Sapi Explorers Camp

The Explorer Style Tents stand along the riverbank, enjoying the pleasant shade of the acacia, mahogany, ebony and fig trees. Each tent faces towards the Zambezi River, offering incredible views of the wildlife that gathers at its banks and wade into the cool water. Each of the spacious tents opens up to allow panoramic views of the wilderness, and this provides a light and airy environment where game viewing can be enjoyed. The rooms consist of comfortable twin or double beds, colourful woven rugs and elegant furnishings, providing a relaxing space that serves as a home away from home. Each tent has en-suite facilities including a bucket shower and flush toilet. Mosquito nets are provided, as well as electric lanterns which lead from your tent to your private outdoor seating area.

The Family Tent is similar to the Explorer Style Tent, but with two bedrooms that connect via a living room area. As with the other tents, the family tent faces out over the Zambezi River, offering incredible views of the wildlife that gathers at its banks and wade into the cool water. Both of the bedrooms offer panoramic views of the wilderness with canvas walls that part to allow for incredible game viewing. The bedrooms consist of comfortable twin or double beds, with colourful woven rugs and elegant furnishings. Both rooms have their own en-suite bathroom with a bucket shower and flush toilet. Mosquito nets and electric lanterns are also provided. The family tent opens out to a common outdoor seating area, where families can spend time together and reflect on the exciting adventures of their safari experiences.

Guests staying at Sapi Explorers Camp can look forward to three delicious meals each day, which can be enjoyed in the outdoor dining area or under canvas. Enjoy mouthwatering meals that combine homely cooking with local flavour and delicacies. Guests can take picnic breakfasts and lunches into the bush during wildlife viewing activities, and the camp is flexible on dinner timings, allowing guests to plan their day to their own schedule. Drinks and beverages, including imported spirits and wines, are all included and all dietary requirements can be catered for if advanced warning is given.

Embark on a game drive and discover the incredible wildlife of Sapi’s Private Concession and the Mana Pools National Park from the comfort of a specially-designed safari vehicle. The area is home to a range of amazing creatures including approximately 12,000 African Bull Elephants and large prides of lions. Watch antelope as they congregate at the waters before scattering across the plains as predators approach. The camp’s knowledgeable guides will be able to teach you interesting facts about the incredible animals of Zimbabwe, as well as showing you the best spots for viewing game. Night drives are also available, allowing guests to see the nocturnal species that only emerge once the sun goes down. Night drives usually focus on the smaller species, but guests may also see prowling lions and leopards as they hunt for prey.

Explore the bush on foot on a walking safari, and experience the smaller details that make safaris more immersive. Your experienced guide will be able to teach you how to recognise tracks and follow clues left in the wilderness that will lead to incredible game viewing opportunities. Get up close to the giant grey African Bull Elephants and get a sense of the sheer size of these amazing animals. Walking safaris allow you to explore at your own pace, without the noise of an engine to startle the wildlife, and take advantage of incredible photographic opportunities.

Enjoy a safari from a completely new perspective by taking a canoe along the Zambezi River, where amazing game viewing awaits you. Watch elephants and hippos as they wade through the waters to escape the hot sunshine, and observe eland and antelope as they gather at the riverbanks for a drink. Canoe safaris allow guests to enjoy a leisurely exploration of the Sapi Concession and appreciate the stunning landscape while drifting along the soothing waters.

The Young Explorers Programme offers children a range of fun activities that teach fascinating bushcraft skills. Young explorers can learn different animal calls, as well as how to track wildlife and discover interesting facts about the local flora and fauna. At the end of your stay, each child will be appointed a Young Explorer and Conservation Ambassador, with a wealth of knowledge about the natural world and why it should be protected.

Sapi Explorers Camp is part of Great Plains Conservation, which seeks to ‘preserve, rescue and recover’ communities, wildlife and landscapes in Africa. One of the ways they are doing this is through the Great Plains Student Conservation Camp by educating teachers and students in local communities and in Great Plains camps about environmental conservation and why this is important. Having a commitment to responsible travel means that Great Plains Conservation not only protects the communities and land they operate within, but also green technology is integrated into all their lodges. The Conservation Grows program began in 2019 and ‘aims to restore indigenous trees to landscapes across Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.’

Great Plains Conservation understands that employing people from local communities not only benefits the employee but also their wider family members. Having a job and an income reduces their need to rely on the land for survival so increases the protection of this land. A relatively new initiative is ‘Women Wildlife Monitors’ which aims to employ and empower local women. Great Plains Conservation have also donated solar lanterns to community members and students so their homes can have a safe and sustainable light resource. Every Great Plains Camp has a shop where local beadwork and other products can be sold, to help support local craft groups.

Great Plains Conservation run Student Conservation Camps in order to teach students about the importance of local ecosystems and how they can be protected. The camps feature multi-day programs that take place throughout the year, consisting of classroom instruction, field studies, and mentorship. Students can learn about the local landscape and wildlife from conservation experts and safari guides, giving them positive role models who can reinforce the importance of living harmoniously with wildlife and working to protect the fragile ecosystems that these animals depend on. Students can participate in sports and games which allows both students and mentors to form lasting bonds.

Great Plains Conservation contributes to the Rhinos Without Borders project and aims to translocate ‘100 rhinos from poaching hot zones in South Africa to safe havens in Botswana.’ Guests staying at Great Plains Camps are automatically helping to support this initiative through the Conservation and Community Levy, which is added to each stay and contributes directly to these projects. So far, Rhinos Without Borders has successfully relocated 87 rhinos, who have birthed 35 calves.

‘Rhinos Without Borders uses aircraft to fly the animals in as short a time as possible and release them directly into the wild. The results show this to be the least stressful on the animals, offering the relocation operations the greatest chance of success. During the relocation process, Rhinos Without Borders included and trained local vets and gave them the opportunity to gain experience in rhino capture and care. Additionally Rhinos Without Borders now redart and refit telemetry regularly; including local veterinarians in the process to build capacity.’

Land For Lions is a project that aims to protect lion habitats and populations so that lion prides are more likely to survive. Land For Lions works alongside local communities and other conservation stakeholders in order to improve habitat conditions for lions across Africa.

‘Great Plains Conservation has also joined the Lionscape Coalition, an effort to join ecotourism companies together to support lion conservation solutions. The ambition, via the Lion Recovery Fund, is to double the number of lions by 2025.’

The Sapi Restoration Initiative aims to repair the Sapi Concession that borders Mana Pools National Park. When Great Plains Conservation received the area in 2016, they ‘immediately put a stop to all hunting in the area’, and are continuing to protect this crucial conservation area by working with teams of experts to develop ‘basic infrastructure, roads and communications systems, a strategic wildlife management plan that includes wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching and species reintroduction as well as a comprehensive flora and fauna survey.’

This will mean that wildlife and their habitats will be better protected and the animals that wander from Mana Pools National Park will still be safe. Ecotourism provides a nonlethal human presence, which helps to show animals that we are not a threat, as well as deter poachers. Tourism within this area has also created new jobs and employment opportunities for local people.