Hwange – An African Park in Crisis? Interview with Mark Butcher, Imvelo Safari Lodges Hardly a day goes by without another depressing story about the plight of Africa’s elephants. Elephant numbers across Africa are declining at an alarming rate under the onslaught of ivory poachers yet one National Park, Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP, faces an entirely different problem; its elephant population[…]
Read moreHwange’s Dilemma (Please excuse the fact that this is a terrible over-simplification of the issue, but I’ve strived to keep it concise) Hwange is the largest Park in Zimbabwe occupying roughly 14 650 square kilometers. It is one of THE places to see elephants in Africa. According to a 2015 pan-African census it is home to 44,000 elephants, roughly 50% of[…]
Read moreNehimba Seeps – water throughout the year – naturally Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP is known as a place with very little natural year round water; a place where pumps are needed to keep water in the pans for several months each year. But the park is not entirely without natural, year round, water sources. During one of the game drives made[…]
Read moreThree days into my stay at Ngamo and I still haven’t seen any cats. I’ve heard them during the night and a couple of the guides reported seeing fresh tracks but no actual sightings yet. Perhaps it was down to the cold wind blowing across the Ngamo plains but we were lacking a bit of urgency this morning; still dawdling[…]
Read moreThe Heartbeat of Hwange On my recent visit to Hwange we were gathered for coffee before setting off on our morning game drive and – as you do – I asked one of the ladies if she had slept OK. She said that she had not, because the sound of the pump close to camp running all night disturbed her;[…]
Read moreBomani Tented Lodge and Camelthorn Lodge On my recent visit to Hwange I stayed in both Bomani Tented Lodge and Camelthorn Lodge. Although both are part of the Imvelo safari lodges portfolio, they could not be more different. Both camps are constructed on community land close to Hwange’s Ngamo gate, in the south east corner of the park. Where Bomani[…]
Read moreNgamo – a template for resolving human-wildlife conflict in Hwange NP You only have to spend a few minutes in his company to see that Mark Butcher, better known as ‘Butch’, is a man on a mission. That mission, in broad terms, is to ensure the survival of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park and its wildlife. Butch knows he cannot do it[…]
Read moreGreat to be back in Victoria Falls. It seems a bit busier than my last visit so tourism must be picking up which is terrific news. I’ve only got one night in Vic Falls this time, before I head off to Hwange NP, and rather than staying in the town itself I’ll be a short way outside town at Gorges[…]
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