Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge is a luxury property set on the edge of the unique wilderness that is Gonarezhou National Park, South-East Zimbabwe. The Lodge is set on an outcrop which commands excellent views. Gonarezhou is a gem amongst African parks, and offers experienced safari travellers the chance to explore untouched Africa. This is a country of red sandstone, thorny scrub and baobabs. Buffalo gather at water holes, big cats prowl, and hippo wallow. The presence of elephants is everywhere; on the earth and the vegetation, as their families travel along routes passed from one matriarch to another in search of food, safety, and water.
Accommodation is in 10 luxury thatched chalets. All of the chalets are en suite, and have a private deck, overlooking the Save River. Each is equipped with a fan, hair dryer, mosquito nets, mini bar, tea/ coffee making facilities and a safe. Game viewing from the chalet can be very rewarding, as you get to see the resident elephants, crocodiles and hippos.
One option for families is the two luxury rooms with an extended interconnecting balcony, which provides easy private access between the rooms for all the family.
The main lodge area is home to a shaded swimming pool, a delightful lounge, library, bar and dining room, all surrounded by beautifully tended gardens.
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge offers a good selection of activities:
Enjoy game drives (morning, afternoon or full day) in the Park, where there is a good chance of seeing lion, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, buffalo, hippo and giraffe. The area is best known for its elephants (Nzhou in Shona, and give their name to the Park).
There is no better way to explore an area than on foot. Chilo Gorge offers morning and afternoon Game Walks in the Park, with a resident Professional Guide. Here you get to explore the Runde River floodplains from Chilo Gorge Tented Camp, or some of the more remote corners of Gonarezhou when on the Ivory Trail Adventure fly camping experience (see below). Game Walks are also available for guests staying at the Main Lodge.
You can also enjoy a full day excursion to the Red sandstone Chilojo Cliffs, situated in the heart of the Park, and overlooking the Runde River. Visit the Tembahata and Machanu Water Pans offering exceptional birding. A picnic lunch is served at the followed by a sundowner game drive back to the lodge. This is a seasonal activity and is available in the dry season of April to November, with the top of the Chilojo Cliffs normally only accessible between June/July to November when the Runde River is fordable.
Guests Chilo can also get to learn more about the intimate working relationship between the lodge and the local Shangaan community, making a visit to Mahenye Village a uniquely rewarding cultural experience. This is the birthplace of the CAMPFIRE concept, which has since been replicated thousands of times around Africa. At its core is the concept of "Community Led Conservation".
This is an informative visit, and is likely to include the Secondary School and local Clinic, and guests are encouraged to interact with the local villagers. This is a unique opportunity to spend time exploring an authentic village, and watch daily village life in one of Zimbabwe’s remotest corners.
There is also a potential to visit the local palm forest, to meet the resident palm wine maker. Your guide will explain how palm wine is produced, together with providing different samples for tasting.
Should you be interested in a little more exercise, the 3 kilometre hiking trail from the lodge to the beautiful Chivalila Falls is a great way to start or end your day. Trekking through a rugged landscape leads you to a view point overlooking the Falls.
Birders can also have a hugely rewarding time at Chilo. The three major rivers, the Chilojo Cliffs and the vast water pans in the park support a rich variety of birdlife, including Kingfishers, Hornbills, Eagles and Raptors. Over 450 species have been recorded in and around Gonarezhou, making it one of Southern Africa's top birding destinations. The rivers attract many water birds from herons, storks and egrets to waders, African Skimmers and nesting Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. Purple-crested Turacos flash crimson through the denser riverine and Grey-headed, Brown-headed and Meyer’s Parrots squawk and shriek. The Chilojo Cliffs and the surrounding areas offer common sightings of Verreaux’s Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Black Storks, swifts and other raptors, including Bat Hawks and Taita Falcons. And the local Sacred Sand Forest also provides sightings of specials such as the Green Malkoha, Narina Trogon, Chestnut -fronted Helmet shrikes, and Square tailed Drongo.
Accommodation is in 10 luxury thatched chalets. All of the chalets are en suite, and have a private deck, overlooking the Save River. Each is equipped with a fan, hair dryer, mosquito nets, mini bar, tea/ coffee making facilities and a safe. Game viewing from the chalet can be very rewarding, as you get to see the resident elephants, crocodiles and hippos.
One option for families is the two luxury rooms with an extended interconnecting balcony, which provides easy private access between the rooms for all the family.
The main lodge area is home to a shaded swimming pool, a delightful lounge, library, bar and dining room, all surrounded by beautifully tended gardens.
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge offers a good selection of activities:
Enjoy game drives (morning, afternoon or full day) in the Park, where there is a good chance of seeing lion, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, buffalo, hippo and giraffe. The area is best known for its elephants (Nzhou in Shona, and give their name to the Park).
There is no better way to explore an area than on foot. Chilo Gorge offers morning and afternoon Game Walks in the Park, with a resident Professional Guide. Here you get to explore the Runde River floodplains from Chilo Gorge Tented Camp, or some of the more remote corners of Gonarezhou when on the Ivory Trail Adventure fly camping experience (see below). Game Walks are also available for guests staying at the Main Lodge.
You can also enjoy a full day excursion to the Red sandstone Chilojo Cliffs, situated in the heart of the Park, and overlooking the Runde River. Visit the Tembahata and Machanu Water Pans offering exceptional birding. A picnic lunch is served at the followed by a sundowner game drive back to the lodge. This is a seasonal activity and is available in the dry season of April to November, with the top of the Chilojo Cliffs normally only accessible between June/July to November when the Runde River is fordable.
Guests Chilo can also get to learn more about the intimate working relationship between the lodge and the local Shangaan community, making a visit to Mahenye Village a uniquely rewarding cultural experience. This is the birthplace of the CAMPFIRE concept, which has since been replicated thousands of times around Africa. At its core is the concept of "Community Led Conservation".
This is an informative visit, and is likely to include the Secondary School and local Clinic, and guests are encouraged to interact with the local villagers. This is a unique opportunity to spend time exploring an authentic village, and watch daily village life in one of Zimbabwe’s remotest corners.
There is also a potential to visit the local palm forest, to meet the resident palm wine maker. Your guide will explain how palm wine is produced, together with providing different samples for tasting.
Should you be interested in a little more exercise, the 3 kilometre hiking trail from the lodge to the beautiful Chivalila Falls is a great way to start or end your day. Trekking through a rugged landscape leads you to a view point overlooking the Falls.
Birders can also have a hugely rewarding time at Chilo. The three major rivers, the Chilojo Cliffs and the vast water pans in the park support a rich variety of birdlife, including Kingfishers, Hornbills, Eagles and Raptors. Over 450 species have been recorded in and around Gonarezhou, making it one of Southern Africa's top birding destinations. The rivers attract many water birds from herons, storks and egrets to waders, African Skimmers and nesting Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. Purple-crested Turacos flash crimson through the denser riverine and Grey-headed, Brown-headed and Meyer’s Parrots squawk and shriek. The Chilojo Cliffs and the surrounding areas offer common sightings of Verreaux’s Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Black Storks, swifts and other raptors, including Bat Hawks and Taita Falcons. And the local Sacred Sand Forest also provides sightings of specials such as the Green Malkoha, Narina Trogon, Chestnut -fronted Helmet shrikes, and Square tailed Drongo.
In addition to the main Lodge, you also have the chance to stay that Chilo Gorge Tented Camp. This is small (accommodation for 8 guests only) tented camp, overlooking the floodplains of the Runde River. This provides a wonderful location from which to do game walks and is located close by to a number of the best water pans in Gonarezhou. Elephant, buffalo, eland, waterbuck and other plains game often graze just below the campsite, and there is wonderful bird viewing to enjoy throughout the day.
The camp has 4 large A-frame tents, configured as twin rooms, each with a private en-suite ‘bathroom’ - a shower and basin with hot and cold running water, and a flush toilet. Meals are enjoyed under the cool shade of a Nyala berry, but there is also a mess tent if the weather is inclement.
Daily activities include Game Walks with a resident Professional Guide, Game Drives and birding, with visits to the Chilojo Cliffs and to the nearby water pans.
Chilo Gorge Tented Camp is open 1st May to 31st Oct.
Should be feeling a little more adventurous, there is also the Ivory Trail Adventure. This provides safari enthusiasts the chance to explore remote corners of this unique area at their own pace. The exact route and campsites are tailored to take advantage of seasonal hot spots, and to accommodate your specific requests. And the mix of Game Walks and Game Drives can be tailored before and during the trip to match your requirements.
The camp comprises 2-man dome tents, with enough height to stand-up equipped with a 2 stretcher beds, foam mattress, sheets and blankets/duvet (depending on temp/season). There is a bucket shower, with canvas frame to give privacy, and duckboards underfoot. Each campsite has well-constructed and safe bush loos (long-drops).
Here you get to enjoy the rustic simplicity of mealtimes under the shade of a gazebo, or under the stars. The fly-camp comes equipped with LED lights for tents, kitchen and service area. There is an Invertor on the game vehicle for camera battery charging. There are 2 vehicles for these adventures - the 9-seater safari vehicle for guests, and another vehicle for the equipment and staff, who go on ahead and set up for lunch / campsite, as appropriate.
The Ivory Trail Adventure is available all year round, however the stable weather and cooler nights of the dry season (April to October) often provide an excellent time to enjoy this itinerary.
The camp has 4 large A-frame tents, configured as twin rooms, each with a private en-suite ‘bathroom’ - a shower and basin with hot and cold running water, and a flush toilet. Meals are enjoyed under the cool shade of a Nyala berry, but there is also a mess tent if the weather is inclement.
Daily activities include Game Walks with a resident Professional Guide, Game Drives and birding, with visits to the Chilojo Cliffs and to the nearby water pans.
Chilo Gorge Tented Camp is open 1st May to 31st Oct.
Should be feeling a little more adventurous, there is also the Ivory Trail Adventure. This provides safari enthusiasts the chance to explore remote corners of this unique area at their own pace. The exact route and campsites are tailored to take advantage of seasonal hot spots, and to accommodate your specific requests. And the mix of Game Walks and Game Drives can be tailored before and during the trip to match your requirements.
The camp comprises 2-man dome tents, with enough height to stand-up equipped with a 2 stretcher beds, foam mattress, sheets and blankets/duvet (depending on temp/season). There is a bucket shower, with canvas frame to give privacy, and duckboards underfoot. Each campsite has well-constructed and safe bush loos (long-drops).
Here you get to enjoy the rustic simplicity of mealtimes under the shade of a gazebo, or under the stars. The fly-camp comes equipped with LED lights for tents, kitchen and service area. There is an Invertor on the game vehicle for camera battery charging. There are 2 vehicles for these adventures - the 9-seater safari vehicle for guests, and another vehicle for the equipment and staff, who go on ahead and set up for lunch / campsite, as appropriate.
The Ivory Trail Adventure is available all year round, however the stable weather and cooler nights of the dry season (April to October) often provide an excellent time to enjoy this itinerary.
