The Hide Safari Camp
At the moment, it is still cold in the early mornings at The Hide… a jersey or jacket is needed for that exhilarating game drive or nature walk, but by 9 o’clock it’s warming up and by late morning/midday it’s positively hot!
Afternoons are very warm for just a short while (the perfect time for a well-deserved and relaxing siesta!), but once the sun sets it’s a perfect, comfortable temperature and we can feel enlivened again and ready to set off on our next adventure.
At this time of year, we’ll see some clouds in the sky, which is great for dawn and dusk photo shoots and the air is very hazy, but this can contribute to stunning sunsets. October, and its heat, is nearly here!
We have had great lion sightings this month – the guides and their guests have been seeing three different prides.
The “Caterpillar Girls” have two new cubs, which are now about 3-4 months old and looking very healthy.
Buffalo sightings have been good with one sighting of a heard about 600-strong.
And, very exciting, there have also been a few leopard sightings around camp and at Kennedy 1.
Did you know?
Hwange National Park has the second-highest Mammal diversity of any park in the world – 108 species!
Norcalcruzer – Sept 2021
Fantastic 70th birthday stay
We spent my wife’s 70th birthday night in a three-story treehouse, the Dove’s Nest. It is separated about a quarter of a mile from the main camp and has breathtaking views of the African sunset over the grasslands. The Hide team arranged a private dinner for us on the second level of the treehouse, looking out at the sunset, complete with a bottle of bubbly. Then we slept in the upstairs bedroom and listened to hyenas, jackals and various birds through a blissful evening. In the morning we were shown paw prints where a mother lion and her cubs had passed through during the night.
Our stay at The Hide was a delight from start to finish. The staff was terrific, the food was exceptional, the game rides were full of surprises, and our walking safaris with Theo gave us a totally different vantage point for seeing zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and kudu. Because of the lull in visitors due to COVID-19, Liam, our guide, had the time to cater to our whims. We were able to spend luxurious amounts of time watching the intimate behaviour of elephants, studying herds of cape buffalo, and discovering species of antelope including the roan, eland, oryx and sable.
We got the time to watch four lilac-breasted rollers challenge one another and display the side-to-side rolling that gives them their name. We were able to watch two baby hyenas who were waiting for the return of their mother.
Changa Safari Camp
The first half of September has been marked with a lot of wind overnight and in the late afternoons… sometimes making it a bit tricky to go out on the lake, as it gets a bit rough.
However, the temperatures have been generally very pleasant and cool in the early mornings and evenings, although, at the time of writing, day temperatures have been ascending are now in the 30°- 35°C range. Just as you’d expect in sunny Kariba!
Despite the recent choppy waters, fishing has improved, as evidenced by the catch records, which are much better than previous months.
Tiger fishing has also brought many smiles, and we have been catching decent sizes.
Looks like it’s going to be a good tiger fishing season!
A good number of zebra has been introduced into Matusadona by African Parks and we’re thrilled that this has given our guests more varied sightings during game drives.
Because of the soaring temperatures, we have had very good sightings of elephants playing and swimming in the lake, cooling off happily, especially at midday.
Also, guests have had good sightings of hippos with their babies, grazing along the shores during the day. The lake is receding and, as a result, the hippos spend most of their time grazing on the fresh panicum as it ripens on the edge of the water.
John Dawn Sept 2021
Lake and Safari Life Combined!
What an amazing property! Our tented living space was spacious and beautiful with a lovely outdoor shower and bath. The food was amazing and the staff was top notch. Our walking safari tour with Daffy was magical and our fishing/boating adventures with Kenneth were so fun! We had the pleasure of meeting the owners, Angus and Pam. What great people with a great vision!
Matusadona received 223 Zebras to contribute to the revitalisation of the ecosystem and support wildlife tourism!
Exciting News!
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA) in partnership with conservation non-profit African Parks have successfully translocated 223 zebras to Matusadona National Park. This large game translocation is part of a long-term plan to help restore Matusadona ecologically, bolstering the park as a prime wildlife destination. By increasing tourism, Matusadona can better contribute to Zimbabwe’s growing economy while simultaneously providing a sustainable source of benefits for local communities.
A massive thank you to James Doughty
We would like to extend a massive thank you to James who was in camp for two weeks taking some incredible photos and videos. An incredibly talented photographer and videographer… check out his page!
