Zimbabwe

Matobo Hills Lodge sits within the Matobo Hills, its thatched chalets spread across a hillside with wide views over the granite domes and wooded valleys of the surrounding UNESCO site.

The lodge offers an accessible, comfortable base for exploring the region’s rock art shelters, rhino sanctuary and the viewpoint at World’s View, without the premium pricing of the smaller boutique properties.

Amalinda Lodge is built organically into the granite boulders of the Matobo Hills, with suites carved around and between the ancient rock formations so that stone forms part of the interiors themselves.

The lodge has long-standing partnerships with surrounding communities, and guests can combine rhino tracking and rock art excursions with visits to local projects the property supports.

Kanga Camp sits inland from the Zambezi within Mana Pools National Park, overlooking Kanga Pan, the only permanent water source in its area through the dry season.

That scarcity draws a near-constant stream of wildlife to the pan, visible directly from the main deck and plunge pool, earning the camp its reputation for ‘armchair safari’. Only six tents share the view.

Nyamatusi Camp lies within a private concession inside Mana Pools National Park, its contemporary tented suites facing directly onto the Zambezi River.

The design leans on natural materials and open frontage, with private plunge pools and uninterrupted river views. Activities include the walking safaris and canoeing for which Mana Pools is known, alongside game drives through the albida forests.

Linkwasha Camp occupies a private concession in the south-east of Hwange National Park, overlooking the open Ngamo Plains, widely considered among the park’s most productive game areas.

Contemporary tented suites face the grassland, and the concession’s exclusivity means very few other vehicles at sightings. Predator activity is consistently strong, with lion, cheetah and wild dog all regularly recorded.

Somalisa Camp sits in a private concession in the heart of Hwange National Park, its canvas suites styled after 1920s safari expeditions with copper baths and campaign furniture.

The camp’s signature is its elephant pool, positioned directly in front of the main deck, where herds regularly come to drink within metres of guests during the dry season.

Big Cave Camp is built directly into the granite kopjes of the Matobo Hills, its stone-and-thatch cottages set among balancing boulders formed over two billion years.

The elevated position offers panoramic views across one of Zimbabwe’s most distinctive landscapes. Activities centre on guided rhino tracking on foot and visits to the San rock art sites for which the hills are UNESCO-listed.

Ruckomechi Camp sits on the banks of the Zambezi River within Mana Pools National Park, beneath a canopy of mature albida trees on one of Africa’s most celebrated floodplains.

Tented suites face the river toward the Zambian escarpment beyond. The camp is best known for its walking safaris, tracking elephant and buffalo on foot, alongside canoe trips that drift past hippo and birdlife along the bank.

The Hide Safari Camp overlooks a busy waterhole in a private concession bordering Hwange National Park, where elephant, buffalo and antelope arrive to drink through the dry months.

Tented suites are raised on wooden decks facing the water, and a sunken hide connected by an underground tunnel allows guests to watch and photograph wildlife at ground level, metres from the waterline.