eBusiness Weekly
The United Kingdom-based newspaper, The Telegraph’s travel experts have picked their selection of the best hotels in Zimbabwe. Here are the top 5:
- Singita Pamushana Lodge
This luxurious lodge is set high up among dramatic boulders, with spectacular views over the Malilangwe Dam and lush forests beyond, and is surrounded by an astonishing wealth of wildlife.
It’s fresh from a major refurbishment, and offers nine thatched pool villas whose design draws on the local Shangaan heritage.
Location: Surrounded by a 130 000 acre wildlife reserve and neighbouring Gonarezhou National Park, in southeastern Zimbabwe.
Singita Pamushana Lodge is a 45-minute drive from Buffalo Range airport which has direct flights to Johannesburg. Alternatively, privately chartered planes can land into Lonestar airstrip, a 25-minute ride away from the Lodge.
From its perch high above the bottle green Malilangwe Dam, you can watch elephants coming to swim in the water, pick out white-backed vultures piercing the tree line and see the dassie or rock rabbits who scramble around you unfazed by human presence.
Price: £1,286 per night
- Bumi Hills
Safari Lodge
The stylish Bumi Hills Safari Lodge sits high on a hill looking down on to Lake Kariba, and is named after the private reserve where it’s located, which borders Matusadona National Park. It’s an utterly beautiful, soothing place, with glorious sunrises and views of elephants wading in the water below.
Location: Bumi Hills is a gorgeous reserve on the shores of Lake Kariba, which is home to plenty of wildlife including elephants and lions.
It has its own airstrip and takes around an hour and 40 minutes to reach in a bush plane from Victoria Falls. Then, it’s just a 10-minute drive to the lodge.
Price: £475 per night
- Camelthorn Lodge
Imvelo Safaris’ flagship property, Camelthorn, is an elegant luxury lodge on the borders of Hwange National Park, with stylish villas, superb dining and a friendly, happy team. It’s closely linked to the community and focuses on conservation, ensuring that local people benefit by living alongside the wildlife.
Location: Camelthorn is located on a private concession in communal land just outside Hwange National Park.
Victoria Falls is the nearest airport, from where it’s a one-hour flight, a four-to-five hour drive, or a four-to-five hour road and rail journey using the Elephant Express (a railcar adapted for game viewing). Guests can also take the restored vintage carriages of the Stimela Star, part of the sleeper train from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo, that travels to Ngamo overnight.
Price: £546per night
- Chikwenya
Chikwenya Camp is often billed as a photographer’s paradise, and it’s easy to see why: this luxury safari lodge is set on the Zambezi river with glorious views overlooking the wildlife-scattered floodplains and, beyond that, the muscular ridges of the Rift Valley escarpment.
Location: Chikwenya Camp is located within its own private concession at the northern edge of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, right on the border with Zambia and an hour’s plane ride north of Harare. It sits at the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers, overlooking Chikwenya Island, the surrounding plains transform at sunset, when sky turns a deep orange and the wildlife comes out to play.
Price: £989 per night
- Amalinda Lodge
Amalinda Lodge is a remarkable property that’s built around granite boulders in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Matobo Hills. It’s a luxurious refuge in the African bush that is, all at once, down to earth, captivating and exhilarating.
Location: Amalinda Lodge is spectacularly situated: the suites are literally built into and around the granite rocks of the Matobo hills. The lodge is situated on its own private land and there is game on the property. It is adjacent to the Matobo National Park and an easy 45-minute drive from Bulawayo.
Price: £601 per night – The Telegraph.
