Can someone tell me how big Hwange National Park is and also
the size of the Masai Mara area. Is Hwange a place where
you have an entrance that you just go out of at night when
you have finished, or is it too big to keep going in and out
of? I get the feeling Masai Mara is a lot bigger and you
have no choice but to camp overnight in it. Also I would
like to do a budget safari camping out, but I'm a little
concerned at the safety of a tent if an animal approaches
it. Are they safe enough, do the guides choose places where
animals don't come near, is there guides guarding the tents
at night? Are there such tents that are on top of cars?
Thanks in advance
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Hwange is about 15000 and mara about 500 sq kms. Most people
can only visit a fraction of Hwange and leave by dark. If
you have your own transport you can stay in the park at
night with or without a guide at a couple of ungarded sites,
eg shumba, but it's not for the faint hearted. The main camp
sites are 'guarded' but can also be visited by lions etc.
The commercial fixed camps will cost you mega-bucks, but if
you have no transport you can arrange an overnight
experience with guide from main camp. Worthwhile. Nobody can
guarantee what will or will not visit your tent at night and
apart from a few local Zim or SA visitors you won't see many
tents on vehicles. Whilst Hwange is great for independent
tourist, Mara is geared towards safari companies using their
fixed camps- makes it a bit like a zoo but you see loads of
wildlife easily. Once you leave the main track in Hwange you
can drive all day without seeing another tourist - magic.
Take care though and get serious advice before doing it on
your own.
I agree with Shelley. Hwange is magic. I go there every
year, stay there a couple of days, try to get acco in main
camp or sinamatella. I leave in the morning and return in
the evening. All by my self.
Had some trouble getting stuck in loose sand, had to dig
the wheels out of the sand, with some elephants watching
me, had a flat tyre, some more stuff like that. Once
landed up between two groups of elephants, together about
250 α 300...
I enjoy the beauty, the magic, the unexpected...
Sometime you drive around without seeing one animal in
three hours , and then all of a sudden : abundance.
And the birds are also worth a ride in Hwange...