CSC-Zimbabwe - ULTIMATE ZIMBABWE - Comfort

The private Linkwasha Concession within Zimbabwe’s renowned Hwange National Park is home to one of the park’s most luxurious offerings: Linkwasha Camp. The camp looks out across a pan with a permanent waterhole [now with underground viewing hide] that attracts wildlife year round, and being in a private concession guests benefit from exclusive and flexible game viewing.

The area is dominated by Kalahari savannah and acacia woodlands, but the varied environment of eastern Hwange also features tall teak forests and occasional palm islands. Linkwasha Camp shares its concession with vehicles from its sister properties located on the neighbouring Makalolo Concession, Davison’s Camp, Makalolo Plains Camp and Little Makalolo Camp, although this is a huge area so seeing other vehicle in the concession is relatively rare.

The overall design of Linkwasha is modern and stylish, with an open-air feel. The lines are very clear cut, but the colour scheme of pale greys and creams helps the camp to blend into the surrounding bush.
The camp’s eight en-suite tents – including one family tent – are set on either side of the main area, all overlooking the pan. Or add a touch of adventure to your safari and opt for a night sleeping out on a deck under the stars.

Inside, the tents are huge, their glass and mesh sliding doors affording panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and allowing plentiful natural light into the open-plan rooms. In the centre of each is a lounge area with a comfortable sofa, a long writing desk, a tea- and coffee-making station and a complimentary minibar, while the bed – a king-size or twins – is off to one side. Twin glass basins are also in the main part of the tent, but there are separate cubicles for the toilet and shower – with the glass front of the shower cubicle opening up to create a semi-outdoor experience.

Raised platforms connect each tent to the multi-level decks of Linkwasha’s main area. Here, various tables and chairs create a central hub for alfresco lunches and afternoon teas, with views over the surrounding plains and the waterhole. A firepit in the sandy soil, surrounded by canvas directors' chairs, provides an atmospheric location for pre- or post-dinner drinks, and a large plunge pool provides welcome relief during the hotter months.

There are three indoor areas here: an open-plan, open-sided library, lounge and bar; a smart dining area where evening meals are served at individual tables; and an enclosed “winter lounge”, with comfortable sofas and an open fireplace, providing a cosier spot to relax during the colder mornings and nights (late May to early August).

Guests at Linkwasha Camp go out on twice-daily activities, with both walking safaris and game drives possible with well-qualified Zimbabwean professional guides. Linkwasha's location, at the eastern end of Hwange National Park, permits easy access to the Ngamo Plains, which is well known for its large herds of elephant, buffalo and plains game, as well as numerous predators such as lion and cheetah. Guests also benefit from the camp's location within the Linkwasha Private Concession, which allows for more flexible activities than are possible within the park itself, such as spotlit night drives, and also offers more exclusive wildlife viewing.  Also spend time in their underground hide.

Do watch our video from our last trip > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2P-UpFJHw

Conservation Safari Company recommends Linkwasha as the premier lodge in Hwange in the best part of Hwange. Wonderfully warm Zimbabwe hospitality and excellent guides makes for an extra-special safari destination. Get a look into their anti-poaching efforts and visit the Ngamo Village community to round off your authentic African experience.

Rates are fully inclusive of safari activities, meals and drinks.

Refurbished in 2016, the smart Ruckomechi Camp spans nearly a kilometre of riverfront in a private concession just beside the north-west corner of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, where the vast Zambezi River flows against a backdrop of the Zambezi escarpment. This scenic location, coupled with a high concentration of large game such as elephant and buffalo, has made Ruckomechi a classic name in safaris for many years.

Ruckomechi Camp stands in its own private concession, a short distance upstream from its newer sister property Little Ruckomechi. Covering a little under 40km2, the concession is bisected by the Ruckomechi River, with the eastern half within Mana Pools National Park, and the western side in Hurungwe Safari Area. It's an area of varied habitat, from mopane woodland and scrubland to open grassland, attracting high concentrations of wildlife. This private concession not only allows for greater flexibility of activities than is possible within the national park itself, but also helps to provide a more exclusive game-viewing experience.

Ruckomechi Camp underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2016, upgrading their rooms, main area and vehicles. While this turned the camp into one of the more luxurious properties in the Mana Pools area, the connection with the river and surrounding bush hasn’t been lost.

The camp has ten large tented chalets, two designated as honeymoon suites, and a third forming a family chalet, with an extra bedroom and toilet. All are set along the riverfront, with one long side having views of the surrounding bush and river, and a wooden veranda where you'll find a couple of comfortable fold-up chairs.

Flaps of canvas and mesh open from the veranda directly into the rooms, whose walls and tables are tastefully decorated with local art and decorative features. The beds are covered in crisp white linen, with natural wood headboards, reflecting Ruckomechi's use of local materials. Each chalet also has a writing table, a very comfortable leather chair, a free-standing fan, and bedside lamps using low-energy LED light bulbs. Insect-mesh windows allow a breeze through, and canvas flaps can be rolled down to keep heat in and rain out. Power for electricy and hot water comes from individual solar-power units.

A canvas wall divides the bedroom from the open-plan, en-suite bathroom, which has a wet-room-style walk-in shower, a separate flush toilet, and a long wood-framed mirror set above two contemporary ceramic washbasins. Large mesh windows take up most of the wall at the front, providing further views of the Zambezi River and any wildlife that may happen to be wandering around camp.

The main area at Ruckomechi is constructed from canvas and local materials. A big, open-sided tent provides an airy lounge, with plenty of comfy furniture in neutral colours, as well as a small library and well-stocked bar. Extending from the tent is an extensive wooden platform, where meals are taken beneath the open sky. Somewhat separated from this deck is a small infinity pool surrounded by sunloungers.

Safari activities at Ruckomechi include boating, walking and driving, almost all outside the park itself. While the concession offers excellent game viewing, it is important to note that normal game drives do not go into the main, central area of the national park, which is famous for its long pools, forests and high densities of wildlife.

Guests may, in theory, request to explore beyond Ruckomechi's concession by arranging to hire a private vehicle from the camp (at a cost of around US$400, plus park fees), but we recommend that this is arranged with us in advance; previous travellers have found it impossible to organise once on the ground.

A bonus of Ruckomechi's location on the edge of the park is that it is the only Zimbabwean camp along this stretch of the Zambezi offering river trips (at extra cost) in motorised pontoons and motorboats. These craft are not permitted within the park boundaries, but here come into their own for river-based game viewing, sundowner cruises and catch-and-release fishing trips.

Other options from the camp are half-day canoeing trips in Canadian-style canoes, along with walking safaris and short nature walks led by fully qualified walking guides.

For something a little different Ruckomechi has a romantic sleep-out deck. A little way from camp, this raised platform completed with double bed shrouded in a mosquito net allows guests to sleep under the stars surrounded by the sounds and smells of the bush.

Conservation Safari Company highly recommends Ruckomechi as a wonderful camp with a superb location, warm Zimbabwean hospitality and excellent game viewing from a variety of vehicles; game drives, motor boats and kayaks.

Rates are fully inclusive of safari activities, meals and locally supplied drinks.

The Victoria Falls Hotel, popularly known as “the grand old lady of the Falls”, is situated in the Victoria Falls National Park, a world heritage site, and is a member of the exclusive Leading Hotels of the World group.

The Edwardian-style five-star hotel, built in 1904, combines the charm of the old with the convenience of the new. Set in lush tropical gardens with lily ponds, palm trees and semi-tropical shrubs, it provides the tranquillity and seclusion that many guests seek. The famous Victoria Falls are just a ten-minute walk away using the hotel’s private pathway, and “the smoke that thunders” or “Mosi-O-Tunya” in the local dialect, is clearly audible and visible from this luxurious landmark.

The opulent Livingstone Room offers fine dining and dancing, while the Jungle Junction with its famous breakfast and dinner buffets has ethnic entertainment in the evenings. Stanley’s Terrace, with its clear view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia, is renowned for its cocktails and afternoon teas. The Terrace has been a rendezvous for adventurers in Africa for over a century.

Although this hotel claims to be a 5-star hotel, we feel it is not quite there and food/drinks are expensive. What the hotel may lack in sophisticated service, is made up for with charm and history - a destination in itself and one of the most colonial experiences in Africa today. We recommend it for its location and views, and as a classic Victoria Falls experience.

Rates include breakfast