Set beneath acacia trees in the heart of Hwange National Park, Somalisa Camp is an intimate Black-owned luxury safari camp offering extraordinary wildlife encounters in one of Zimbabwe’s premier safari destinations.
Somalisa is the original camp behind African Bush Camps, the Black-owned safari company founded by Zimbabwean professional guide and entrepreneur Beks Ndlovu. What began here in 2006 has grown into a collection of safari camps across Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.
With just seven luxury tented suites, Somalisa combines the intimacy of a small safari camp with sophisticated accommodations, expert guiding and one particularly unforgettable feature: elephants regularly gather at the waterhole immediately beside the camp.
Highlights & Amenities
Somalisa is designed to keep guests connected to the surrounding wilderness without sacrificing comfort.
The camp features:
- Seven luxury tented suites
- Private viewing decks
- King-size beds
- Wood-burning fireplaces
- Copper slipper-style bathtubs
- Indoor and outdoor showers
- Swimming pool
- Famous Elephant Pool and nearby waterhole
- Lounge and dining areas
- Bar
- Firepit
- Photography hide
- Game drives
- Guided walking safaris
- Bird-watching
- Community visits
- Somalisa Sleep-Out experience
- Solar-powered operations
Each tent looks onto the surrounding landscape, giving guests opportunities to watch wildlife without even leaving camp.
The Elephant Pool Experience
One of Somalisa’s most remarkable attractions isn’t something you’ll find at a conventional luxury resort.
Elephants come to the waterhole beside the camp to drink.
The camp’s location allows guests to watch these enormous animals at remarkably close range from designated safe viewing areas, including the main deck and photography hide.
Hwange National Park is renowned for its elephant population, but at Somalisa the wildlife experience can begin before you’ve even left for your game drive.
Safari in Hwange National Park
Hwange is Zimbabwe’s largest national park and one of Southern Africa’s great wildlife destinations.
The ecosystem supports elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, sable antelope and numerous other species.
Guests at Somalisa can explore the park through morning and afternoon game drives, walking safaris and birding experiences led by professional guides.
The small scale of the camp helps preserve the intimate feel of the safari experience.
Somalisa Sleep-Out
For an even more unusual experience, guests can spend a night at Somalisa Sleep-Out, a romantic treehouse-style retreat overlooking a watering hole approximately 25 minutes from the main camp.
Sleeping beneath Zimbabwe’s night sky surrounded by the sounds of the African bush takes the idea of a unique stay to an entirely different level.
Why Stay Here
Somalisa is particularly compelling for travelers who want their first—or next—African safari to combine luxury, wildlife, African ownership and a strong connection to place.
This isn’t simply a hotel located near a national park. The camp is immersed in Hwange’s wilderness, with wildlife moving through the surrounding landscape and elephants gathering immediately beside the property.
Its seven-suite size also creates a very different atmosphere from a large safari resort.
And for travelers intentionally seeking Black-owned safari lodges in Africa, Somalisa represents something particularly significant: it is the property where one of Africa’s leading Black-owned safari companies began.
Ownership & Heritage
Somalisa Camp is part of African Bush Camps, founded by Zimbabwean professional guide and entrepreneur Beks Ndlovu.
Ndlovu established African Bush Camps in 2006, with Somalisa serving as the company’s original camp in Hwange National Park.
His journey began in the safari industry as a professional guide. After developing a deep connection with Hwange, Ndlovu successfully secured the opportunity to establish Somalisa and built the camp that would become the foundation of African Bush Camps.
From that single Zimbabwean property, the company expanded into a collection of luxury safari camps across Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.
Today, African Bush Camps is recognized as one of Africa’s leading Black-owned safari operators, making Somalisa an important property not only for its wildlife experience but also within the story of Black ownership and African entrepreneurship in the luxury safari industry.
Sustainability & Community
Somalisa combines luxury hospitality with significant environmental initiatives.
The camp operates entirely on solar power and uses a water purification and recycling system that recycles approximately 80% of its water.
It also became the first property in Zimbabwe to receive GOLD Green Tourism certification.
Through the African Bush Camps Foundation, the broader company supports community initiatives around its safari destinations, including education, food security, conservation and local economic-development projects.
In the Hwange area, projects have included support for schools, community gardens and women’s economic initiatives.
An Award-Winning African Safari Stay
Somalisa has earned significant international recognition and was selected for the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2026, as well as receiving previous Readers’ Choice recognition.
Despite that international attention, the camp remains remarkably intimate—with only seven suites accommodating a small number of guests at a time.
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