The Hide Safari Camp - Hwange, Zimbabwe

Voted Best Safari Camp in Zimbabwe for 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999 by the Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents, and a member of the prestigious "Classic Safari Camps on Africa" association, The Hide offers a consistent and highly recommended African Safari experience.

The Hide's motto: "to offer the ultimate wildlife experience in Zimbabwe"

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		The Hide...
Located in a large private concession on the eastern boundary of Hwange National Park, The Hide is also regarded as one of the most well situated safari camps in Hwange - offering simple access to the main park and in itself being well endowed with healthy wildlife populations. As Zimbabwe's largest national park, Hwange contains over 100 species of animals and over 400 bird species. It's also one of the last remaining sanctuaries in Africa where herds of up to 100 elephant may be seen.

 

		The Hide's attractions...
One of the unique attractions are the specially constructed hides near the waterholes - this is a wildlife photographer's paradise - often resulting in guests forgoing walks and other activities in camp! Herds of elephant, buffalo, kudu, giraffe and wildebeest are a few of the animals that can be seen (all are resident in the area). Game viewing excursions in comfortable open vehicles or on foot are organised by licensed professional guides, and can be tailor-made to suit specific interests and preferences. The rare and secretive black rhino can be observed as well as hyena, honey badgers, bat-eared foxes and the endangered wild dog. The black breasted snake eagle, crimson-breasted shrike, rufous-naped larks and kori bustards are only a sample of the variety of birds to be found at The Hide and Hwange National Park. At night a diffused orange light is used to view game at the waterhole when lion, leopard and other nocturnal predators may be seen. Remnants of 'fossil rivers' can be visited at the Kennedy Pans and Linkwasha vlei, east of Hwange National Parks' Main Camp.   The vegetation in this region of Zimbabwe is mostly mopane scrub and includes some of Zimbabwe's finest forests of teak. Three different ecotypes surround The Hide - woodland, acacia woodland and open vlei.

 

		The safari camp...
The Hide is a ten-tented camp usually accommodating a maximum of 16 guests in comfortable East African style canvas tents with en suite shower and toilet facilities. Each tent has a large front porch where guests can relax and view game at the pan. The central feature of the camp is a large thatch 'A' frame dining and upstairs entertainment area with magnificent views of the pan. Meals are served in elegance and style around a solid teak 22-seater table, exquisitely laid with candelabra, cut glass and silver cutlery.

		Activities at The Hide
One way or another, each day is filled with game viewing activities. There are two comfortably carpeted underground hides at the pan for game viewing and photography. During the dry months (May - November) there is a constant flow of animals to the pan as water is scarce. Walking trails in the company of a professional guide are generally excellent in Hwange - the Hide is particularly well known for its guiding standards and the rewarding wildlife experiences it consistently produces for guests. (Sean Lues - a fine professional who has hosted many of our guests, won Top Guide award whilst resident at the Hide in 1996.) Game drives in open vehicles through the concession and eastern road network are excellent with several waterholes acting as strong attractions for Hwange's wildlife (traffic is generally very light and waterhole congestion rarely occurs). An option is to relax on the game viewing platform, positioned in a beautiful old tree in the open vlei. Night drives with a spotlight are a bonus for guests at the Hide (few safari operators in Zimbabwe are able to offer them) and generally round off the day's gameviewing activities perfectly.

 

		Access and reservations
The Hide is approximately 1,5 hours drive from Hwange Airport - this transfer into camp is through the National Park and serves as an introductory game drive. Best access to Hwange is a domestic flight from Kariba, Victoria Falls or Harare. [From experience over the last few seasons, Air Zimbabwe has been notorious for changing routes and schedules without notice - get the latest in the newsletters or contact Nikki.] If you plan a self-drive trip, be prepared for 4x4 conditions. We strongly recommend a minimum stay of 3 nights - there are no fixed safari dates and camp is open all year round. As demand frequently outstrips available space, The Hide must be booked well in advance particularly during peak season from June to the end of October. We occassionally run specials in conjunction with other "Classic Safari Camps of Africa" members in Botswana, Zambia and elsewhere in Zimbabwe - these are not necessarily updated on our websites - please contact us.

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