Bat Hawk Safari: Day-by-day
More detailed information of what each day entails, and the various places you’ll stay on the Bat Hawk Safari. Everything we do is completely tailor-made so while this is an idea which works well, we’ll always design an itinerary just for you.
Starts: Harare International Airport
Harare to Mana Pools by light aircraft & 4WD
On arrival at Harare International Airport, head to the domestic terminal where you’ll be escorted through security before boarding your light aircraft for Mana Pools. After a flight of some 1½ hours, sit back and enjoy the game drive of about 30 minutes to Little Vundu; watch out for elephants!
Little Vundu
Small, intimate and very focused, Little Vundu combines simplicity with top-notch guiding for a traditional-style safari in Mana Pools. Picture yourself on the edge of an island in the mighty Zambezi, watching for wildlife from your simple tent.
Small, intimate and very focused, Little Vundu combines simplicity with top-notch guiding for a traditional-style safari in Mana Pools. Picture yourself on the edge of an island in the mighty Zambezi, watching for wildlife from your simple tent.
This is the reality at Little Vundu, a semi-permanent camp in the renowned Mana Pools National Park. Each year, in May, the camp is built within a private area of the park; each November it is taken down again. And at high water, it is indeed on a small island.
Shaded by a grove of ebony and acacia trees, its five walk-in tents boast twin beds, simple fans and open-air bucket showers. Dirt tracks lead to the dining shelter – though you’ll usually eat under the stars, your meals cooked over an open fire. At Little Vundu, you’re back to safari basics.
Very far from basic, though, are the activities here, for the camp is owned by top guide Nick Murray, who with his fellow guides has an almost unrivalled knowledge of this wildlife-rich park. In their experienced hands, the game drives and safari walks tend to interact almost seamlessly, and out on the river you’ll be canoeing past hippos and crocodiles in the best possible company.
"Stunning location... Mana pools is beautiful"
LucafromMilanoArrived 6 Jun 2024, 3 nights
With the focus firmly on the animals rather than the frills, it’s a winning combination. See our full report on Little Vundu
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Boat trip
Canoeing
Fishing
Guided walking safari
Mana Pools to Gonarezhou by 4WD & light aircraft
A game drive from Little Vundu precedes today's spectacular 2½–3-hour light-aircraft flight over the Great Rift Valley escarpment, across Zimbabwe’s 'highveld’, and down into the hot, low-lying south, to Mahenye Airstrip. Then it’s a ten-minute game drive to Chilo Gorge, overlooking the Save River and the wild Gonarezhou National Park.
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
Elevated atop a cliff, Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge has fantastic views over the Save River below and Ghonarezhou National Park beyond. Refurbished and re-opened in 2012, the lodge lies just outside the park, whose north-eastern boundary is formed by the river.
Elevated atop a cliff, Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge has fantastic views over the Save River below and Ghonarezhou National Park beyond. Refurbished and re-opened in 2012, the lodge lies just outside the park, whose north-eastern boundary is formed by the river.
"room had gorgeous views.. highlight was all-day excursion to Chilojo Cliffs."
Mr & Ms BfromFlorida, USArrived 29 Apr 2024, 4 nights
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge has undergone a renaissance and is now a very smart, luxury safari lodge offering a great variety of activities and some fantastic guiding. The variety of activities here is of real appeal, and we particularly appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the very real challenges facing this area in the context of a remote wilderness experience. See our full report on Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Fly-camping
Guided walking safari
Gonarezhou to Johannesburg by 4WD & air
Leaving Chilo Gorge, today's drive takes you first through villages and communal areas before reaching the large commercial farms of this area, known for their sugarcane plantations. You’ll reach Buffalo Range Airport in under two hours and from there the flight to Johannesburg takes a further 90 minutes.
Ends: Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport
