals for ivory and hides. In 2016, the Scorpions were responsible for the capture of an entire team of elephant poachers. Imvelo and their donors have also established a new team of rangers called the Cobras, which supports park workers and the Makona ranger station on the southern border of Hwange.

By building their Jozibanini Camp in the Southwest of Hwange National Park, Imvelo has introduced a presence in a remote section of the park which further deters poachers and opened up old roads to increase manoeuvrability within the park for rangers and anti-poaching patrols.