Little Makalolo Camp is located in a private land concession within Hwange National Park and offers seasonally spectacular wildlife viewing.

The camp is considered Hwange's original 'bush camp' and offers a relaxed an intimate atmosphere with all of the comforts, but without the frills. The camp overlooks one of Hwange's pumped waterholes that is very active with animals during the long dry season. Guests to the camp enjoy exclusive access to the Makalolo Private Concession, as well as the adjacent Linkwasha Private Concession, which together cover 131 square miles (340 sq kms) of prime wildlife habitat.

Hwange is a dry place, but in the early days of its existence (late 1930s and early 1940s), park management dug over 50 boreholes and installed pumps (powered by windmill with diesel backup) to create a network of watering locations throughout the park for its wildlife.

Today, the waterholes continue to be the beating heart of the national park. The combined private concessions available to guests staying at Linkwasha include 14 pumped waterholes, which attract an abundance of wildlife during the dry season. See the video at the bottom of this page for more info.

Activities at Little Makalolo Camp include day and night game drive in open-sided vehicles, walking with an armed guide, 'star-bed' sleep outs, a log-pile hide the the camp's waterhole for up-close wildlife viewing, meeting the Scorpion anti-poaching unit to learn about their work, and cultural visits to a local village and school.

Wildlife in this far southeastern part of Hwange is abundant and diverse, with the stars of the show being Hwange's elephants. Other commonly seen herbivores include zebra, giraffe, buffalo, impala, blue wildebeest, sable, waterbuck, roan, and warthog. Hippos are found in some of the park's waterholes.

Commonly encountered predators include lion, leopard, spotted hyena, African wild dog, and black-backed jackal. Crocodiles are found in some of the waterholes. Birding in the park is excellent, with over 400 species recorded. Wildlife viewing is best during the dry winter months, when the waterholes become very busy with animals coming to drink.

Little Makalolo offers 6 tented accommodations, one of which is a double unit that is ideal for a family or a couple wanting more space. The tented rooms are constructed upon ground-level decking with a combination of sandy footpaths and elevated walkways connecting them to the camp's main area. The guest rooms have an outdoor veranda with seating. All tents look out over the plains and/or the camp's waterhole.

The main camp area includes a dining, lounge, and bar area under canvas and atop slightly raised decks. There is also a campfire area and a pool deck with loungers, all with excellent views of the waterhole.

Wilderness Safaris are one of Africa's leading safari operators and they strive to minimize energy consumption at all their camps. Little Makalolo Camp is powered by a combination of solar and diesel generator. Water for showers is produced from a borehole and filtered by an energy-efficient system and water at the guest units is heated by solar-powered geysers. Strict eco-friendly environmental standards are maintained so that no harmful chemicals or waste is allowed to enter the ecosystem of Hwange National Park.

About Hwange National Park

Hwange is located in western Zimbabwe bordering Botswana and is the country's largest national park. Hwange's history as a protected wildlife area dates back to 1928, when the British Colonial administration declared it as the Wankie Game Reserve, making it one of the oldest formal reserves in Africa. The name of the park comes from a local Ndebele chief named Hwange Rosumbani, but it was anglicized by the white settlers into 'Wankie'.

Although Hwange is bounded on the north and south by rivers, the vast interior of the park is a naturally dry and waterless region. In the early years of the reserve, wildlife only visited in good numbers during the rainy season (November to April), after which most of the animals moved away from the area due to the water shortage in the reserve.

The park's first warden was a man named Ted Davison, who decided that in order to make the reserve a place people would want to come, the park needed water sources. In 1939, Davison and a team of workers began work on what would later become over 50 boreholes, which were pumped by windmills and supported by diesel pumps. The pumped water was directed into either a natural pan or one which the workers created.

Davison's waterholes were eventually spread out across the park's dry interior and a road network was soon developed to connect many of these pans. After some years with the waterholes operational, wildlife started to stay in Hwange all year. These waterholes are still the life blood of the park's tourism industry today.

The most productive wildlife areas in Hwange are in the north and east, with the central and southwest portions characterized by Kalahari sands with sparse vegetation. As such, all of the safari camps in Hwange are located along the north and east perimeters of the park.

Bordering Hwange on the east are two mixed-use areas that are mainly used for commercial hunting. Bordering the park in the northwest is another hunting area called Matetsi.

Wildlife viewing in the north and east of the park is excellent, particularly during the dry season and around Hwange's network of pumped waterholes. The park is especially well known for its elephants, with large groups consisting of multiple herds often seen together drinking at a waterhole.

Besides the abundant elephants, commonly seen herbivores in Hwange include buffalo, giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, greater kudu, impala, roan, sable, reedbuck, waterbuck, tsessebe, red hartebeest, steenbok, and warthog.

Hwange is also a superb place to see predators, with healthy populations of lion, leopard, spotted hyena, African wild dog, and black-backed jackal. Cheetah are found in Hwange in smaller numbers.

Hwange's rhinos (both black and white species) were poached to extinction during the 1980s, but a small number of black rhinos were reintroduced and are under continuous monitoring. Some of Hwange's waterholes are home to hippos and crocodiles. Birding in the park is superb, with over 400 species recorded.

The Painted Dog Conservation Centre, located just outside the Main Gate, works to conserve the endangered African wild dogs in the greater Hwange region. The project employs over 60 people from local villages to run the centre's programs, which include research, conservation, education, and anti-poaching. The facility is open to the public every day.

Wilderness Safaris work closely with multiple villages and schools around Hwange National Park with the aim of ensuring that the people receive real value from wildlife tourism. Watch the video below to learn more.

Wildlife in Hwange are highly dependent upon the park's network of pumped boreholes, especially during the dry season. Wilderness Safaris maintains a total of 14 waterholes at its own expense in southeastern Hwange National Park. Watch the video below to learn more.

In 2011, in response to increased bushmeat and ivory poaching, an auxiliary anti-poaching unit known as the Scorpions was formed in order to help protect southeastern Hwange National Park. This dedicated eight-man team is responsible for patrolling a large area. Working closely with government authorities, the Scorpions use regular foot patrols to cover no less than 216 square miles (560 sq kms) in search of both snares and other forms of illegal hunting.

The Scorpions have had a significant positive impact and levels of snaring have plummeted, while animal populations have shown dramatic increases. Guests staying at Little Makalolo Camp can meet the Scorpions to learn more first-hand. Watch the video below to learn more.