[Watch] On Safari in Zimbabwe With African Bush Camps, a Two-Part Video Series

I want to visit as much of Africa as I can — not simply to check countries off a list, but to spend time in places I’ve been curious about and continue building my relationship with the continent. Zimbabwe wasn’t necessarily a destination I had envisioned visiting so soon when the invitation came. But spoiler: it remains at the top of my list of trips I can’t stop talking about.

As a journalist at Travel Noire, I was invited to experience a safari with African Bush Camps, a Black-owned safari company founded by Beks Ndlovu. The invitation was especially compelling because Beks was leading the trip himself, a rare first for me as a media professional. It was an almost unheard-of opportunity to experience the company firsthand with the man who built it, while also spending several days asking him questions about the business, the safari industry at large, and his vision for hospitality in Africa.

So I said yes.

What followed was an unforgettable week exploring Zimbabwe’s wilderness, learning about its history, and moving through game drives, bush walks, and late-night fires, all with an energy I have yet to recreate. The footage from this trip eventually became a two-part video diary because I refused to let such a special life experience live only in my mind and on memory cards.

The full story is better in motion than simply telling you, so I’m taking you with me below.

Part 1: Nyamatusi Camp at Mana Pools National Park

I landed in Harare with few expectations — mostly curious to answer the question of what was so fascinating about safari beyond the animals. Our first stop on this Zimbabwe safari was Nyamatusi Camp in Mana Pools National Park, where an elephant greeted me within minutes of settling into my tent, a moment on the Zambezi River tested my kayaking (and quick-thinking) skills, and I started to understand Zimbabwe’s history and the current state of its tourism.

Forever grateful to the entire Nyamatusi Camp team — Ms. Joyce, Taffy, Chef Titch, our guide Mash, and everyone else whose names are escaping me. For my first real safari, you set the bar so high I haven’t wanted to come down.

Watch Part 1: Nyamatusi Camp on YouTube →

Part 2: Bumi Hills, Lake Kariba & Mola Village

From Nyamatusi, our Zimbabwe safari continued with a flight to Bumi Hills, an African Bush Camps property in Mashonaland West Province, northern Zimbabwe, overlooking the southern shore of Lake Kariba. The warm welcome was only the beginning, and somewhere between boat rides on the lake, an evening under the stars on Lady Jacqueline, and our visit to Mola Village, our entire group realized that moments like this don’t come often. To be welcomed with genuine fervor and sent home in tears of joy and gratitude isn’t the type of experience you can strategize or manufacture — proof that this safari experience really comes from the heart.

A special thank you to the entire Bumi Hills team, including Lawrence, who somehow magically appeared just before every surprise on the itinerary. And a heartfelt tribute to our guide, Little Max, who transitioned a few weeks after our departure. Part 2 was made with your spirit in mind — grateful for every moment this life allowed us to experience together.

Watch Part 2: Bumi Hills & Lake Kariba on YouTube →

Why African Bush Camps and Zimbabwe Was the Right Choice for My First African Safari

From the start, this trip felt different — not because of the itinerary, but because of how it came to be. This was an invitation, and I’ve come to believe in following not just the places you go looking for, but the ones that come looking for you. In this case, ABC’s PR team put the right people in the right place for the right reason, and that intentionality set the tone before I ever landed.

It also meant something even more rare: a full week alongside Beks Ndlovu, a name widely respected across the safari industry. Who owns the camp isn’t something most travelers think to ask, but as a journalist and Black woman covering the African diaspora travel experience, it matters to me. The safari industry remains overwhelmingly white-owned, so spending a week with someone who has built 17 camps across Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana wasn’t a small thing to witness firsthand.

Sometimes we assume the things meant for us have to be hard-won, and sometimes they are. But sometimes they arrive as a serendipitous invitation — without an ounce of posturing required to still be meaningful.

Quick Trip Facts

• Operator: African Bush Camps
• Camps visited: Nyamatusi, Bumi Hills
• Region: Zimbabwe (Mana Pools National Park and Lake Kariba)
• Trip Length: One week
• Highlights: Elephant encounters, Zambezi River kayaking, Lake Kariba boat rides, Mola Village visit
• Good for: First-time safari travelers and anyone drawn to a bush-and-river or bush-and-lake combination
• Watch: [Part 1: Nyamatusi Camp →] • [Part 2: Bumi Hills & Lake Kariba →]

This was the beginning of what I hope becomes a running series of firsthand African travel storytelling. If you want to follow along, subscribe to my YouTube channel. More travels on the continent are on the way soon!