In early September, Liz and I were invited, with Steve Taylor from Askari Safari, to visit Bumbusi Camp. This little gem is situated in the far northern part of Hwange National Park, midway between Robins and Sinamatella Camps. It’s a 1 and a half hour game drive transfer from Robins, via Croc pools and along the Deka River. Great Game viewing with Roan, Kudu, Zebra, Warthog, Impala, Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo and Lion spotted during the midday transfer, not bad during the heat of the day.
The camp is situated at Bumbusi spring on the Bumbusi river, a tributary of the Deka River. It’s quite unlike anywhere else in Hwange, being nestled under huge Sausage and Ebony trees, more like the Zambezi and Luangwa Valley habitat than Hwange. Cool and shady and Bushbuck, Impala, Warthog Vervet Monkey, Baboon and Buffalo frequenting the seep right in front of camp. We were lucky to be accommodated in chalet 6 which overlooks the seep and we had over 100 buffalo feeding on our doorstep all night!
The most special aspect of this camp is its historical value. Right behind the camp, nestled on a hill under two baobabs, is Bumbusi Ruins, similar to Great Zimbabwe and Khami ruins.
There are San Bushman rock etchings nearby, and combining the ruins and the art takes up an interesting morning with a great historical walking safari.
In 48 hours we had clocked up 23 mammals, including a Leopard that Liz spotted sleeping on an anthill under a Capparis bush, and 15 birds of prey.
We would recommend Bumbusi as a 3 night stay combined with one of the more traditional camps in Hwange. It’s a vast park, over 200km from north to south and a similar distance from east to west, with such varied habitat and ecosystem, so you could combine 3 or 4 camps to make a great 2 week Safari.
Get in touch with us to find out more about Bumbusi.
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