Rhino Safari Camp

Rhino Safari Camp are a small owner-managed camp, on a private concession within the remote Matusadona National Park that offers a highly personalised experience and whilst deliberately rustic in nature, still offers a very comfortable and unforgettable safari experience of yesteryear!

Rhino Safari Camp is about being in the bush and closer to nature, where we strive to offer a friendly, remotely exclusive and close to nature destination for walkers, outdoors enthusiasts, birders, photographers, fishermen and those people just wanting to unwind from the hustle and bustle of stressed city life.

The grounds are unfenced and thus the wildlife roams freely along the shoreline and often through camp – it is not unusual to find an elephant browsing outside the rooms during siesta time, or hippos grazing in the area at night.

The camp will only take bookings with children under 12, on the understanding that parents are aware that the camp is completely unfenced as we often have wildlife roaming through the campgrounds, normally elephants, hippos and hyenas, but also leopards and lions do come through. 

We have seven twin bedded rooms built on the principles of the local Tonga people – being two metres above the ground with vented, extended thatch roofs to protect guests from the weather, with reed half walls for privacy, but open fronts to fully appreciate the breath-taking views of the lake and the private real-life dramas of elephants, birds, and other wild events playing out on the shoreline.

Each room has its own en-suite facilities – situated at the back and at a slightly lower level, with a flush toilet, hand basin, and an open-air shower with plenty of hot and cold running water, where guests can enjoy a starlit shower and be far from light pollution, just marvel at how many stars there are in the heavens at night!! We aim to meet our guests' expectations through a highly personalised interface with them during their stay. Camp management and guides eat meals together with guests, where conversations are lively as different topics of conversation drift across the table and discussions on the days sightings are re-lived.

The Matusadona is technically home to the big five, although the rhino remains extremely elusive and it is not likely to see any in the short term. We often see impala, warthog, kudu, waterbuck, zebras, hippos and crocodiles plus we often have sightings and signs, in and around camp, of our resident leopards and the roaming pride of lions. Our patriarch and my stepdad, Peter Tetlow (whose concept the camp was and a professional guide of some repute) are normally at camp, in order to take out those that are interested in walking in the bush, tracking the game in the area and looking at the smaller things that one normally doesn’t see when in a vehicle. Peter is ably assisted by Jean Blake, Steve Chinhoi, Simeon Josiah, Mark Edwards and Carl Nicholson as and when required.

We also have an incredible variety of birds in the area, with over 350 species recorded, and so for birders, we are a great place to visit – don’t forget to bring binoculars and a camera.