Sleep-out platforms: Guvalala and Makwa
Open platform above a waterhole · Main Camp sector, above pumped pans · ZimParks
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Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (ZimParks)
An open sleeping platform above a pumped waterhole in the Main Camp sector, from sixty dollars a person. No staff, no fence and no facilities beyond the platform itself, just you and elephants drinking below through the night. Maximum six people, and you bring everything, including drinking water. If you do one thing in Hwange you will still talk about in ten years, make it this.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sleep on an open platform directly above a pumped waterhole
- From $60 a person for the night
- Elephants drink below you through the night
- Up to six people, so a small group can share it
Cons
- No staff, no fence and no facilities beyond the platform
- Bring everything yourself, including drinking water
- No child policy found for this unfenced open platform
What's here
- Campsite
Arranged from the lodge:
- Community visits
Read from Sleep-out platforms: Guvalala and Makwa'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 Sleep-out platforms: Guvalala and Makwa
$60 per person. Maximum six people. Bring everything, including drinking water.
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 Sleep-out platforms: Guvalala and Makwa
How much does a night on the Guvalala or Makwa platform cost?
A night on one of the sleep-out platforms costs $60 a person, with a maximum of six people per platform. You book through ZimParks, by email at info@zimparks.org.zw. The price covers the platform only: there are no staff and no facilities, so plan to bring all your own food and water.
What do you need to bring to a Hwange sleep-out platform?
Everything. The Guvalala and Makwa platforms have no staff, no fence and no facilities beyond the platform itself, so bring your own bedding, food and all your drinking water. ZimParks' general advice for campers is a sleeping bag and enough food for the whole stay.
Can children sleep on the Guvalala or Makwa platform?
We found no published child policy for the sleep-out platforms, so ask when you book. Bear in mind what you are booking: an open platform above a waterhole in the Main Camp sector, with no fence, no staff and elephants drinking below through the night.
Where are the Hwange sleep-out platforms?
Guvalala and Makwa are in the Main Camp sector, built above pumped pans, so the water draws game through the night. Main Camp is the nearest base and has the nearest airstrip. Both platforms are open year-round and are booked through ZimParks.