SOMALISA ACACIA CAMP – HWANGE NATIONAL PARK

Somalisa Acacia is a family orientated safari camp set on the edge of a seasonal floodplain beneath the dappled shade of acacia trees in a private concession within Hwange National Park and the camp runs the Ngwana Club for children.

With just two family units with walkways in-between parents and children’s rooms and two Sail Tents, the camp enjoys views of a small water hole frequented by large herds of big game including buffalo, elephant, kudu, zebra, giraffe and lion.

A small splash pool is fantastic to cool off during the heat of the day and activities at the camp include game drives and walking excursions with the camp’s professional guides. Most of the activities are in the Somalisa private concession but with easy access to other parts of Hwange National Park.

The core focus of this camp is to offer families with an outstanding safari experience and the camp’s child friendly specialist guides offer practical and educational activities for the kids and an adventure that will delight every generation.

LOCATION

Somalisa Acacia Camp is located in the private Somalisa Concession within the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Access is either a 4 hour road transfer or a 45 minute flight from Victoria Falls with a 30 minute game drive to camp.

CAMP

Somalisa Acacia has just two family tents with interleading walkways as well as 2 standard Sail Tents. All the simple but luxurious tents are on slightly raised decks and have an indoor and outdoor bathroom, a copper slipper style bathtub and a private outdoor deck. The tents are cooled by standing fans or heated by wood burning fires and there are both mosquito nets and repellent in all rooms.

The main area has a lounge, boma, bar and dining area on an expansive wooden deck, a swimming pool and an elephant drinking pool with decking in front for up-close encounters and incredible photographic opportunities with elephants.

The camp is solar powered with backup generators and all the rooms have charging facilities.

ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE

Hwange National Park is the largest in Zimbabwe with the main entrance located a two-hour drive or 30-minute flight south of Victoria Falls. The park is named after a local Nhanzwa chief and was once the royal hunting ground for the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi before being classified as a protected National Park in 1929.

As you’d expect from a park of this size the breadth of wildlife species is astounding. Over 100 species of mammals and almost 400 species of bird reside here. Perhaps most exciting is the 40,000-strong population of tusker elephants whose presence is world-renowned and a joy to watch day after day.

The dry season from July to October is the best time to visit Hwange as large concentrations of wildlife– particularly the wonderful elephant herds – descend upon the area to drink from the waterholes in order to survive in this hot and unforgiving environment.

The rains from December to March will see the wildlife dispersing across the park and the summer showers stimulate stunning vegetation and offers fabulous bird-watching opportunities as the local population finds itself bolstered by the migrants coming down from the northern Hemisphere.

Game Drives – lead by an experienced guide you will see the wildlife indigenous to the area in a 4 x 4 game vehicle. Game drives are offered both in the morning and afternoon

Walking Safaris – awaken your senses and discover all that the bush has to offer on a walking safari. Accompanied by an experienced walking guide you can explore the area on foot for a couple of hours – for full day walks you can pre-book a private guide. Children under 16 can experience nature walks around the camp led by a child-certified walking guide as part of the Ngwana Club.

Cultural Tours to Local Villages – the African Bush Camps Foundation is committed to empowering rural communities. We partner with communities on the outskirts of wildlife areas to become economically sustainable whilst ensuring that natural resources are protected and cared for. We also support local schools and run education programmes for children in communities. We invite guests who stay with us at our camps in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe to gain a deeper understanding of Zimbabwe and its people.

The Ngwana Club – from nature walks around camp and storytelling to cultural arts and crafts and cub club cooking classes, the African Bush Camps’ children focused Ngwana Club creates a fun and educational environment for children on safari.

GIVING BACK

African Bush Camps are committed to sustainable development through creating opportunities that empower rural communities located in vulnerable wildlife areas in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia. They work to create these opportunities through Education, Community Empowerment, Community Infrastructure and Conservation.

SOMALISA ACACIA IS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND

THE CAMP WELCOME FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN OF ANY AGE. DO NOTE THAT WALKING SAFARIS ARE RESTRICTED TO CHILDREN AGED 16 AND OLDER BUT THE NGWANA CLUB OFFERS NATURE WALKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN