Tucked into a cluster of old teak trees and overlooking a busy waterhole, Verney's Camp is the newest addition to the Machaba Safaris collection. Set in a 10,000-hectare private reserve in an extremely remote region of Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, the camp offers access to one of the area's most productive game regions. Verney's is intimate and smartly designed, classic in its simplicity, with modern touches that give it a fresh feel. Here you have every benefit of an expansive national park, with the added bonuses of a private concession – guided walks, night drives and exclusive access.
With an eco-friendly sensibility and minimalistic style, this clever solar-powered camp was built with the basic principle of leaving the landscapes front and centre pristine. The main area is a large wooden deck with a canvas cover that can be parted to better gaze at the waterhole that teems with wildlife in the drier months. With indoor and outdoor dining areas, plenty of soft seating areas, touches of African crafts and a warming fire pit, this camp is a winner.
Wooden walkways lead to 10 tents cloistered neatly in the shade of the teak forest fringing the camp's waterhole. All are exceptionally private with excellent views. Eight of the rooms can be arranged into either double or twin-bed configurations; two family rooms can accommodate four with similarly flexible sleeping arrangements. Each tent has a small, comfortable lounge area, an en-suite bathroom with shower and double basins, and, in front, a deck with chairs to allow you to enjoy the action.
Though well-known for its big, charismatic characters like elephant and buffalo, lion and leopard, Hwange is home to a host of small creatures too. Visit in winter, when the bush is dry and animals are drawn to waterholes for survival. Summer is a good time for birders – when carmine bee-eaters take up residence and migrant species like woodland kingfisher and ruff arrive. Verney's remoteness (it cannot be accessed by other Hwange visitors) means that the wilderness is your oyster.
The pan. Verney's sits on a private concession that regular park visitors can't access, and the waterhole draws wildlife on a scale that takes some adjusting to.
Don't skip the night drive. Hwange after dark — open vehicle, spotlight, your guide reading the sounds — is a categorically different experience from anything the daylight hours offer.
There's no aircon — ceiling fans and canvas do the work. Worth knowing, though the wildlife access more than compensates.
Verney's Camp is owned by Machaba Safaris which deeply values the communities in Botswana and Zimbabwe, and feeds back into them through education, empowerment, and conservation initiatives. They support local schools and programs while working with communities to protect fragile ecosystems and promote human-wildlife coexistence. Addressing infrastructure needs, they provide essentials like water and sustainable gardens. Visitors can contribute through donations, volunteering, or simply by choosing Machaba Safaris for their safari experience.
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Spot enormous elephants and plenty of predators in Zimbabwe’s safari hotspot.
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