Jozibanini Camp

These robust and airy units blend seamlessly into the environment, complimenting the surrounding scenery with amazing views offered in every direction. Of three twin rooms, each feature an en-suite bathroom with complimentary amenities, an al fresco bucket shower with hot water on demand and two ¾ beds. These tented units can accommodate two guests.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• Al fresco shower facilities
• Veranda
• Balcony / deck
• Gauze windows
• Bathroom amenities

Jozi’s double tented units largely resemble the blueprints of the twin tents, featuring a larger volume of interior space with double beds larger in size. Each unit features an en-suite bathroom with complimentary amenities and an al fresco bucket shower. Double beds are fixed with wheels, transforming them into ‘star beds’ from which you can lie on your private deck and give way to slumber while gazing at the canvas of stars that lie above.

Amenities Include:

• En-suite bathroom
• Al fresco shower facilities
• Veranda
• Balcony / deck
• Gauze windows
• Bathroom amenities

A total of three meals are served daily, featuring a hearty continental breakfast comprised of fresh fruits, pastries, serials and juices, an al fresco picnic dinner served between activities and a lavish three course evening banquet. Meals range from lite and healthy to lavish and indulgent, ensuring there are preferences to suit all guests. If you have any specific dietary requirements, be sure to inform the camp in advance so the appropriate accommodations can be made. With fully inclusive rates, you’re free to indulge in a comprehensive range of refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at your own discretion.

The lite and airy feel of Jozibanini’s bar will leave you reeling for a refreshing beverage amid the parching midday Hwange heat. Talented bar staff are happy to fix you up the drink of your choosing, from pints to cocktails and everything in-between. Come and grab a drink in the evening and enjoy sundowners with friends and guides alike as you reminisce an exciting days’ safari adventure.

Experienced guides, familiar with the lay of the land and the abundance of wildlife that roams it will lead you safely through the lush landscape in search of the many staple safari creatures that roam the open plains and congregate around waterholes. Exotic Big 5 game viewing awaits your gaze, with regular sightings of all the big cats and predator and prey alike as you survey the landscape in open 4×4 safari vehicles. Night drives add new dimensions to the game viewing experience, granting the opportunity to view an ensemble of nocturnal creatures that come to life in the evening to search for food and socialise with one-another. The wonders of the wild await you.

Bush walks will allow you to soak up the intricacies of nature while traversing the land at a more intimate and insightful pace than conventional safari game drives. Knowledgeable guides will discuss with you the features of the land while pointing out local flora and fauna. Hwange National Park offers high concentrations of plains game, making any excursion one to write home about. Here, game is shot only with camera equipment, and the fertile plains that surround you offer the perfect opportunity for world-class wildlife photography.

Watch a spectacular variety of wildlife pass you from the comfort and security of your 6m long under-ground blind with an en-suite flush toilet, aptly provisioned to sustain you for hours of patient game viewing. Situated close to a waterhole, you will see many animals saunter by, unbeknownst to your location, offering the perfect opportunity for prime wildlife photography.

Complete the naturally formed safari circuit on a mountain bike and witness the awe-inspiring scenery of Hwange National Park in a unique and exciting way. Have you ever cycled past a meandering elephant herd at sunrise before? This once in a lifetime bike excursion is not to be missed. Deep Kalahari sands make much of Hwange inappropriate for biking, but geography and elephants have worked together to make it a possibility here.

Hwange National Park is an expansive wildlife area which features over 400 species waiting for you to discover. Bird watching here is phenomenal year-round, but at its absolute best during November through April. Not only is this when European and North African migratory birds are present, but it is also nesting time for resident species. Keep your eyes peeled for the likes of the Bradfield’s hornbill, Egyptian vulture, Collared pratincole and the Eastern black-headed oriole.

Cast your eyes upon the speckled canvas of vibrant lights displayed by the Hwange night sky while gathered around a cosy campfire in the company of friends and family. Untarnished by light pollution, the remote areas of the Zimbabwean bush provide the perfect arena for a picturesque star-gazing experience.

Jozibanini Camp is an Imvelo safari lodge which is part of the CAMPFIRE Programme, an initiative that builds bridges between local communities in Zimbabwe and tourism and wildlife conservation.

‘CAMPFIRE’ is the acronym for Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources. The philosophy underlying the project is: the people living within the natural resources are best placed to manage them and when doing so in a positive way, should reap the benefits directly. Over the past eight years, Imvelo has ploughed over US$ 2.5 million into local communities. The money is distributed to where it is needed most – education, providing clean water and developing initiatives to ensure the local people are benefiting directly from tourism.’

By drilling and maintaining boreholes, Imvelo continues to provide local communities with reliable and clean water sources. This helps support the health of the local people who depend on safe drinking water – a precious commodity during Zimbabwe’s dry season.

‘Over the past eight years, Imvelo has been responsible for the establishment of over 80 new village wells and boreholes in 4 districts at a cost of more than US$1.5 million. Together, these wells and boreholes provide approximately 1500 school children and 2280 households totalling 13 680 people and their livestock, with clean drinking water. In addition to the installations of new boreholes and wells, existing boreholes have been repaired at a rate of more than 50 repairs a year. This Programme has transformed the lives of over 120 000 villagers.’

In 2011, Imvelo launched its first mobile safari with the aid of 24 Spanish and Italian volunteer dentists in order to offer free dental care to local communities. From some of the patients, the dental care and procedures they received have had massive positive impacts on their health and may have even been lifesaving.
‘In the past seven years, well over 20 000 dental procedures have been conducted, including extractions, fillings and root canals, all free of charge.

More recently, in 2015, Imvelo was able to add an eye care clinic to their dental safari which treated 221 patients in its first year. Glasses, received as donations, were provided for those who needed them, and elderly people were able to regain the ability to read. In 2018, the eye care clinic was able to treat 2,211 patients and provide people with sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun’s harsh UV rays.

Imvelo gives support to 14 schools in the area in which they operate. The Ziga and Ngamo Primary Schools, which are both located on the edge of Hwange National Park, have transformed from being the worst primary schools in the district to two of the best thanks to money raised by both donated funds and safari camp lease fees. This money went to providing clean and safe classrooms with furniture, electricity and water.

Teachers have also been provided with comfortable accommodation as well as training support and a salary. To help increase the number of children proceeding to secondary school on completing their primary education, Imvelo built the Ngamo Secondary School which is now open with hundreds of students who can continue to learn in a safe and maintained environment.

‘Since 2014 we have constructed over 9 double classroom blocks accommodating 720 students, repair and maintenance of existing classroom blocks, built 13 teachers’ houses and 3 ablution blocks, purchased and supplied classroom furniture for 612 students and their teachers, and provided 95 students with bursaries for school fees, uniforms and stationery to name a few.’

Bomani Tented Lodge supports local schools through Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that encourages guests to utilise their spare suitcase space by bringing much-needed donations for local projects. Bomani Tented Lodge asks guests to bring school supplies such as pens, notepads, book bags and colouring pencils, as well as art supplies, textbooks, flashcards, musical instruments, sports equipment, educational games and office supplies. These donations are taken directly to the schools by the lodge, where they will benefit both teachers and students.

Imvelo clears and manages over 280 kilometres of fire guards each year in order to protect wildlife habitats from wildfires. Imvelo safeguards thousands of square kilometres of wildlife habitat through this initiative, as well as the animals that live within this area. The project is funded through Imvelo’s revenue and donor funds raised on both local and international fundraising events.

Imvelo has been hugely supportive of the ‘Scorpions’ Anti-Poaching Unit which operates in the south of Hwange National Park by providing training, supplies, bedding and wages to the rangers who help protect the wildlife from illegal poachers. The Scorpions work to remove wire snares and aid both police and national parks in catching and arresting poachers who hunt protected animals for ivory and hides. In 2016, the Scorpions were responsible for the capture of an entire team of elephant poachers. Imvelo and their donors have also established a new team of rangers called the Cobras, which supports park workers and the Makona ranger station on the southern border of Hwange.

By building Jozibanini Camp in the Southwest of Hwange National Park, Imvelo has introduced a presence in a remote section of the park which further deters poachers and opened up old roads to increase manoeuvrability within the park for rangers and anti-poaching patrols.

The wildlife within Hwange National Park is reliant on artificial waterholes, which if they were to run dry would result in the deaths of thousands of animals. Imvelo is working to make this Programme eco-friendlier by using solar-powered water pumps in the more recent boreholes in order to reduce the consumption of diesel and fuel needed to maintain the waterholes. The solar pumps also provide a power source for rangers to make use of for radio communications with HQ and charging batteries. Imvelo is continuing to replace diesel pumps with solar-powered ones to reduce carbon emissions, in addition to the application of solar power energy throughout their camps which is used to power in-camp facilities.