There's a swimming pool overlooking a waterhole. You can literally laze away an afternoon watching game come and go.
This is a remote part of the Hwange National Park, although the road to the camp is manageable. Wind your way through the western Mopane veld of the national park.
Talking of which, this park is full of animals and empty of people. 18 times the size of New York City, it has an estimated 50,000 elephants, many of which are in breeding herds as large as 300. They pad from waterhole to waterhole. There are also more than 100 different kinds of mammals and 500 bird species living in the scrubland. This level of biodiversity is matched only by the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Kruger National Park in South Africa, both of which have a far higher population of human visitors than Hwange.
The camp is named after Herbert George Robins who acquired the land in the 1900s. Mad on nature he put a stop to shooting and fought continuously for the preservation of wildlife. In the 1930s he bequeathed the land to the Southern Rhodesian Government on one condition - it be maintained as a game sanctuary forever.
He wanted his body to be fed to the animals too - once he was dead obviously. But the bigwigs said no and he's buried near the camp.
40 Twin en suite chalets are available, either thatched (Acacia) or tin roofed (Mopane). Bright with an African vibe, they're decorated with hand painted Matabele designs. Some rooms have baths, some showers. The latter are high pressure with hot water and there's an overhead fan when it's hot. Extra blankets when it's cold. Family rooms are also an option.
Or just camp here. There are two brand new ablution blocks with hot water, high pressure showers. Happy campers get to enjoy full access to all the facilities too. Oh, and for peace of mind, the campsite boundaries are secured by electric fencing.
Hwange is Zimbabwe's biggest and most diverse national park. You can self drive around or take guided game tours. There are walking tours available too.
Robins Camp is in the rugged northern Basalt area of the park, it's rich in natural water with seeps and springs. Consequently, it's a paradise for stacks and stacks of wildlife. Seriously. For example, it's home to some of the last great buffalo herds in Africa, and when we say herds, we really mean herds. Huge, heaving herds. Herds of over 2000.
You see, it's all hills, kopjes and grassy plains, so there are huge concentrations of animals. There's varied plains game including sable, roan and reedbuck and all those animals send the predators wild with joy. It's not unusual to see big prides of lion and hundreds of elephants. There are also zebra, crocodile and hippopotamus and regular sightings of both cheetah and painted dog. And, that lovely, large vlei and open mopane woodland make it easy to see all this wildlife too. Which is massively considerate of them.
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