Zimbabwe authentic walking Safari

Planet

On this trip you are accompanied by a local guide who will lead you through Zimbabwe in a culturally and environmentally sensitive way, ensuring that wildlife and flora is viewed in a responsible manner and all animals 'wildness' is respected.

At the heart of our responsible tourism initiative, we are dedicated to minimising the environmental impact of your travel. For every client who embarks on a journey to Zimbabwe with us, we plant a tree on their behalf. These trees are carefully selected to be either indigenous to the region or of a fruit-bearing variety and will be planted around local communities to assist their food supply and environment management.

As a mobile camp, we are committed to leaving no footprint behind. Our safari tents are meticulously packed down at the end of each safari, and all our waste will be taken out of the park with us, ensuring minimal impact on the environment and preserving the pristine beauty of the areas we visit.

We take pride in sourcing 100% of our fresh produce locally, supporting regional farmers and ensuring the freshest ingredients for your dining pleasure. Where possible, we collaborate with local artisans to provide our camp decor and equipment, promoting Zimbabwe craftsmanship and sustainable products. Our dedication to sustainability extends to our infrastructure as well. Our fridges and freezers are powered by solar energy, making our camps 100% off the grid. We have no single use plastic in camp and provide guests with reusable water bottles while on safari.

The Mother Africa Charity works with the lodges on this itinerary and so by staying at the lodges on this itinerary, you are directly contributing a number of environmental and community projects.

The Mother Africa Trust provides anti-poaching unit patrols the 6000 acre Ivory concession and builds predator proof bomas/kraals for the villagers to keep cattle safe from predators at night.

They have assisted the Friends of Hwange Trust financially in pumping water for the Parks wildlife. All waste water from its lodges is recycled and they have launched a variety of projects tackling recycling, vermi-culture and tree planting at each lodge, aiming to make them more eco-friendly and minimize their environmental impact.

They also support the Lion researchers in Hwange, buying tranquilisers and other materials and they return the favour by giving talks to guests at Ivory Lodge about the work they are doing. They have recently funded the electrification of Mabale Clinic while they conduct regular anti-poaching patrols in Ivory Lodge's 6000-acre concession and assist Zimbabwe National Parks do the same in the game park.

Another important project is Southern Ground Hornbill Research which is dedicated to the long-term conservation of this iconic bird in Zimbabwe through research on the bird's breeding ecology, education about its importance and sustained action to preserve its habitat.

They aim to enhance population breeding success by providing artificial nests where necessary and collecting and hand-rearing the second chick (which often dies of starvation), for later release into areas where they are currently locally extinct.

This is culturally sensitive and so it is important that the community plays a part in it. Re-establishing woodland areas for example, relies on local communities setting up indigenous nurseries and managing these woodland areas for recreating nesting habitat for the birds in the long term future.

People

For every booking we make on this trip, we donate USD$50 to the Zimbabwe Aid Fund UK, a registered charity which raises money and sources medical equipment and consumables to support the pensioners in Zimbabwe. The plight of the elderly is one of the less publicised outcomes of Zimbabwe's social, economic and political collapse.

The Fund also works with mothers who have been the victim of rape and offer support for the mother and children. Another key part of the project is supporting rural schools and orphanages and ensuring they have the necessary equipment to help the children learn. Packages including pens and paper are sent out to help support the schools.

Some of the properties in this itinerary are involved with the 'Mother Earth' project in Zimbabwe. Each property supports a variety of projects adapted specifically to the needs of the area, ranging from environmental research to community support and development. Projects include: The Haven, a home for abused women and their children in Bulawayo, community support for a girls school in Hwange and supporting a children's home in the Matobo Hills.

The Mother Africa Trust sources resources for nearby schools and cultivates a friendly learning environment for students, and also aids Infrastructure Development at the nearby Mabale Primary School. The Trust also supports senior citizens living at Dete Old Age Home.

We employ local guides and ensure that these guides and the staff are paid a fair wage for the work they do. All employees at the properties/lodges we feature in this itinerary are from the surrounding communities.

As a small startup business, we recognize that we are part of a larger ecosystem of organisations dedicated to conservation and community programs. Rather than reinventing the wheel, we seek to collaborate and support these exceptional organisations. We believe that by working together, we can make a more significant and lasting impact on the environment and local communities. Through our partnerships and contributions, we aim to strengthen the ongoing efforts in Zimbabwe and contribute to the sustainable development of the region.