Chikwenya Camp: Our full report

For many years Chikwenya has sat in a private concession on Mana Pool's eastern boundary, overlooking the ...

... vast floodplains of the Zambezi River, with the mountains of the Rift Valley escarpment providing a stunning backdrop. Despite the camps beautiful riverine location we have felt that the standards weren't up to those we would expect for our travellers. We're therefore delighted to learn that one of our long-term partners in Zimbabwe has taken over and refurbished the camp. We are certain that this will significantly raise the standards, and we look forward to seeing the latest iteration of Chikwenya.

Chikwenya is made up of ten tented rooms surrounded by a dense forest of albida and Natal mahogany trees on the banks of the Zambezi River. Pine walkways will link each room to the raised lounge, dining and bar area, with a pool and a sundeck nearby.

Activities at the camp will focus on game drives and walking safaris within the camps private concession, providing exclusive viewing of the areas incredible wildlife. As the camp is based outside the national park motorised activities will be available on the river, a wonderful way to see waterbirds, get close to the areas hippo population, and get an alternate view point of the elephants coming down to the river to drink. The middle of the Zambezi is also one of the best spots from which to watch the sunset.

Our view

We have not visited the lates incarnation of Chikwenya yet. However, we know that it occupies a picturesque location on the Zambezi and it was one of the original lodges in this area. We trust the team behind the lodge and look forward to experiencing it again for ourselves.

Lucy Copson

Zimbabwe expert

Geographics

Location: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities

Children

Attitude towards children
Property’s age restrictions: Chikwenya accepts children aged six and over.
Generally recommended for children: The family tent here works well for families travelling with older children.
Notes: Families with children aged 12 and under are required to book private activities here. The camp is unfenced and the pool ungurated so children need constant supervision.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Chikwenya Camp

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Chikwenya Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.