An Australian in Zimbabwe

African safari in Zimbabwe goes luxe at Mpala Jena, Zambezi National Park

The animals get so close at this safari camp that elephants might
steal your bath water and monkeys your shampoo.

– Excerpt from The Australian, Jan 12, 2025 – by Ricky French

It’s the end of the dry season in northwest Zimbabwe, and the plug has been pulled from the Zambezi River. An El Nino-induced drought has drained Africa’s fourth largest river, exposing tussocky islands and ­basalt reefs, braiding it into churning channels. Spray smashes across the bow of our speedboat as we shoot the rapids, heading upstream from the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Victoria Falls, where the mighty river seeps across an ancient volcanic plateau before plunging 100m into Batoka Gorge, creating the largest curtain of falling water on Earth. Local tribes know it as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that ­thunders.

We’re on the river less than 30 minutes after getting our passports stamped at Victoria Falls Airport, the first action-packed hour of an eight-night Zimbabwean itinerary designed by the Classic Safari Company. We haven’t even had time to dig out our binoculars before our driver Wellington spots an elephant on an island, guiding the boat so close we can almost touch its tusks […] The gangly frames of Marabou storks glide overhead, their enormous wingspan threatening to eclipse the sun. A pied kingfisher goes spear fishing with its dagger-like beak, while African fish eagles survey the scene from perches on skeletal trees. After 30 thrilling minutes Wellington kills the throttle, nudges the boat into a sandbank, and we ­finally exhale.

We’ve washed up at Mpala Jena, a luxury riverside safari lodge in a private concession within the wildlife-rich Zambezi National Park. With its white sand floor, thatched roof pavilions, rattan screens and curvaceous stone walls, it feels more Thailand than Matabeleland. Sun lounges line a sparkling swimming pool, hammocks hang from trees and bean bags are strewn round a flickering firepit. Rope and timber swings replace bar stools at the airy bar, so you can trail your toes through the sand while sipping a sundowner. […]

We combine our [first] game drive with a guided five-kilometre walk through the mopane woodlands, watched intently by the swivelling heads of giraffes camouflaged in the foliage. Our day ends with a sublime sunset cruise, watching zebras and baboons gathering at the water’s edge, the low-slung orange sun silhouetting 1,000-year-old baobab trees on the bank. It feels like we’ve packed a lifetime of adventure into one day on the Zambezi.

Ricky French’s Classic Zimbabwe Safari continues in a series of articles featured in the coming weeks in The Australian

READ THIS ARTICLE IN FULL NOW AT THE AUSTRALIAN

See you out there.

Thomas

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