Reviews of Vundu Camp

"Mana Pools is beautiful: it was a pleasure just to be there. We liked that we could drive until we found something interesting and then investigate on foot, rather than having to decide in advance whether we wanted to drive or walk, as in some other places. It made wildlife viewing feel spontaneous and exciting.

Nick Murray is up there with the best of the guides we have had on several safaris. He took care to find out about our interests and experience, and then to repeat activities we'd enjoyed or find new ones we'd asked for. We couldn't believe how close we could get to lions and elephants on foot and yet feel completely safe.

We found Vundu to be a very friendly and sociable camp and this added to our overall enjoyment of our stay. We spent our time in camp with guides, guests and staff-everyone just mixed together.

Best afternoon cakes of the trip!

Negatives about Vundu-having to leave!" See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe

"This camp was right up my alley. The rooms were comfortable yet not pretentious, the staff was friendly without being overly-enthusiastic (which some staff tend to be), and the owner and guide Nick was what I like in a host, answering questions and asking about things he wanted to know about us, but in an honest, genuine exchange.

We love to walk in the bush, and this was the best walk ever. About an hour in, on our way to a wild dog den, we had to do some very quick lateral shuffling to get out of an ele's path, Nick then found the den, we sat down and watched the pack return, the puppies come out and be fed, the vultures come in to join the feasting, just incredible! We had stay as long as we dared, as the light was beginning to fade and we had about 4 km to traverse to get back to the vehicle. It was on the return that we were saw the dust cloud of the buffalo, were mock-charged by a lone female maybe looking for her calf, and heard the hyena very close by.

At this Nick said it was getting dark, we could maybe go on rather than investigate, although we all knew this is what we all wanted to do so, after an nanosecond of consultation we headed into the the thick bush to see what we could see. Nick stopped dead about 30 meters in, turned and said "lion, large male", we turned left and kept moving toward the heart of the activity (maybe another 20-30 meters), stopped and could hear and see a pack of wild dogs on the flank, the buffalo herd was moving off ahead of us, the hyena and lion to our right (or behind). At this point it was agreed that we had used up enough the daylight and needed to move off. 20 minutes later (we must have really been moving along) we were back at the vehicle and on our way to camp.

At no point did we feel in any danger. Nick's astute understanding of the situation and conditions and our ability and willingness to follow ever instruction and stay close together (we are very fit, have walked in the bush through all types of terrain and habitat and hopefully our vulnerabilities and limitations) made this feel we had done something very special, but not an experience for everyone.

Go and spend three days or more at Vundu if you like to walk and canoe. It's the best!" See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe; 6n in Malawi; 1n in Zambia

"Vundu was a great experience from a wildlife and guiding point of view. Having not visited Zimbabwe for 11 years, it was amazing to find that our guide at Vundu was Mark, who we had last met when he had guided us at Musango camp on Lake Kariba. We had a great few days in Mark's company, which included a hilarious encounter with a male elephant which is definitely worth sharing on YouTube; an amazing sighting of a female leopard and her cub; lions eating a young elephant (gory but fascinating); and close-up, on-foot viewings of the local pack of wild dogs.

As a camp, Vundu is functional rather than comfortable and it feels tired and in need of some TLC. Some "sprucing up" would make Vundu feel more cared for, without losing the real bush camp feel.

The layout of the camp along the river left no space for any "sitting out" area in front the of the tents and little to see in camp, although the antics of the vervet monkeys around the dining area were always entertaiing." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe

"Excellent location and guiding. Amazing to walk up to lions, wild dogs and very large elephants.

A very different safari experience with the guides also doing the hosting in camp, this enabled us to find out more about how the country is doing.

Also managed to get to Mana Pools just before it started getting really hot!" See all these reviews: 12n in Zimbabwe

"Thank you very much for putting our minds at rest about travelling to Zimbabwe. We had the most amazing 3 days at Vundu camp. Our accommodation was very comfortable with en suite open-roofed bathrooms & hot showers but it wasn't too chic which suited us very well.

There was a pan in front of the accommodation & we often saw elephants, warthogs & buffalo there. We had lovely food including home made cakes for afternoon tea. We ate together with the other guests & guides in the evening & met some interesting people.

You were right about the Zimbabwe-trained guides - we had an amazing guide called Andy who was great fun but also had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the animals he showed us. He tracked a lion on day one & we felt so safe with him that we went for a canoe trip on the second day which we had vowed not to do for fear of hippo attack.

He knew the area very well so was able to take us to the hotspots for animal viewing & we had a nice mixture of driving in the jeep & walking. It was quite cold in the early mornings in August but the jeep was equipped with blankets so we were kept warm. Our 2 girls age 10 & 12 really enjoyed it. The camp was a few feet from the Zambezi river which was beautiful." See all these reviews: 7n in Zimbabwe

"Vundu is a nice camp in a beautiful location on the banks of the Zambezi River. We were met at Chirundu by our guide, Mark van Zuydam, and Mark spent the next 4 days with us (2 at Vundu Camp, 2 along the Zambezi as we canoed downriver). Mark is a superb guide. Extremely knowledgeable and personable. The mixture of driving and walking game viewing offered at Vundu is great. We had high expectations for Mana Pools and were not disappointed.

Our highlight here was the time spent with Mark canoeing downriver. The paddling was leisurely, with plenty of game viewing along the way. The mobile camps set up before we arrived were excellent and quite comfortable, with great food and fantastic views of the Zambezi at sunset and sunrise. For those interested in a little adventure, a canoe trip at Mana Pools should not be missed!

Additional comments on the multi-day canoe trail: As I said, the Ruwesi Canoe Trail was the highlight of our Mana Pools visit. Our guide, Mark van Zuydam, was the absolute best! The river experience is really an adventure, and having a competent guide is a critical part of the trip. We saw lots of game (including passing by hundreds of hippos!) from the canoes, and enjoyed walks when on shore. The mobile camps were very comfortable in spectacular riverside settings." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe; 9n in Zambia