Khulu Bush Camp sits on a private concession in Zimbabwe’s Sikumi Forest, on the eastern edge of Hwange National Park, above an open vlei and a year-round waterhole. Its defining feature is the plunge pool on the main deck, where the resident elephant herds have learned to drink. Guests sit on the teak boards, feet in the water, as the animals stand a few paces away. The camp is named for Cedric Wilde, whom staff and the surrounding community call “Khulu,” grandfather in Ndebele.
Guests sit on the teak boards, feet in the water, as the animals stand a few paces away.
The concession runs along the Dete Vlei, an ancient dry riverbed of teak woodland and open grassland. From May to October, pumped water at the waterhole draws elephants in their scores and buffalo in their hundreds, across a landscape that otherwise dries hard. It is a pattern the camp was built to watch, from raised decks and from a hide set close to the water, where the day turns on whatever the pool brings in.
Nine raised tented suites stand on teak platforms, seven for safari and two for honeymooners, all elevated for the long views across the vlei. The canvas walls sit beneath thatch, with high mesh screening that lets in light and air. Below the main deck, a ground-level hide behind a heavy log kraal puts guests at eye level with whatever comes to drink, an arm’s reach from the water and the animals working its edge.
A ground-level hide behind a heavy log kraal puts guests at eye level with whatever comes to drink.
Being on its own concession changes what a day can hold. Guides run night drives with spotlights and track off-road for lion, leopard, cheetah and painted dog, none of which the park’s rules permit inside Hwange itself. Walking safaris go out at first light with armed, licensed Zimbabwean guides. Afternoons are given over to the hide, with full waiter service and the patience to wait for what the water brings in.
The camp belongs to a family-run Zimbabwean safari portfolio, and the family are still very much in it. Wilde’s daughter, Sharon Stead, and her husband Phil now run operations day to day. Cedric himself still turns up at weekends to host guests, playing country songs on his guitar around the fire. It is a small, personal way of running a camp, and it carries through everything, from the welcome at the deck to the long communal dinners where the family are as likely as not to be at the table.
The waterhole in front of camp is the reason to come in the dry months. From May to October, pumped water pulls in elephant herds and buffalo in numbers that thin out sharply once the rains return. With them come zebra, giraffe, kudu, tsessebe, impala and the sable antelope the area is known for. Lion and hyena work the edges after dark, and the whoop of hyena and the grunt of a nearby pride carry easily into the suites at night. More than 300 bird species have been recorded on the concession, and the vlei fills with them as the water draws in everything else.
Lion and hyena work the edges after dark.
Khulu has arranged access into Hwange itself, and game drives run through a private entrance at Makwa Pan. What the park cannot offer, the concession supplies: the night driving, the off-road tracking and the walking that Hwange’s rules do not allow. The scale stays small and personal throughout. Dinners are taken at a long communal table or out on the deck, beside an open kitchen where guests can pull up a seat by the fire and watch the cooking.
For families, or those wanting complete privacy, Khulu’s Retreat sits a short walk from the main camp, a two-suite villa with its own chef, guide and vehicle. The standard camp takes guests aged twelve and over, with younger children welcome only on an exclusive-use basis, which makes the Retreat the natural choice for those travelling with small children. Hot water comes from a wood-fired boiler heated morning and evening, and there is no air conditioning, only overhead fans, in keeping with a camp built to sit lightly on the vlei.
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accommodation
Nine raised tented suites on teak platforms: seven safari suites and two honeymoon suites, each with canvas walls under thatch, high mesh screening, indoor and outdoor showers, a private deck over the vlei, and a tea and coffee station. Honeymoon suites add an outdoor bath. Khulu's Retreat is a separate two-suite private villa with its own chef, guide and vehicle.
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activities
Day game drives into Hwange National Park via a private entrance at Makwa Pan. On the concession, night drives with spotlights and off-road tracking for lion, leopard, cheetah and painted dog. First-light walking safaris with armed, licensed guides. Half- and full-day pan sits at the hide with waiter service, plus visits to the Painted Dog Conservation Centre.
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conservation
Khulu Bush Camp funds work through the Mother Africa Trust, which pays for anti-poaching patrols across the concession, builds predator-proof kraals to reduce lion killings by neighbouring communities, and supports Mabale Primary School and the Dete Old Age Home. Solar-powered boreholes, funded through the Mother Africa Trust, keep the waterholes flowing through drought.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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The camp sits on Hwange's eastern edge just off the tarred Bulawayo road, so the drive from Victoria Falls takes only around two to two and a half hours and needs no flight at all, one of the shortest transfers to any camp in the park. Coming from the south, the lodge is also within a day's easy reach of Bulawayo.
If you would rather fly, we can arrange a charter from Victoria Falls, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, to Hwange National Park Airport, about half an hour in the air and a short road transfer from camp. We time whichever transfer you choose to your arrival so the day joins up.
Yes. The park lies below the 1,200 metre altitude line the UK's official travel health advice uses for Zimbabwe: below it, the risk is rated high from November to June and antimalarial tablets are usually recommended, while July to October is lower risk with bite avoidance the baseline. The CDC goes further and advises tablets for travel anywhere in Zimbabwe in any month.
Speak to a travel clinic or your doctor about what fits your trip, and whatever you decide, use repellent and cover up once the sun drops.
The camp is open all year, so the question is what you want from the vlei. July to October is the safest bet for sheer numbers, when the surrounding country dries hard and the waterhole in front of camp is at its busiest, with September and October the peak of it. May and June offer the same dry-season pattern building, with cold, clear mornings.
The rains from November to April spread the game and swing the days towards birds, newborn antelope and huge skies, with the camp at its quietest. It is a gentler, greener Hwange, and regulars often rate it.
Bring proper warm layers for winter. From June to August the nights and early mornings on the vlei can approach freezing, and the suites are cooled by fans rather than sealed against the seasons, so a warm jacket, a beanie and gloves earn their keep at dawn and around the fire. Days warm quickly, so light layers underneath work best.
From September onwards, pack for heat: breathable neutral-coloured clothing, a wide hat and strong sun protection. Binoculars are worth their weight here, since so much of the viewing happens from the deck and the hide.
The camp runs on a fully inclusive basis, with meals and standard drinks covered in the rate along with the daily activities. Exact inclusions, park fees and transfer arrangements vary with the package, so we set out precisely what your quote covers before you book and build the park fees and any levies in from the start.
Tell us if there is something specific you want in the plan, the hide sessions or a park day among them, and we will confirm how it is charged before you commit.
Two to three nights sits right for most trips. The short road hop from Victoria Falls makes the camp a natural first or last stop in Hwange, and a stay of that length gives the waterhole time to show its rhythm, with a day for the park proper and unhurried hours in the hide.
It pairs well with a fly-in camp deeper inside the park if you want a wilder second act, and we will shape the order of the trip around how you like to travel.
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