Wilderness Linkwasha
Wilderness Linkwasha offers an upmarket tented lodge experience in an exclusive corner of Hwange National Park.
Wilderness Linkwasha is situated close to the dramatic Ngamo Plains, one of the richest wildlife areas of Hwange National Park and offers an exclusive tented lodge experience. While no means the smallest camp in Hwange, Linkwasha is the most upmarket with extensive, contemporary suites and large central areas providing plenty of space and privacy. Levels of comfort, service and food are excellent. The camp has a contemporary feel, with glass doors to the front of the suites and some of the main areas, and it will suit those looking for a sophisticated accommodation option with great guiding and superb wildlife viewing.
Rooms
The entire camp has a modern and contemporary feel being built on low ‘composite’ decking and the nine tented suites are reached via low walkways. The rooms are built from metal and canvas, with sliding glass doors leading to a private deck with views across the plains. The interior is spacious and includes a lounge area with sofa, chairs and coffee table, a drinks station with kettle, tea and coffee making facilities and a mini fridge. There is a dressing area with plenty of luggage and hanging space. The plumbed en suite comprises an open plan double vanity with separate shower (with a glass door that can open out on to the verandah offering a semi-open air shower experience) and separate toilet. One room is a family suite and has a fireplace and interior doorway separating the main bedroom and lounge areas. Additional beds can be made up for children in the lounge area, which has a second smaller en suite bathroom (the master bedroom has the addition of a bathtub).
Central Areas
The expansive central areas are built on to a raised wooden deck, on which is built a spacious lounge tent with plenty of comfortable seating, a separate dining tent and a library tent which has a fireplace and games. There is an outdoor seating area, an outdoor dining area (individual dining is the norm at Linkwasha), a sunken fire pit and a swimming pool, all overlooking the plains and waterhole in front of camp.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
Hwange is the largest of Zimbabwe’s wildlife areas. Situated in the south-western corner of the country at an average altitude of around 3,000ft, it covers an area of about 1.5 million hectares, along the border with Botswana.
The Park covers the transition zone between the Kalahari sands and the moist savannah woodland. The poor soil and harsh climate have not stunted or limited the variety of habitat: over 230 trees and shrubs and 138 grass species make up some of the more than 1,000 flora species found here. This diversity allows for more than 50 mammal species to co-exist.
Lacking permanent rivers, Hwange is managed with numerous man-made waterholes which are pumped to provide water for most of the animal species and which form the magnate around which most game-viewing takes place (many of the waterholes have hides). The park has a very sizeable and healthy elephant population (it is not uncommon to see over 150 at a time around the waterholes during the dry season), and other larger mammals to be seen include giraffe, impala, zebra, wildebeest, tsessebe, kudu, duiker, roan antelope, waterbuck, eland, gemsbok (along the drier western border), reedbuck, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hippo. Unfortunately, rhino are now seldom seen.
The area is also excellent for bird life, most represented by bush country species: babblers, starlings, bustards, ostrich, cranes, hornbills, francolins, guinea fowl, shrikes, etc., although raptors are plentiful and storks, geese and ibis can be seen at the waterholes.
Game viewing is excellent with good general game, big herds of buffalo and all the major predators present in the area. However Hwange is perhaps best known for its huge elephant populations, and from June through to October huge numbers can be seen visiting the various waterholes throughout the park, including the pan in front of camp. Hwange is also an excellent place to see the majestic sable antelope.
The Linkwasha-Makalolo Private Wilderness Area occupies a broad range of habitat from open grassland, numerous pans, mopane woodland and teak forests. The expansive Ngamo Plains can offer particularly dramatic wildlife viewing – in the dry season they attract a large number of plains game and predators are never far away; while in the green season the flooded plain hosts an explosion of migrant birdlife.
Activities
Activities include game drives by day and by night (prior to dinner), hosted by knowledgeable local guides. Walking safaris are also possible with professional guides. Linkwasha also has a hide in front of the productive waterhole which can offer a great place to spend an afternoon instead of a game drive. The lodge also offers a ‘Star bed sleep-out experience’ on a raised platform overlooking Scott’s Pan, around 15 minutes’ drive from the property. Bedrolls are provided for a comfortable night under the stars and there are basic ablution facilities. Village visits are also possible as a full day activity.
Seasons
Wilderness Linkwasha is open year round, though game viewing is best from July through to October.
The camp accepts children from six years of age and the family unit offers a great option for families wanting to be under one roof. The camp is adept at designing activities for children and a Bush Buddy service is available for children up to the age of 12 on prior request. While the camp has a more “secure” feel to the accommodation than more traditional tented camps, the camp is not fenced and big game does wander through the camp and so we feel the destination naturally lends itself to adventurous younger families or those travelling with older children.
Wilderness Safaris has established two non-profit organisations to achieve their mission of protecting and expanding Africa’s wilderness through conservation and community empowerment.
Children in the Wilderness focuses on the children from villages close to the remote areas in which Wilderness Safaris operates, providing environmental education and awareness and training them in the life skills needed to care for and nurture their natural surroundings. Some of these programmes include operating annual camps for up to 30 children at a time in their lodges, running regular Eco-Clubs in rural schools, and Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) which mentors particular children who have shown a strong interest in their environment and scholarship programmes for primary, secondary and tertiary education.
The Wilderness Wildlife Trust is involved in conservation, anti-poaching, community empowerment and education. In Zimbabwe the Trust has initiated the Hwange Elephant Movement Study which aims to gain a better understanding of elephant movements and habitat use in the park, which has a particularly high elephant density. The Trust has also set up the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit in Hwange National Park in order to provide manpower and resources to assist Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to reduce levels of poaching within the Park.
Wilderness Safaris also offers its guests the option to bring a donation of supplies in partnership with Pack for a Purpose where guests may use the empty space in their suitcases for donations of much needed supplies for supported projects.
Lentorre is operated in partnership with the Olkiramatian Maasai community and 95% of the lodge’s team comes from the local area. Guests staying in the area pay conservation and community fees which go directly to wildlife and habitat conservation and community support. The conservancy, along with neighbouring Shompole, is an example of highly successful community conservation, illustrated by the Rebuilding the Pride project. The main goal of the program has been to rebuild lion prides (and other carnivore numbers) by proving that the coexistence of pastoral livestock and wildlife is not only possible, but is the best hope of sustaining large viable carnivore populations. Rebuilding the Pride also refers to the pride communities themselves take in conserving wildlife to their economic advantage.
