Hwange National Park
In the summer of 2025, we spent four unforgettable nights at Somalisa in Zimbabwe’s wildlife-dense Hwange National Park. Getting there meant boarding a tiny propeller plane and touching down on a dirt airstrip deep inside the park. Each day began and ended with game drives that immersed us in the raw beauty of the bush. Elephants were everywhere—hundreds of them roaming the landscape, wandering through camp, shaking trees for fruit, and often standing directly outside our tent.
Our guide, Bheki, brought the wilderness into sharper focus. One evening, just before sunset, he spotted vultures overhead. Following their signal, he led us to a cheetah’s kill—and then moments later to the cheetah itself, lying hidden in the grass, resting after its meal. On another drive, Bheki hit the brakes suddenly on a quiet dirt road and pointed. What at first seemed like empty bush came alive: there, perched motionless like a statue on a tree stump, was a leopard, scanning the land before descending to a watering hole.
At night, we fell asleep to the unmistakable calls of lions and the loud whoops of hyenas. Through it all, the Somalisa staff ensured every detail was perfect, from early morning breakfasts by the watering hole to candlelit dinners under the blanket of stars.
