Amalinda Lodge

Amalinda Lodge offers a range of unique rooms for both couples, families and friends travelling together. The standard rooms at Amalinda lodge offer elevated views of the rocky outcrops and Matobo Hills while providing a private and comfortable space for guests to relax and unwind. Each room has its own charm and offers something different, such as the original San Bushman painting in Room 8, or Room 5’s direct access into the historic granite hills. The rooms all feature different bed configurations, including two twins, large double beds or multiple double beds. Room 3, the family room, also has additional space for a single bed to cater for up to 5 guests at any one time. Each bedroom has its own private en-suite bathroom with showers, flush toilets and rock-carved basins. Enjoy a luxurious stay in a natural cave-like setting with elegant furnishings and stunning views.

The Lobengula Suite sits atop the granite boulders, situated behind the camp’s library and main area, up a flight of 90 steps. The suite features a large king-size bed, covered by mosquito nets and with additional electric blankets for the cooler evenings. The en-suite bathroom consists of a flush toilet, twin basins carved from the rocks and both an indoor and outdoor shower. Hot water is heated twice a day by a wood fire. Hot water can also be provided on request but this may incur a 30-minute wait. Hairdryers are available as well as tea and coffee making facilities, and the power sockets are suitable for South African plugs. Outside, guests will find a private deck which offers incredible views of the Matobo Hills and sweeping wilderness.

The Cecil John Rhodes Suite offers guests the chance to enjoy a private stay and is the most secluded of the lodges. Guests will need to walk up a total of 36 steps to reach this suite, which is located behind the main area. The suite features a king-size bed with protective mosquito nets and coils and electric blankets. The bedroom also has a large open wardrobe and a comfy lounge area. Hot water is heated up twice a day by a wood fire, and can be provided on request with a 30-minute wait. Hairdryers are available as well as tea and coffee making facilities, and the power sockets are suitable for South African plugs. Outside, guests will find a private viewing sala, accessible via a swing bridge, which offers amazing views over the waterhole.

The Homestead is the beautiful and tranquil home of the Stead Family, where guests can enjoy a relaxing stay alongside the wildlife of the Matopos. The Homestead consists of a master bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom and private deck, with two additional bedrooms that also lead to outside decks via sliding doors. There is an independent bathroom that features a shower and flush toilet. The Homestead also has its own open plan dining room with the option to pre-book meals at the main lodge with the other guests, or two have the host/hostess chef cook for you specially. The dining room also features a sunken lounge area and is lit with glass chandeliers. Guests staying at the Homestead have full access to the Amalinda pool and can arrange to go out on guided walks and game drives with a private guide.

Guests staying at Amalinda Lodge can look forward to three delicious meals each day, with flexible timings so that guests can operate on their own schedules. Breakfast can be enjoyed in the main area, and consists of a buffet of toast, cereals, yoghurts and pastries, with cooked breakfast options available. Following your first activity of the day, return to a light yet mouth-watering lunch followed by a sweet dessert. Lunch is often served beside the infinity rock pool. Dinner takes place in the evenings around the Captain’s Table, a teak dining table made from railway ties from Cecil John Rhodes’ railway line from Cape to Cairo. Guests can enjoy a three-course meal and a chance to interact with fellow travellers. Finish the day off with an indulgent dessert and a glass of wine. Private dinners can also be arranged for guests hoping to have a romantic meal under the African stars. Dietary requirements can be catered for if the lodge is given advanced warning.

Take the chance to track black and white rhinos, two endangered species which thrive within the Matobo Hills National Park. Guests can choose to track the rhinos either by vehicle or on foot, although tracking on foot is only possible if guests hire national park scouts. Follow clues in the wilderness such as tracks and droppings which will lead you to incredible sightings of rhino. Your experienced guide will be able to teach you how to follow these clues, as well as interesting facts about rhino and other local wildlife.

Wander around the granite hills and view sights where nomads once held ancient ceremonies. With over 2,000 sites of San Bushman artwork, guests can get a sense of the history and spiritual beliefs that took place in the Matobo Hills. The summit of the hill is known as Malindidzimu, which means ‘Hill of Benevolent Spirits’, and this site was once sacred to the Mwari religion. Several famous rocks can be found here which hold spiritual significance. Learn about the spiritual beliefs that have marked this area, and how the ancient artwork depicts the natural spirits that are said to be strong here.

Visit the tomb of Cecil John Rhodes and walk in the footsteps of a famous businessman and politician. Cecil Rhode’s tomb is known as ‘View of the World’, and many other men are buried here including Leander Starr Jameson, a Scottish politician and friend of Rhodes, and soldiers killed in battle by Matabele warriors. Some believe that this is a site with a strong spiritual presence. Travellers can enjoy a cultural and historical experience, finished with stunning sunset views over the rocky hills and sweeping plains.

Travel to a nearby village and meet the local Matabele people who will take you for a tour of their pole and dagga huts. Learn about a different way of living and experience the culture of the Matabele people. Guests may be able to visit a variety of members of the community, including traditional healers, or teachers and students at the local primary school. Many projects that support the school, clinic and orphanage are through Amalinda’s Mother Africa Trust.

Enjoy a peaceful walk around Amalinda Lodge’s grounds where you will encounter a variety of wildlife. Due to the absence of lions and elephants, the grounds are safe to wander through. Get up close to a range of fascinating creatures including warthogs, zebras, klipspringers, kudus, impalas, wildebeest, reedbucks, steenboks, and hyrax. Guests may also catch sight of a leopard and can admire the incredible birdlife.

Take one of the many fascinating tours offered by Paul Hubbard, a professional archaeologist with a deep knowledge of the local area and its history. Guests can travel to a range of places including the thousands of rock art sites among the Matobo Hills, Cecil John Rhodes’ grave, the Battlefields of the Anglo Matabele War, the Rozvi Ruins of DhloDhlo, Naletale, Zinjanja and Bila, and tours around Bulawayo, it’s Railway Museum and Natural History Museum. Be transported back in time with Paul Hubbard’s insightful storytelling, and learn about ancient cultures and events that have shaped the history of Matobo Hills and Zimbabwe.

Enjoy a leisurely bike ride along a carefully planned cycle route through the rural homes and villages of the Matopos. Guests will be able to travel at their own pace and view the amazing Homesteads of Africa. Pass beautifully constructed homes made from natural materials – wooden poles cut from indigenous trees and grass thatching, with African earthen brickwork and homemade ovens. Each home is painted and decorated in styles and colours associated with the family that lives there, and guests may catch sight of waddling chickens and grazing cattle. Pass local people as they go through their daily routines and enjoy wandering through a friendly community.

Amalinda Lodge is part of the Amalinda Safari Collection, which set up The Mother Africa Trust. The aim of the trust is to help local communities and set up sustainable projects to provide people with the tools needed to allow local people to empower themselves. The Mother Africa Trust helps children by supplying families with supplementary foods each month, supporting local children with disabilities and working with the Ethandweni Home for Orphans, which takes care of 35 children who have lost their parents to AIDS or been abandoned. Additionally, The Mother Africa Trust is raising funds for the construction of a much-needed clinic in Ward 17 of the Matobo district.

The Mother Africa Trust aims to give children equal opportunities in regards to receiving an education and being able to learn. Orphaned and vulnerable children make up a large percentage of school dropouts, and so The Mother Africa Trust’s Academic Scholarship Programme was set up to support children who have not had the same educational benefits or opportunities in life as others, by offering full academic funding to hard-working students. The trust has awarded 15 scholarships, enabling these disadvantaged children to receive a full education and broaden their career prospects, helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Amalinda Lodge pays a community and conservation levy, which goes towards the funding of community development projects, supporting the anti-poaching unit and furthering conservation efforts that protect endangered species.

The Dete Old Age Home provides support for elderly people within the wider Hwange area who are unable to care for themselves and have no family nearby. The Dete Old Age Home is home to 28 residents and offers care to many more elderly people who live in independent homes.

‘Today the Old Age Home boost of a rich nutritious vegetable garden, improved health and living conditions for the elderly, all as a result of tremendous efforts by The Mother Africa Trust. The Trust continues to provide sustainable support in the form of clothing, medication, food and provision of technical expertise in fixing the borehole and washing machine. Guests are more than welcome to visit or even volunteer to get involved.’

The Walk In My Shoes initiative has collected and distributed over 200 pairs of shoes, which have been given to disadvantaged members in the rural communities in Zimbabwe. Children have been walking barefoot to school, and community members have had to travel to fields, work and clinics without shoes, exposing them to the risks of injury and unsanitary conditions. Through the Walk In My Shoes project, some local people who have never even owned a pair of shoes are able to feel more comfortable and safer.

The Mother Africa Trust has launched a project that aims to support child-headed families by gifting one or two goats to a family. When the goats breed, their kids are passed on to another family, extending the number of people who can benefit from the goats and their milk.

‘Goats are ideal for drought-prone areas. They tend to reproduce quickly and they can free a family from the dependence cycle within two years if they are well taken care of. Once they multiply, a struggling family can sell some of their goats to pay school fees for children or use the money to buy basic commodities.’

The Mother Africa Trust sponsors educational trips for disadvantaged schoolchildren that teach about conservation. Pupils can take a guided field trip to Matobo National Park where they can meet rangers, conservation experts and guides and learn about the local wildlife and flora. The children can take part in a number of activities including rhino tracking, bird-watching and identifying plants and trees. This helps to reinforce the importance of the natural world and why it is crucial to help conserve it.

‘To many children, this would be their first time to experience Zimbabwe’s wildlife. By connecting local people to nature we cultivate a relationship between rural communities and their natural wild surroundings. At the end of the day we have enthusiasts who understand the benefits of conserving and treasuring our valued wildlife and the environment. We have discovered that this exposure is an important element to a successful conservation strategy.’

The Mother Africa Trust supports anti-poaching efforts in the Ivory Lodge Concession. There is no border between this concession and Hwange National Park, meaning that the anti-poaching team are protecting wildlife that wanders into the concession from the park.

‘A team of 5 men frequently carry out anti-poaching patrols in the 6000 acre Ivory Lodge concession that borders Hwange National Park and they have collected more than 7000 snares since 2012. They patrol a distance of 180km by foot and 10km by vehicle, on average, in a month.’

Conflict with humans is one of the biggest threats to lion prides in Zimbabwe. When humans and wildlife live close together, predators such as lions can attack livestock which often results in retaliation from farmers whose livelihoods are at risk. This can be fatal for both lions and humans. To prevent human-wildlife conflict, The Mother Africa Trust is building lion-proof bomas which keep cattle safe from lions hunting at night. The bomas can protect up to 20 cattle and The Mother Africa Trust intends to build more bomas in the areas around Hwange National Park affected worst by conflict with wildlife.