The Hide

Each of the 10 Deluxe Tents features colourful rugs and bedding to create a warm and homely aesthetic. The spacious bedrooms are designed for 2 guests, with a choice of twin or double beds. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom, tucked away at the back for maximum privacy. All of the tents are unique and have a variety of indoor and outdoor bathtubs and showers. Fans are provided to keep you cool in hot weather, and there are extra blankets and hot water bottles for the chilly mornings and evenings of the dry season. Enjoy watching the local wildlife congregated at the water hole from the comfort of your private verandah.

Tom’s Little Hide allows families to interact and share an incredible safari experience together. Room 1 and 2 are both double rooms with space for one child to sleep on a large day bed. Both rooms have en-suite facilities and are linked by an elegant dining area. The rooms also share an outdoor verandah with a refreshing swimming pool. Room 3 is a family tent with an interleading children’s room for 2. It has an outside bathroom and is entirely closed off to keep young guests safe. Room 4 is also entirely closed off. Tom’s Little Hide can cater for 6 adults and up to 4 children. The unit has its own private safari vehicle and guide, allowing guests to work on their own schedule.

The Private Hide consists of 2 family tents that can cater for up to 2 adults and 2 children, and 2 deluxe tents designed for 2 adults. Alternatively, the Private Hide can also be booked exclusively for 8 adults. The Private Hide is ideal for groups who are travelling together. Each of the spacious and comfortable bedrooms has its own en-suite bathroom, consisting of an indoor bath and shower, and an additional outdoor shower. Hot water is available throughout the day and fans are provided to keep the climate comfortable. Private dining is available on the poolside deck, which offers sweeping views of the stunning landscape and incredible local wildlife. The Private Hide also includes a private safari vehicle and professional guide.

A 10-minute drive from the camp, The Dove’s Nest offers guests an exclusive chance to sleep out under the stars in a private treehouse that overlooks the dried-up vlei and shimmering water pan, where the giants of the plains visit to drink in peaceful surroundings. Watch elephants and giraffes from the safety of an elevated room for two. The bedroom is accessible through a trap door at the top of a wooden staircase, and a viewing deck and dining area are positioned below. A hot shower and cosy bed await you in this private sanctuary where you can enjoy a private slice of the wilderness.

Guests at The Hide can look forward to a variety of mouth-watering meals each day. Breakfast consists of a selection of fruits, cereals, yoghurts, muffins and pancakes, as well as any hot food that you would like to order for the kitchen. Hot meals will be cooked to your preferences. Then, after your first activity of the day. lunch will be served. This will be presented in a buffet style so that you are free to pick out your favourite options.

Afternoon tea is served at 4 pm, and includes both a sweet and savoury snack. Dinners are three-course meals that conclude with a sweet dessert. Vegetarian options are available and The Hide will be able to cater to most dietary requirements if given advanced warning. Meals are served around a communal table so that guests can interact and enjoy each other’s company, however, private dining is also available on the deck under a canopy of stars.

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 take place early in the morning when the wildlife is most active, and also in the afternoons.

Venture out on an exciting game drive and explore Hwange National Park from the comfort of a specialised safari vehicle. The Hide’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 with a spotlight are also available, offering guests a chance to see nocturnal creatures that tend to stay hidden during the day.

Hunker down in a game-viewing hide and observe elephants as they congregate at the waterhole. The underground hide allows guests to watch oblivious wildlife as they behave in a natural and undisturbed way. This provides incredible photographic opportunities and allows guests to get up close to the wildlife without the risk of startling the game. The underground tunnel to the hide also leads to a hidden wine cellar where guests can browse a selection of fine wines from around the globe. The underground environment is ideal for keeping the wine at an optimum temperature of 17 degrees, and guests are able to select the drinks they would like to taste with their evening meal.

Learn how to capture the perfect wildlife shots and develop your photography skills with a workshop with Neil Fairlie, a professional wildlife documentary filmmaker from Zimbabwe. Neil Fairlie worked on the Netflix series, Our Planet, and has a deep knowledge of the bush and Africa’s wildlife. With a decade of formal experience, and a skill for capturing incredible moments that truly show the personalities of his animal subjects, guests will be able to benefit greatly from Neil Fairlie’s guidance. Learn to take amazing photos that will make your friends back home jealous, and expand your knowledge of the African bush.

The Hide Community Trust is a non-profit organisation that aims to support the rural communities in the surrounding area of the Hwange National Park by working with local people to develop the communities and empower them. People living in remote and rural areas are negatively impacted by Zimbabwe’s fractured economy, meaning that families – particularly women – face difficulties in their efforts to provide food, education and support for their children.

‘The core ethos of the Trust is that effective and long-term conservation cannot exist without sustainable community development. We believe in primarily working with women because they have a real need to provide for their families however most often it is the women who are uneducated and unemployed. Due to the AIDS epidemic that Zimbabwe faces many women are left widowed with increased expectations to provide for their families. Zimbabwe has a very high unemployment rate and even if educated, they still often struggle to find jobs.’

The Hide Community Trust aims to bring equal opportunities through the empowerment of women and their children, as well as the overall community.

The Hide has created an indigenous tree nursery which is home to over 1000 indigenous trees. Their aim is to use these trees in their reforestation project, restoring 5 hectares of woodland both within their private concession and along the communal areas of Hwange National Park. Guests can take part in this project and plant a tree within The Hide’s private concession during their stay. The Hide is also partnered with local artisan carvers who act as ‘tree guardians’ by ensuring that the trees are protected once planted. This means that carvers are able to continue their traditional craft, without the threat of deforestation.

Wildlife conflict is a major issue for communities living near Hwange National Park. When wildlife and human populations live too close together, predators can attack livestock and elephants may trample or steal crops, resulting in human retaliation in order to protect their livelihoods. This conflict can be a threat for wildlife and humans alike, as well as causing property damage. To combat this, The Hide has been working with local communities in order to find peaceful solutions and prevent conflict. One of these solutions is beehive fences. Bees act as a natural deterrent to elephants, and also create honey which can be used and sold by local farmers and benefit the local economy. Livestock can also be protected with The Hide’s mobile boma project.

‘These mobile bomas are made using canvas and protect the livestock at night which is when most predation occurs. They are set up and rotated between the farmers’ fallow fields for one week at a time. The bomas not only protect the livestock from predators but also break up the soil with their hooves and fertilize the land with their manure and urine. The results of this project have shown multiple benefits with no predation of livestock as yet and significant increases in crop yields where the mobile bomas have been placed.’

These creative solutions to human-wildlife conflict not only save lives but also have a positive impact on the environment and farmers.

In some rural communities, menstruation is considered taboo, meaning that young girls are not taught about managing their periods and can be unprepared when they occur. Girls can struggle to get access to feminine hygiene products as they can be very expensive, resulting in girls missing out on school during their periods. The Hide distributes reusable sanitary pads that will last for up to 4 years, and have given out 120 to girls from rural communities aged 12 and over so that they will not have to miss out on school.

The Hide has also been able to provide wheelchairs for disabled and elderly members of the community. This means that these people are able to get around more easily and improves accessibility within the community.

The Hide Community Trust Fund supports the Young Sables Soccer Academy, a community football club that promotes gender equality and female participation. Girls from the local community aged between 11-18 are able to develop their leadership and decision-making skills while working as part of a team and playing a sport that has traditionally been male-orientated.

‘Sports has the potential to empower women in developing countries and bring about significant social, economic and environmental change particularly in areas with severe poverty and gender inequality. (…) The academy in partnership with the Trust is hoping to implement a feeding scheme as a targeted social safety net to improve food security at a household level in the community.’

The Hide Community Trust is partners with Chezhou Primary School and rebuilt the building after a termite infestation caused severe structural damage in 2015. The Trust also collaborated with the school to create a nutritional garden where a solar borehole and irrigation system provides sustainable plant care which then generates food for children to enjoy as part of the school’s feeding programme.

By providing salaries for two of the teachers, the trust maintains the high teacher to children ratio, meaning that children can get all of the support that they need. The Hide is also hoping to boost the number of teachers they employ and have launched a sponsorship programme for children who are academically gifted but unable to afford school fees. The Hide Community Trust is currently developing clubs for young girls at the school, where they will be able to talk, receive counselling and learn crucial skills that will boost empowerment and independence.

‘Unfortunately, if you’re born a girl in most African countries, you don’t have much control over your future and that future can be grim: poverty, abuse, gender discrimination, lack of resources, nowhere to turn for help and very few options to improve your situation. Because HIV rates are among the highest in the world, many African children lose one or both parents to AIDS and despite a tradition of extended family support, girls are more likely to suffer and are last to be educated if funds run low or don’t exist. When empowered and educated, girls can think in terms of new possibilities and help transform their communities.’

The Hide Community Trust provides weekly workshops to community groups that promote sustainable living in order to teach them skills in business, personal development, and craft. This supports the communities because local people are learning how to provide for themselves rather than receiving charity, generating a sustainable income and meaning that rural community members are able to continue to provide for their families.

‘In 2017 we facilitated with the development of a recycling waste facility with the intention of recycling waste for economic benefit. We constructed a clay kiln using mud from termite mounds and old Land Rover parts and trained a group of women in glass bead making using recycled bottles. Using these glass beads, the women are able to make beautiful jewellery and other decorative items. The group have also been taught how to weave rugs, baskets and tablemats using plastic and palm leaves.’

The Hide has also formed the Shantani Women’s Group, which they work closely with. This group of women have come together to learn new skills including conservation farming, crafting, accounting and more, enabling them to earn a salary and support their children.

The Hide Community Trust has worked with members of the local community, offering training in conservation agriculture in order to increase crop yields, improve food and nutrition security and protect the natural resource base.

‘The principles of Conservation Agriculture encourage farmers to grow crops using minimum tillage, planting basins to catch rainwater and mulching to improve soil health. Farmers use approximately 1 hectare of land to grow trees, traditional staple grains, vegetables and medicinal herbs. They are able to grow crops and vegetables that will provide food for a family of 10 for an entire year, as well as have surplus produce to sell. The trees provide fodder for livestock, wood for cooking and building and at the same time fix nitrogen into the soil. Furthermore, many of the indigenous trees provide both fruit and medicinal benefits.’

The Hide is part of Pack For a Purpose, an initiative which encourages travellers to utilise their spare suitcase space in order to bring donations to accommodations that can be used to benefit members of the local community. The Hide encourages guests to pack school supplies for their partner school, Chezhou Primary School for 4-14-year-olds. This can include stationery, educational games, and personal hygiene products. Alternatively, guests can bring craft and gardening supplies for the Shantani Women’s Group, or torches, flashlights, water bottles or sleeping bags for the Conservation & Wildlife Fund Trust which supports rangers who help prevent poaching within the national park. These items make a huge difference to the people who receive them.

The Hide is part of the collaborative group and not-for-profit trust, the Conservation & Wildlife Fund (CWF), which works to protect the wildlife of Hwange National Park.

‘The Hide is a founding member of The Conservation and Wildlife Fund which aims to work together with stakeholders, including other environmentalist and conservation groups, and local communities, in order to raise awareness, and provide adequate tools for the management of Zimbabwe’s precious wildlife resources.’

In addition, The Hide is partnered with a number of other conservation projects including Cheetah Research, Leopard Research and Painted Dog Conservation, which gather research on specific species in order to monitor populations, protect them from poachers and help their numbers recover.

The Hide Safari Camp is part of The Long Run, one of the world’s largest business-led sustainable development initiatives, which works to empower local people and protect the environment through projects that support sustainable practices. The Long Run is guided by 4 principles, also known as the 4 Cs.

Conservation – The Long Run support the sustainable use of natural resources which can be replaced, causing a minimal impact to the environment and protecting biodiversity within the ecosystem. The Long Run also supports the management of energy, water and waste, land planning and carbon impact reduction.

Community – The right to basic needs such as fair working conditions, community relations and social accountability.

Culture – Strengthening intercultural relationships and understanding, safeguarding cultural heritage and protecting cultural sites.

Commerce – Offering a fair and viable source of income for workers, as well as a long-term investment into conservation, the community and protecting cultural heritage.

The Friends of Hwange are a trust who work to maintain waterholes and keep them supplied with water year-round. The Hide supports this project and the work that Friends of Hwange does. In 2005, due to a severe drought, many of the waterholes in Hwange National Park dried up and resulted in the deaths of over 1000 elephants, along with many other species who were unable to find water. Maintaining waterholes is vital to avoid a repeat of this tragedy.

As part of their Going Greener initiative, The Hide has implemented a no plastic policy to minimise plastic waste, with an aim to be plastic-free by 2030. By ceasing to purchase plastic water bottles and providing guests with refillable glass bottles, The Hide is drastically cutting down on plastic waste. The Hide also recycles plastic by reusing bottles as an alternative to bricks when building new buildings both at camp and in infrastructure projects, as well as incorporating plastic weaving in community projects to create bowls and placemats out of recycled materials.

The Hide also has two organic vegetable gardens so that they can source fresh vegetables and herbs without having to have them imported in. The Hide also works with local suppliers and community projects to ensure each product is organic. Both the local community and economy are supported while reducing carbon emissions generated from importing produce from far away. Waste food is composted and is then returned to the garden to help new plants grow.

In addition, The Hide is working to reduce its carbon emissions with the help of solar energy.

‘We are taking steady steps to reduce our carbon footprint with the aim of being carbon neutral by 2030. At the end of 2019, we completely solarized our Head Office in Harare. We have big plans for the camp too and have started our phased conversion from a reliance on the national grid to an eventual 100% solarized camp. We have begun by installing solar energy to heat water for some of our back of house areas including our laundry department and our staff accommodation.’