Closer to the wild than ever before: Our Incredible Imvelo Safari in Hwange, Zimbabwe
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Well, the good news is I’ve just had one of the most incredible, life-changing safaris of my life.
The bad news is that anytime I see an elephant from here on out, you are going to have to hold me back from getting on foot with it — immersing myself amongst the largest land animals like I’m one with the herd. 😌
This safari in Hwange broke barriers with the wild that I didn’t even know existed, and I fear I will never be the same.
We spent a week with Imvelo Safari Lodges in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, organized by the divine Imvelo team and Hayley at Africa Hidden Gems. We visited four of their camps, experienced a TON of new immersive activities I’ve never done before, and I am SO excited for my Adventurelust clients to experience this very special kind of safari — which is basically an elephant heaven. I’m already diving into new enquiries and I know these trips are going to be life-changing.
We also spent two days in Victoria Falls at the exquisite Zambezi Dusk in Zambia — a dreamy, refreshing utopia on the banks of the Zambezi River — got a quick shower from the Falls, and then set off to Hwange via light aircraft from Victoria Falls Airport. (Driving is not recommended as it is a verrry rough ride).
Our first stop, Nehimba Lodge, was an intimate bush camp near the north of Hwange.. and honestly I LOVED it. No fancy extras, no private plunge pools, but the main attraction - elephant heaven - was in full force.
After kicking things off with this “holy sh*t, welcome to Hwange” moment on our first day bush walk, we knew this was a totally different ball game.
With elephants regularly visiting the pool and waterhole (including this dream dinner date), this camp makes you feel so close to the wild, so at peace — the perfect welcome to Hwange. Our bush walks opened my eyes to what being on foot can actually mean here — not the casual “loop around camp and spot impala dung” kind of walk, but a purposeful, guided experience designed around tracking elephants, reading body language, and positioning ourselves for the most intimate, respectful encounters possible.
One thing that sets Imvelo apart is the range of unique experiences they offer, which I’ve never seen anywhere else on safari. Along with these special bush walks and bush breakfasts, we then set off on the Elephant Express — Imvelo’s own rail service connecting the northern camps to their southeastern properties, Bomani and Camelthorn.
While Nehimba is all about elephants, Bomani and Camelthorn border Hwange’s iconic Ngamo Plains — a completely different ecosystem, and incredible for variety. I’m talkin’ herds of wildebeest, a 21-member mega pride of lions, cheetah (which we won’t get into here, but see this reel and blog post for that heartbreaking story), of course elephants, and wild dogs who were still playing hide and seek with us.
It’s a spectacular safari setting, and we absolutely loved each camp for very different reasons.
At Camelthorn, it was time to get on foot with another gentle giant of the Big Five — rhino (who we were lucky enough to spot casually walking through the lodge - WATCH HERE!!!).
Rhinos have been gone from Hwange since the early 2000s, mostly due to poaching. But Butch, the founder and visionary behind Imvelo, along with his incredible team, is changing that. They are reintroducing rhino to Hwange in a way that directly benefits surrounding communities — with a rhino conservation levy that funds protection efforts and community development.
This includes employing local villagers as part of the protection teams (there are anti-poaching rangers with the rhinos 24/7), as well as new infrastructure like healthcare clinics, schools, boreholes, and more.
Imvelo are truly pioneers in conservation and community impact in a way I’ve rarely seen before. Here are just a few of their awe-inspiring stats:
In other words, if you are looking to support a truly ethical and impactful safari company, this is it.
We also had the privilege of visiting villages in both the Ngamo and Mtshwayeli areas near our final lodge, Tum Tum. It was an incredibly grounding and humbling experience — most of all, to see the resilience of these communities living in conditions most of us visitors would struggle to imagine.
We drove children 10km to school along a dirt road they otherwise walk Monday-Friday, because education matters that much to them. We visited a secondary school made up of tents, tables, and chairs set up in the dirt — yet filled with teachers and students determined to build a better future. It was so moving, and I am honestly in awe of Butch and the Imvelo team.
Please do read more about Imvelo’s work here, and when you visit, know that your tourism dollars are going directly into something tangible, transparent, and truly impactful.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, our final lodge — Tum Tum Treehouse Lodge, which opened just a month ago — took things to another level. Literally. The treehouses are built 12–16 feet off the ground… so elephants can walk directly underneath you.
I don’t even know how to explain how insane this is. Maybe these videos can paint a better picture — here is our first evening and second evening at Tum Tum. Encounters and emotions I want to bottle up and keep forever.
There was no need to go anywhere — the cinema came to us, and it was magnificent.
Herds upon herds of elephants moved through the surrounding waterholes, and we sat watching and listening as they passed through in these slow, grounding rhythms — giggling at the impossibly cute babies, witnessing rare encounters, and completely losing ourselves in the spectacle of it all.
I’ve never felt so connected to wildlife — observing their behaviour so closely, starting to understand their patterns and rhythms, and just existing harmoniously alongside them.
This was such a special experience, and I am forever grateful to Imvelo, and honoured to be able to help my clients experience it moving forward.
If you’d like to help make an impact, from safari or from home, please visit this link.
If this is the kind of ethical, immersive, unique, impactful safari you’re looking for, I’d love to help bring it to life for you. Let’s chat. 🐘✨