Great Plains has announced the opening of two Zimbabwe camps for the Spring 2022 season.
“Home to five Unesco World Heritage sites including one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Zimbabwe is the perfect destination for those active and adventurous travellers,” says Great Plains CEO Dereck Joubert. “From a thatched, barefoot luxury escape on the banks of the Zambezi River to a canvas-and-stone forest hideaway, our two Zimbabwean outposts both bring something unique, offering guests the perfect twin-centre safari.”
Mpala Jena Camp is an intimate safari camp positioned along the tree-lined banks of the mighty Zambezi River. A haven that epitomises barefoot luxury in its most refined form, the architecture team of Craig Hayman and Hannah Charlton, with the assistance of interior designer Tracy Kelly combined the elements of the pristine location by using thatched roofs in the main areas and flowing canvas luxury tents for the bedrooms.
The private concession is within the 138,000-acre Zambezi National Park which has a healthy and ever-increasing number of wildlife species, with higher concentrations of buffalo and elephants from June through to October.
Mpala Jena is, by design, sensitive to the environment of the Zambezi National Park. This is achieved by using canvas and local thatch in its construction and ensuring all the camp’s electricity needs come from its solar farm. The three double or twin bed configuration Suites, plus two two-bedroom Family Suites, are under sand coloured, flowing canvas, with canopy ceilings and open (yet netted) views of the river frontage and are decorated by Tracy Kelly. Each suite has a shaded veranda area and en-suite bathroom facilities, including an indoor shower, separate w/c and double basins. The highlight of the suites is the outdoor bathrooms with a beautiful bathtub and outdoor shower. Decking in front of the tent leads to views of the Zambezi River’s flowing waters.
Tembo Plains Camp is tucked away into a thick riverine forest on the edge of the Zambezi River, in the private 128,000-hectare Sapi Private Reserve, east of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park.
“When I designed Tembo Plains, it was to reference the famous Zimbabwe Ruins without losing sight of our love of canvas and exploring, so we ended up with a unique combination of canvas and stone walls,” explains Joubert. “The semi-circular walls inside each tented suite isolate the bath and shower from the bedroom and indoor lounge areas bringing that architectural reference inside as well. Outside, a pack-stone wall design, referencing those Zimbabwe Ruins, continues along the back of the guest bedroom. It gives you a greater sense of privacy, often an issue in tents.”
The most luxurious accommodation within Tembo Plains Camp is the two-bedroom Tembo Plains Suite. Comprising two suites flanking a shared lounge, dining area and pool, the Tembo Plains Suite is ideal for two couples or families travelling together and those guests looking for the ultimate private safari. The wine cellar and interactive five-star kitchen feature a stone design in the central area. The spa and curio store are each individually hidden discreetly behind beautifully weathered Zanzibar doors.
Painted dogs, lions and leopards are common around Tembo Plains, whilst buffalo are regularly seen up and down, and sometimes swimming the Zambezi River itself, as are elephants.
