Vimbai Masiyiwa and her mother Tsitsi bought Zambezi Sands in 2020. They closed it for a full refurbishment and reopened it under Batoka Africa, the first safari lodge company on the continent owned and run by Black African women. Mark Butcher’s Imvelo Safari Lodges opened the camp in 2014; it is theirs outright now, and a tenth of every bed night funds projects the staff choose themselves.
Elephants swim the channels in front of the decks.
The camp sits on a quiet bend at the western end of Zambezi National Park, about 90 minutes by road from Victoria Falls, the last of it gravel and 4×4 country. Ten tents and little else share the riverbank. Elephants swim the channels in front of the decks. Hippos work the shallows below, and crocodiles haul out on the sandbanks opposite.
Yvonne O’Brien of The Private House Company redrew the interiors, in light timbers and linen and hand-woven texture, an unfussy palette pitched to Kalahari sand and basalt. The canvas tents rise to high hexagonal peaks with glass fronts and wrap-around decks, and raised boardwalks run back through the riverine trees to the main lounge. The effect is quiet rather than theatrical.
Mist lifts off the cold river most mornings and the birds start early.
Meals come out of an open kitchen where the chefs work in view, seasonal Zimbabwean ingredients handled with a light touch and served in the dining room, on the shaded deck, or privately by candlelight on a tent veranda. Before dinner the firepit on the main deck takes the sunset. Mist lifts off the cold river most mornings and the birds start early. Lions carry a long way after dark.
The stretch of river below camp braids into channels and wooded islands, with Zambia visible across the water, and waterbuck and warthog graze within sight of the decks. Game drives run inland through mopane and miombo woodland, where Cape buffalo, southern giraffe, eland, greater kudu, sable and zebra hold to their loops. This is a national park rather than a private concession, so off-road driving is not permitted and night drives are restricted, and lions, leopards and hyenas are found by patience rather than pursuit. Wild dogs pass through from time to time.
Birding along this stretch rewards slow boat work. African skimmers stand on the sandbars, Goliath herons in the reeds, African finfoot along the shaded edges, and Pel’s fishing owl in the riverine canopy for those who look hard enough. Guided inflatable canoes follow the quieter channels, with a picnic stop on an island. Motorised boats handle the sunset run and tigerfish are taken catch-and-release, while walking safaris go out on foot with a licensed professional guide.
Guided inflatable canoes follow the quieter channels, with a picnic stop on an island.
The Masiyiwas channel the community fund through the Tesse Fund and leave the decisions with the staff. Clean water supply, school and library buildings, and healthcare in the villages people here come from have all been funded that way. Roughly four in ten of the team are women, trained in hospitality, computer skills and management in an industry historically run by men. A guided visit to Sidobe village and its school sits alongside the game drives and the river, for anyone who wants to see where that money lands.
Victoria Falls is close enough for a day trip. One return transfer into town is included, along with a guided walk through the rainforest at the falls and time in the curio market. Helicopter flights over the falls, microlight flights and white-water rafting can all be arranged from town. Children are welcome, with roll-out beds for older children sharing with adults, and their days might take in a cooking session alongside the chefs or a spa treatment on a private deck. Two activities are included for every night of a stay.
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accommodation
Ten canvas tents stand on wooden decking under high hexagonal peaks, reached by boardwalks through the riverine trees. Each opens onto a river-facing deck, with an en-suite bathroom of double vanities, an indoor tub and an outdoor shower, ceiling fans and mosquito netting. Several suites add a splash pool on the deck.
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activities
Game drives through the mopane woodland of Zambezi National Park, walking safaris with a licensed professional guide, motorised boat safaris and sunset cruises, guided canoeing on the channels, and catch-and-release tigerfishing. Park rules keep vehicles on the roads and limit night driving. A guided walk at Victoria Falls is included.
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conservation
The Tesse Fund channels ten per cent of bed-night revenue into community projects that staff propose and direct, covering clean water, school infrastructure and healthcare. Bath and spa products come from R&R Luxury, a woman-owned Ghanaian brand. The camp runs on solar power, serves drinking water in glass rather than plastic, and belongs to the Beyond Green portfolio of sustainable hotels.
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