THREE NIGHTS NAMBIA &
FOUR NIGHTS CAMELTHORN OR BOMANI
2025
Overview:
Interested in more information? This trip is operated by IMVELO Safari Lodges. Please contact Africa Easy by calling 1-800-617-2319 or (206) 284-2319. Click here to e-mail the Africa Easy Team with any questions or interest.
THREE NIGHTS NAMBIA &
FOUR NIGHTS CAMELTHORN OR BOMANI
2025
Day-by-day Itinerary:
Day 1 | Fly to Northern Hwange
Arrive at Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Airport and clear customs, after which you’ll be met by a representative from Imvelo Safari Lodges who will help you transfer to the domestic air terminal for your scenic 1hr flight to Nehimba Lodge in Hwange National Park. The flight will land at Giraffe Springs airstrip where you will be transported to camp by road in a 4 x 4 vehicle ( 20 minutes). Your arrival in camp will likely be met with 50 to 200 elephant in camp drinking from the lodge waterhole… it’s now time to relax and smell the elephant!
Alternatively, guests can take a 5hr road transfer from Victoria Falls to Nehimba. 3hrs of this transfer is a game drive through the beautiful northern part of Hwange National Park.
Dinner With the Elephants
After freshening up at the lodge, toast magnificent Hwange with sundowners on the Nehimba deck, watching the sunset over the lodge waterhole as the herds of elephants and other game arrives for their own sundowner drink. A 3-course dinner under the stars follows, surrounded by elephant drinking from the pool just steps away from the dinner table!
Day 2 – 3 | Explore the Northern Hwange
After breakfast, we’ll depart for the morning exploring the Nehimba concession and the beautiful northern part of Hwange National Park. As you’ll see, the north is distinctly different from the southern part both in topography, habitats and species of wildlife. Nehimba is situated right on the edge of the mopane woodlands of northern Hwange and the Kalahari sandveld of the west, and so offers the full spectrum and diversity of fauna that Hwange has to offer. The elephant-hunting lions of this area are famous. The area is well watered so is host to large numbers of animals throughout the year but particularly during the dry season. We’ll return to the lodge for a leisurely lunch and then afternoon siesta or perhaps relax by the lodge swimming pool, frequented by Hwange’s thirsty herds during the dry season.
Sundowners at the Nehimba Seeps
Sundowners at the famed Nehimba Seeps is a must-do activity while staying at Nehimba in the dry season. The Nehimba Seeps are a specially designated conservation area and one of the few year-round, naturally occurring water sources in the massive Hwange National Park. The seeps are an ancient water resource that was once used by the San huntsmen. Today the area is frequented by elephants, which dig for minerals and water; this sacred spot will leave you with special memories and photographs.
Back at the lodge, enjoy drinks and then dinner while watching the elephants slurp from the waterhole just steps away.
Day 4 | Elephant Express Railcar
Early risers will depart for a sunrise morning game drive and walk, exploring the area around Nehimba Lodge.
After breakfast back at the lodge, embark on a 2-3hr game drive exploring the northeastern part of Hwange National Park before reaching Dete Railway Station just outside Hwange’s Main Gate. Drinks and a tasty light lunch will be served on the Elephant Express before departing Dete, for the 2.5hr trip down the eastern border of Hwange National Park to Bomani Tented Lodge or Camelthorn Lodge. This historic railway line demarcates the border of the park so there will be plenty of game viewing along the way!
We’ll arrive at Ngamo siding in the late afternoon, depart the Elephant Express and board 4 x 4 game drive vehicles for an afternoon game drive and sundowners. Following a beautiful Zimbabwe sunset, we’ll night drive back to the lodge looking for nocturnal wildlife just starting their “day.” Enjoy a delectable 3-course dinner out under the stars followed by coffee or a night cap around the campfire.
Elephant Express Game-viewing Railcar
The eastern boundary of Hwange National Park is marked by an historic railway line – part of Cecil Rhodes’ dream of an empire stretching ‘from Cape to Cairo’ with the railway line as its backbone. The section of track the Elephant Express travels was opened early in the 20th century (around 1904) and is perfectly flat and straight – the longest straight rail line in the world when built. Freight and passenger traffic still use the line, as well as our own custom-built rail car, the Elephant Express. This is the most unique and fun way to travel to Camelthorn Lodge or Bomani Tented Lodge in southern Hwange, a refreshing and welcome break from road travel, with excellent game viewing on the way.
The Elephant Express seats 22 passengers and the finishes are comfortable and elegant. They include individual coach seating, a chemical toilet, teak tables, plenty of space for luggage, and a large aisle that allows guests to walk around comfortably and provides unrestricted game viewing. Imvelo also provides drinks of all kinds and delicious snacks en route! Watch the video below for a preview of the Elephant Express experience!
Day 5 | Visit the Rhinos & Meet the Cobras
Today head to the Imvelo Ngamo Rhino Sanctuary where you’ll meet our new residents, Thuza and Kusasa, as well as the Cobra Rangers guarding them 24/7. Start with a behind-the-scenes look at the Cobras basecamp, where you’ll learn more about their work along with Imvelo’s many other community and conservation programs. Hear a short talk on the origins and ideas behind the formation of the Cobras unit and how they protect the rhino, as well as the future plans for our ground-breaking Community Rhino Conservation Initiative.
Head off on foot or by vehicle with the Cobras to meet Thuza and Kusasa! There will be lots of photo opportunities and quality time to watch and enjoy our rhinos in their natural environment on the Ngamo plains; how close you will be able to get to the rhino will be subject to conditions on the ground.
Each guest at Bomani and Camelthorn Lodges pays a rhino conservation and community levy; these funds all go into the rhino sanctuary along with community projects in the nearby villages.The Jozi Story
Jozibanini has an interesting story which reinforces the importance of your visit here. A ranger station named Jozibanini was abandoned in the early 2000’s due to lack of park funds, leaving the south and west of the park largely un-patrolled by rangers and never visited by tourists. As a result, tragically elephant poaching raised its ugly head in this area in 2013. After these poaching incidents, Imvelo Safari Lodges decided to establish an outpost at Jozibanini which staff and a privileged few tourists could use as a base for both management of water resources and a safari experience unlike any other. Presence in the area would also deter poachers, and who better to employ to protect the new project than ex-poachers who have turned over a new leaf. By introducing tourism, the Jozi project has helped protect and conserve hundreds of kilometers of remote park, and regular traffic on the route has translated into reliable support for both parks pump attendants and about 25% of Hwange’s thirsty wildlife in the dry season.
Game Drives & Walking Safaris Exploring Southern Hwange
Vehicles must stay on the roads in the park so we often combine a game drive with a spontaneous walking safari to explore more terrain off the roads. In this wild area every walk provides fascinating insight into Hwange’s circle of life; watch Hwange’s elephants shake trees to loosen and then eat the pods, while on a smaller scale, dung beetles roll up the elephant dung containing those tree seeds into balls, bury the ball and lay an egg to incubate in it, while the seed is now well-placed to germinate and start life as a new tree!
Just before sunset, we’ll stop at a waterhole to watch the sun sink beneath the horizon before heading back to the lodge to freshen up for your dinner under the brilliant stars.
Day 6 | School & Village Visit, “Look-up” Blind
Imvelo Safari Lodges is deeply committed to bringing together local rural communities and our safari guests, for their mutual benefit. Twenty minutes’ drive from the lodge our guests have the opportunity to enjoy an actual and un-orchestrated look at village life in rural Matabeleland.
This morning sees an early start with breakfast in the dining room before heading to nearby Ngunyana Village where guests can join the children on their morning walk to school or join the younger kids for a ride in our safari vehicles! Once at the school, guests meet the Headmaster and are welcomed with traditional songs sung by the students, followed by a short classroom interaction. This activity gives the school children a wonderful opportunity to meet and interact with people from all over the world who have come to see the wildlife amongst which they live.
After the school visit, head to a nearby village for an un-choreographed visit of a local homestead, including a meeting with the headman of the village. Guests will be able to see some of Imvelo’s community initiatives firsthand and gain insight into the day to day life of a rural Zimbabwean including learning about thatching roofs, tilling fields, milling maize and weaving baskets.
“Look-up” Blind
This afternoon, head back into Hwange in search of game before making a stop for a bush lunch next to our specially built underground game-viewing blind at Stoffie’s Pan aka the “Look-up” blind, named such because its located at the water level so you’ll be looking up at the elephants! After lunch, we’ll enjoy some time in the blind with snout-level viewing of thirsty elephants just feet way! The blind is furnished with comfortable seating and has running water for flush loos and hand basins.
In the late afternoon, we’ll continue to explore the Ngamo plains on foot and by vehicle. After sundowners, we’ll night drive back to camp, exploring the Bomani concession, looking for nocturnal species that prowl the plains after twilight.
Day 7 |Game Viewing Activities of Your Choice
After an early wake-up call, join your guide at dawn for a cup of coffee and slice of toast before heading out to explore and interpret what happened in the wilderness last night. We head out early because that is when the big cats are still active – we make no promises, but we can ensure a fascinating time will be spent with your guide. Walks will be conducted by an experienced professional guide, looking at tracks and signs, or perhaps approaching an animal on foot to snatch a memorable photograph. With your appetite heightened, return to the lodge for brunch. At Imvelo, we keep our game viewing flexible, to take advantage of happenings on the ground, such as a lion kill last night – your guide will tell you the options and give suggestions – the above program can be varied, for example with a departure after a full breakfast at the lodge, or with a picnic brunch at a favorite spot in the bush, where, for a change, the wildlife can watch you as you feed!
General Game Viewing Activities
Continue to explore the Ngamo Plains; your guide will reveal the options available and make recommendations based on your own preferences – game drives, walks, full-day excursions, bird watching and waterhole watches are all alternatives – subject to exciting reports from ‘the bush telegraph’ about what has been happening among the newsmakers – the large predators!
Additional Options for Day 7
Enjoy an early morning tea or coffee on your veranda before a hot breakfast in the main lodge. Then grab your day pack for a full day safari or “pump run” deep into the southern part of Hwange.
Hwange National Park has no major rivers and for the past 70 years during Hwange’s dry seasons, wildlife has subsisted here on water originally pumped by windmills, later replaced by diesel engines and now solar power. In the southern sector of the Park, Imvelo Safari Lodges shoulders the responsibility for 16+ pumped waterholes. This means Imvelo is looking after approximately 20- 25% of the waterholes that sustain Hwange’s wildlife – a huge commitment of which we are truly proud!
Imvelo’s trademark “pump runs” combine game viewing in remote areas of the park with practical hands-on conservation helping to maintain the waterholes and pumps which the wildlife rely on for water during the dry season. Many of these pumps have been converted to solar-hybrid pumps in recent years. We’ll meet some of the “pump attendants”, the unsung heros of conservation who live at the waterholes and help to maintain the waterpumps.
We’ll stop for a picnic lunch near one of the waterholes followed by a leisurely game drive back to the lodge in the afternoon, typically ending with sundowners at one of the waterholes close to camp.
Please note this activity only happens in the dry season when the water is pumped (usually between June – October). In the green season an all-day game drive can be enjoyed roaming across a huge section of the park stopping for a picnic lunch and siesta under a cool tree near a lily-covered pan.
Day 8 | Scenic Flight to VFA & Depart Home
After a final breakfast and morning game drive (time permitting) at your lodge, climb aboard your 1hr hour scenic air charter from the Bomani airstrip to Victoria Falls International for your onward travel.
Additional Option for Day 8
After an early activity and brunch back at the lodge, board Imvelo’s one-of-a-kind game viewing railcar, the Elephant Express, for the 2.5hr trip up the eastern border of Hwange National Park to Dete Station. At Dete, we’ll disembark the Express and transfer by vehicle to Victoria Falls.
*Please note: This itinerary is subject to change. In the spirit of expedition travel, plans may change slightly to take full advantage of encounters with the destination and its people, culture, and wildlife.
THREE NIGHTS NAMBIA &
FOUR NIGHTS CAMELTHORN OR BOMANI
2025
Dates:
Trip dates are offered year round, contact Africa Easy with preferred dates.
Rates:
Rates vary depending on season of travel. Contact Africa Easy to get rates.
International Airfare:
Africa Easy does not make international air reservations and international air is not included in your quote. However, please do let us know if you would like assistance with booking your international air. We would be happy to put you in touch with our airline partner, Exito Travel to assist you with your international air reservation.
General Information:
Medical Evacuation insurance is mandatory for travel with Africa Easy and proof of purchase is required. Africa Easy also strongly recommends purchasing a policy that includes trip cancellation / interruption coverage.
Deposit & Payments:
A completed & signed Africa Easy Reservation Form, along with your 25% trip deposit and full regional and/or domestic air payment (if applicable) is required at the time of booking.
Reservations:
This itinerary is subject to the availability of all services at the time of making a reservation. No space is being held at this time. Please contact Africa Easy for the full terms and conditions that apply. We are happy to answer questions and discuss your trip.
To reserve space on a trip on the Africa Easy website, please contact Africa Easy by calling 1-800-617-2319 or (206) 284-2319. Click here to e-mail the Africa Easy Team.
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Trip Dates Throughout 2025
Operated by IMVELO Safari Lodges
