Vundu and Little Vundu

Our View

Vundu and its smaller sister camp Little Vundu are owned and run by husband and wife team Nick and Des Murrary, both excellent and well-respected professional guides, who also continue to oversee the Bushlife Conservancy charity which has helped eradicate poaching in the region. Both camps are located in a small private concession next to Mana Pools National Park which gives them access to both of these wildlife-rich areas.

Vundu and Little Vundu - The Details

There are no airs or graces at either of these authentic and charming camps. Both are set on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River with great views over to the escarpment on the Zambian side of the river and the Lower Zambezi National Park. Without Vundu and its owners, the BBC Dynasties team would not have been able to film such a remarkable episode of Painted Wolves aka the wild dogs and David Attenborough came to stay at Vundu for a week whilst filming was underway.

Vundu is what you want from an old school safari camp. The camp has no pretences and although it is a little less luxurious than you will get at some of the other camps in Mana, the guiding is without doubt the best there is. Walking guides are guaranteed here, and getting out on foot is what Mana Pools is all about.

The main camp has eight spacious tents including one family tent, each with stunning view over the river. Thatched roofs, en-suite facilities and indoor and outdoor showers all add to the charm of the property. The main central dining and lounge areas are open, allowing a cool breeze from the river to pass through whilst enjoying the sounds of the bush. The food is homely and comforting, and bush breakfasts are always an enjoyable experience within the acacia woodlands.

Little Vundu is a semi-permanent Meru style tented camp with only five tents a little downstream from the main camp. It is an ideal space for small groups and families to take it out exclusively.

Both camps offer day and night game drives, walking safaris with their expert guides, canoeing down the mighty Zambezi River, plus fishing for the enthusiastic few.

Mana Pools is well known for its walking safaris and the best time of year is during the dry season when vegetation is at its thinnest and water at its scarcest. Once the major rains start around the middle of November, the Vundu Camps (as all the other camps do) close until April the following year. With black cotton soil roads, getting around the park becomes an almost impossible practice.

AT A GLANCE

Ruckomechi Camp Rates:
$1073 per person

Our rating

Vundu | Little Vundu | Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

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