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The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide
The Hide

Reviews of The Hide

Wildlife sightings and reviews

39 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Hide and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Sep-2018, 14 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at The Hide.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

30% success

Cheetah

30% success

Wild dog

45% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Hippo

92% success

Wildebeest

92% success

Sable antelope

83% success

Buffalo

71% success

Roan antelope

50% success

Spotted Hyena

13% success

Aardvark

0% success

Brown Hyena

0% success

Eland

0% success

Oryx

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 39
Duration
Arrival date
Prof. S.
Haliday Bay

"A. Very Enjoyable Experience"

3 nights Arrived 31 May 2025
"The Hide central areas have a great atmosphere- Sitting around the campfire was an important part of our enjoyment. The staff were fantastic - always warm and eager to help us enjoy our stay. The food was first class- especially the picnic-style breakfasts.

The tented accomodation had recently been upgraded. It was very spacious, if a tad spartan in decor and I found it very cold at night, despite heavy blankets and hot water bottle!

Our guide Peter was outstanding. He was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We enjoyed his company.

There was quite a good range of wildlife, though perhaps not quite as extensive as I’d experienced in Tanzania previously. A great place to see elephants!" See all these reviews: 6n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Sable antelope

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Dr J.
Australia

"The Hide review - tracking Leopards"

3 nights Arrived 31 May 2025
"This was a wonderful camp for a first time safari experience. The camp staff were very 'visible' and attentive to guest queries and concerns. The highlight was the quality of the guiding - Peter was outstanding - he came across as 'listening' to the bush and exhibited his prowess in tracking as we chased an alleged cheetah in the vicinity of the camp.

Our first encounter (the very first afternoon, on the drive to camp) included a number of different animals: buffalo, giraffe, elephants as well and a male lion basking in the sun on the road. We managed a 30 minute encounter with him, with no other people around. Exhilarating. Eventually he sauntered up the road, calling. A great start.

The camp itself was very comfortable, with a fire pit for early morning warm-up and sunset relaxing, and a central area for meeting others. A great idea was a tunnel and hide to view animals in the camp waterhole. A hippo called it home, acting like a rock, except when s/he rolled and displayed four feet out of the water. The accommodation was very good, though a tad cold, even with warm bedding and water bottles for those coming from warmer climes. Food was excellent, and the picnic breakfasts outstanding.

A great introduction to the safari experience." See all these reviews: 6n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Sable antelope

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Travel Photoman
USA

"The Hide review"

3 nights Arrived 26 Jun 2024
"Hwange is a fantastic park and the Hide was one of the best camps we've been to.

The camp has a resident hippo at their waterhole and at night you can get an excellent view of the elephants drinking at the waterhole. Room was very spacious with outdoor shower and a great view from the deck.

Meals were well prepared with excellent presentation. Dinners are communal where you have opportunity to chat with other guests." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

3 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Hippo

4 sightings

Lion

5 sightings

Sable antelope

2 sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

P.C
Redlands, Calif

"The Hide review"

3 nights Arrived 16 Apr 2024
"Very well run camp.

The tents may have been a little dated, but overall nice.

Internet only available in central office area." See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Ms C.
Redlands

"The Hide review"

3 nights Arrived 16 Apr 2024
"This is a spectacular camp and perfect for those who feel a bit nervous about animals coming too close--you feel a bit of a buffer.

The waterhole with its resident hippo is a real plus. Staff were truly outstanding both in friendliness and in anticipating your needs.

My only quibble is that the outlets for charging devices were a little hard to reach, at least in my tent--on the other hand, the WiFi in the reception area was excellent.

I also enjoyed the variation of just having a quick coffee and rusk before setting out in the morning, and then the bush breakfast. (The chocolate almond horns were delicious!}" See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

3 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

3 sightings

Lion

5 sightings

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

4 sightings

Mark
Switzerland

"The Hide review"

3 nights Arrived 8 Jan 2024
"Perfect food
Walk with lions nearby, quite a thrill" See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe; 2n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Hippo

1 sighting

Lion

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs H
Lincs

"The Hide review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Nov 2023
"Lovely camp with outstanding accommodation. The Hide and upstairs viewing deck are amazing. The lounge and dining area are comfortable with excellent views of the camp pan including Gloria the resident male Hippo. The highlight of the game drives was spending time with the 2 resident lion prides, the bigger one consisting of a male 2 females and 3 cubs, and the smaller one featuring a female and 3 delightful month old cubs. Truly special. Our last night was spent in the Dove's Nest, a tree house situated approx. 2k from the Hide. It was a magical experience sipping G&T's watching the sun set from the deck with side striped jackals running through the vlei underneath. If you go to the Hide you must do this. You so won't regret it!" See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

6 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Roan antelope

4 sightings

Sable antelope

6 sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr + Mrs M
Oxford

"The Hide review"

4 nights Arrived 8 Sep 2022
"This was a wonderful place in all aspects: the staff, the accommodation, guides, location and wildlife.

The staff went well above and beyond to ensure our stay was successful, including arranging a private dinner without needing to request it once they realised we were friends with other holiday makers.
(We had booked independently so this was unexpected!)" See all these reviews: 6n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

Multiple sightings

Sable antelope

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr and Mrs U.
UK

"The Hide review"

4 nights Arrived 12 Aug 2022
"If we could go back now, we would! The staff were amazing, so friendly, helpful and knowledgable. The setting is fantastic, it feels very isolated, with wonderful views of the water hole. We were in the private Hide area, with two tented lodges and a large decked tent with pool, comfy sofas, dining table and fire pit. It was absolute luxury. The food was the best we'd had, how they conjure that up in the middle of the bush is extraordinary. Our own fully equipped drinks cabinet had all we could wish for and somehow we seemed to have a personal waiter who made us fantastic sunset cocktails when we weren't doing sundowners on a game drive.

The lodges were great, big comfy beds and piles of duvets and blankets (we needed them!), a bath looking over the bush outside and an outdoor shower with hot water. It was the perfect combination of comfort and living in the wild.

The game drives were great, starting at 6.30am after porridge, cereal and pancakes around the fire. Bundled into the Hide's ponchos for warmth we would head off to see everything we could hope for (apart from leopard and cheetah, but who cares about them?!), learning much along the way before stopping for hot chocolate and use of the facilities (bush!). Our guide was truly amazing, with years of experience as a park ranger and now a pro guide. He was patient and enthusiastic, funny and hugely knowledgeable, and did a great job at finding lots of game, including three lions playing the courting game, an amazing opportunity to experience animal behaviour first hand. Those over 16 did a walking safari with him and loved it, going slowly to talk about all the little things you don't see from a safari vehicle. His large gun was reassuring!

The main lodge was beautiful, complete with bushbabies hiding in the rafters and the hide was a brilliant idea. The elephant would arrive around dusk, processing past our lodges to the water hole, at which point we would bury down into the hide to watch from as close as possible, drink in hand. It was a privilege. Going back to our lodge after dark required an escort, just in case we bumped into something we wouldn't want to. An excellent reminder that we were in their territory...

I had been a little concerned about this place when I heard that you can hear the train....I did hear it, most nights, but the same can't be said for the whole family! What our kids in the next door tent did hear was the elephant, sometimes trumpeting, sometimes growl-roaring like lions and all sorts of other night time snuffling and squawks. Knowing that there is so much wildlife just outside the tent door makes the train in the distance utterly irrelevant!

We couldn't recommend the Hide enough, the staff went way above and beyond and it really was a wonderful experience." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Carmine Bee-eaters
UK

"The Hide review"

4 nights Arrived 15 May 2022
"A beautiful lodge with luxurious rooms and attentive staff. The food was excellent and catered well for guests with particular dietary requirements. We had a freelance guide who was excellent with a breadth of knowledge that really impressed, for example how giraffes control their blood flow so they don't die when bending their heads to drink.

Highlights were seeing three lion prides including one with a kill very close to camp, a large group of giraffes near Hwange's palm trees, and a forest walk in the midst of elephants.

The eponymous camp hide is exceptional, allowing you to be feet away from drinking elephants, one of whom walked right up to investigate us with its trunk.

The only slight disappointment was our sleep out at The Dove's Nest. This is an very well three story treehouse but we felt drop off at 9pm and pick up at 6am meant we didn't get enough time to truly appreciate the experience." See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

4 sightings

Hippo

1 sighting

Lion

4 sightings

Sable antelope

2 sightings

Wildebeest

5 sightings

Zebra

6 sightings

Showing 1-10 of 39
95%
39 reviews of The Hide by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
32
6
0
1
0
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