Somalisa Camp
Luxury tented suites · Private concession on the Kennedy Vlei line, eastern sector · African Bush Camps
Top-end
Inside the park
Safari company
Seven luxury tented suites on a private concession along the Kennedy Vlei line, founded by the Zimbabwean guide Beks Ndlovu. The plunge pool on the main deck is the camp's signature: elephants drink from it at arm's length while you sit beside them. It holds Zimbabwe's first Gold Green Tourism certification, and a conservation and community levy applies on top of the room rate.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Elephants drink from the deck plunge pool at arm's length
- A private viewing deck at each of seven tented suites
- Romantic treehouse sleep-out overlooking a waterhole
- Zimbabwe's first Gold Green Tourism certification
Cons
- Ages 12 and over only
- $1,390 a person from June to October
- Conservation and community levy charged on top
- Four hours by road from Victoria Falls Airport
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Bar
- Solar or 24h power
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Birding
- Community visits
Read from Somalisa Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
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 Somalisa Camp
From $630 pppn. $850 in shoulder season, $1,390 June to October. A conservation and community levy applies on top.
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 Somalisa Camp
Is Somalisa Camp good for families?
Not for young children. Somalisa Camp takes guests aged 12 and over, and African Bush Camps points families with young children to Somalisa Acacia, its family camp nearby, which has interconnecting suites, cots and a children's club.
Is Somalisa Camp good for a honeymoon?
It is one of the stronger couples' picks in Hwange. Each of the seven tented suites has a private viewing deck, elephants drink from the plunge pool beside you, and the Somalisa Sleep-Out is a treehouse over a waterhole that the camp calls a romantic retreat.
How do you get to Somalisa Camp?
Fly 45 minutes by light aircraft from Victoria Falls International Airport to Manga Airstrip, then take a 30-minute game drive to camp. By road it is about four hours from the airport: two hours to Hwange Main Gate, then a two-hour game drive transfer.
What does the rate at Somalisa Camp include?
African Bush Camps' page does not set out what the rate includes, so ask for the inclusions in writing. Rates start at $630 a person a night, $850 in shoulder season and $1,390 from June to October, with a conservation and community levy added on top.