Camp Hwange
Thatch and canvas chalets · Private concession, Sinamatella sector, three hours from Main Camp · Wild Expeditions Africa
High-end
Inside the park
Owner/family-run
A thatch-and-canvas camp on a private concession in the Sinamatella sector, three hours from Main Camp. It was founded by the guide Dave Carson and bought outright by Wild Expeditions in 2023, who run it the same way: every guest gets a fully qualified walking guide rather than an apprentice, so you walk or sit in the log-pile hide whenever the moment is right, not when a guide becomes free. It overlooks two natural waterholes rather than pumped ones. No credit card facility, and signal is limited.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Every guest gets a fully qualified walking guide, not an apprentice
- Overlooks two natural waterholes, rare in a park of pumped pans
- Rate includes all drinks, walking safaris and night game drives
- Founded by guide Dave Carson, run the same way since 2023
Cons
- Three hours from Main Camp, in the Sinamatella sector
- ZimParks and community conservation fees are extra
- All transfers and air charters cost extra
- No credit card facility, and phone signal is limited
Straight from the lodge
About the guides
Most camps say their guiding is excellent. What is unusual here is the arrangement behind it. Every guest is assigned a fully qualified walking guide rather than an apprentice, which means you can leave the vehicle or settle into a log-pile hide when the moment is right, instead of waiting until a professional guide comes free for a short nature walk later. Tracking on foot is the point of the place, not an extra.
- Four learners or apprentices in camp at any one time; at the moment three men and two women.
- Four of them have passed Zimbabwe's professional guide proficiency exam since covid. In recent years only two or three people pass it nationally.
- Two dedicated ten-day courses a year, run for their own learners and for those from other Hwange camps, usually Nehimba and Chitubu but also from the larger operators.
- Outside specialists are brought in for those courses.
Told to us by Chris Roche of Wild Expeditions, August 2026.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Hwange National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe rate for guests sleeping inside the park.
- $12per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered vehicle, at the staying-inside rate.
- $3per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $81 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Sleeping inside the boundary is what keeps that low. $12 if you sleep inside the park, against $24 a day for anyone driving in from outside.
The full fee schedule for Hwange National ParkRates at Camp Hwange
From $550 pppn. $724 April to June, $1,080 July to October, $590 November to December. Fully inclusive, but ZimParks fees are extra.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates from operators' own rate cards, gathered July 2026. Always confirm with the lodge. One thing to watch when comparing: some camps include ZimParks fees in their rate and some do not, which shifts the real gap by $12 to $36 per person per night.
Questions about Camp Hwange
What does the rate at Camp Hwange include?
The rate covers all meals, all drinks, laundry, VAT and all activities: game drives in a 4x4 with six guests and a guide, walking safaris and night game drives. ZimParks conservation fees, community conservation fees, all transfers and air charters are extra. 2026 rates run from $550 to $1,080 a person a night.
Is Camp Hwange good for walking safaris?
Walking is the core product. Every guest is assigned a fully qualified walking guide rather than an apprentice, so you can leave the vehicle or sit in the log-pile hide when the moment is right. Learner guides from other Hwange camps train here on its ten-day courses.
How do you get to Camp Hwange?
Camp Hwange is on a private concession in the Sinamatella sector, three hours from Main Camp. The nearest airstrip is Giraffe Springs, 25 minutes from Victoria Falls. Transfers and air charters are not in the rate, and a private 4x4 can be hired for $600 a day.
Is Camp Hwange good for families?
We found no published child policy or minimum age for Camp Hwange, so ask when you enquire, and check which walking activities children can join. For a family wanting a camp to itself, the sister camp Muddy Teak is booked whole and describes itself as suited to families.
When is Camp Hwange open?
Camp Hwange is open year-round. 2026 rates are lowest from January to March at $550 a person a night and highest from July to October at $1,080, with $724 from April to June and $590 in November and December.