Southern Africa Safari and City Explorer

Guest Feedback: Southern Africa Safari and City Explorer

All flights were on time, no issues with baggage.  Getting through Zimbabwe customs was a bit stressful, but the same for everyone.  If two planes come in at the same time, then expect delays, but it works.

Bomani / Elephant Express: An interesting drive from Vic Falls to Dete Station to catch the elephant express. The Elephant Express to Bomani, in Hwange National Park, was tremendous fun, a group of Swedish and Norwegian travel agents with us. Very strong G&Ts were mixed and consumed! Given a chance to drive the tram and pull the whistle cord, really enjoyed the journey, some animals on the way. Bomani camp was excellent, tents spacious and well appointed. The only issue was the camp was out of Amarula!!!!  More G&Ts were had. Met some good guests as well as people that work in the camp. Good guide, food, can’t complain about anything.

The visit to the school was a special highlight, picking the kids up in the trucks, singing on the way to school, the assembly, more singing, visiting year 5 and they sang for us in the classroom. Priceless really. The visit to the head man in the village was also fascinating, great to talk to as well as ask us lots. A lot different to the Maasai visits in the Mara where you pay for a dance.

Nehimba: We absolutely loved Nehimba. Would go back there during the dry season anytime!  The drive from Dete to Nehimba was interesting, about 3 hours, going through the different terrains. We had two guides there, Blessed and then Brendan. Blessed had to go back to the Vic Falls camp after our first day, then Brendan took over.  Great fun with both. We saw Cheetah, Ostrich and chicks, lions galore, including Chuck and Norris, 3 lion prides in one day including the oldest lioness that had a collar – she was 18 years old. Large gatherings of bulls at the seep, but the best was around camp really.  So many elephants during the afternoon and night drinking from the pool, madness, you could reach out and touch them if so inclined. Lions killed a juvenile elephant just outside tent 4 during the night. The key lioness is called “The Horse” because she is so big, and has become specialising in killing elephant.  Were were in Tent 9, one of the major elephants paths and that was great. On our last morning, Norris the angry lion, buffalo and elephant were in the camp, can’t get much better than that.

Nehimba were planning on setting up a bush dinner for us, but we said we’d rather eat at the lodge and watch the elephants, so after retiring back to our tent, they’d left a bottle of Amarula for us to remember Nehimba. That was unexpected and a great surprise! The bottle has made it back to Australia!

Imvelo should be proud of what they do for the community, in both Bomani and Nehimba. I’m sure the other camps uphold those standards as well. We are very impressed with the group.

We wanted to see a Honey Badger, and there was one that tries to raid the kitchen at Nehimba, so we brought our cameras to dinner and chef called us when the badger arrived. We were only 10 feet from it on foot, trying to take photos and watch it going about it’s business, that was also priceless………

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