Sapi Explorers Camp
Highlights
- Private 118,000-hectare Sapi Reserve on the Zambezi River
- Just five tents, including one two-bedroom family tent
- Guided walking safaris with qualified trails guides
- Canoeing, boating and sunset cruises on the Zambezi
- Game drives with rarely another vehicle in sight
- Wildlife and bird photography
- Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Information
- Lodge type: Classic tented safari camp (Great Plains Conservation)
- Location: Private Sapi Reserve, bordering Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
- Lodge size: 5 tents (4 Explorer tents and 1 two-bedroom family tent)
- Recommended stay: 3–7 nights
- Malaria risk: Yes — the Zambezi Valley, including Mana Pools and the Sapi Reserve, is a high-risk malaria area; take prophylaxis on medical advice
- Getting there: Fly-in camp — light-aircraft flight from Harare or Victoria Falls to the Sapi airstrip, then a short road transfer to camp (return airstrip transfers included)
Explorers Camp Is Located Within Mana Pools National Park In The Private Sapi Concession
Sapi Explorers Camp is a five-tent classic safari camp run by Great Plains Conservation on the southern bank of the Zambezi River, inside the 118,000-hectare (1,180 km²) private Sapi Reserve that borders Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe. Great Plains, the conservation company founded by National Geographic filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, took on the Sapi Concession in 2016 and converted it into a private photographic reserve. Together, Sapi and Mana Pools protect more than 337,000 hectares of wilderness, and they form part of the Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore UNESCO World Heritage Site and the core of the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve.
Sapi Explorers Camp is about as remote as an African safari gets. The camp is unfenced and built on the idea that guests are simply passing through the animals' world. Elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo roam the reserve, the Zambezi Valley is one of Africa's great strongholds for painted wolves, and the birdlife along the river is superb. With the reserve reserved for Great Plains guests, sightings here are almost always yours alone. For travellers who want solitude, big rivers and big game in equal measure, Sapi Explorers Camp is one of the finest additions to any Zimbabwe safari.
This is the Africa of old.
Rooms and Suites
Sapi Explorers Camp has five Explorer-style canvas tents: four spacious Explorer tents and one two-bedroom family tent, in which two en-suite bedrooms are linked by a shared outdoor sitting area. Every tent has proper beds, a private veranda facing the Zambezi, and an en-suite bathroom with a hot bucket shower, flush toilet and hand basin. Tents are powered by the camp's solar system for lighting and fans; device charging is available in the main guest area rather than in the tents.
Cuisine and Wine
Sapi Explorers Camp serves three freshly prepared meals a day, with timings built flexibly around your activities, and coffee and tea are on hand throughout the day. Dinner is often served out under the stars on the riverbank, with a crackling fire and the calls of hippos drifting up from the water. Vegan, vegetarian and children's menus are all catered for with advance notice at booking. All drinks are included, from soft drinks and local beers to imported spirits and sparkling wine.
Facilities
Sapi Explorers Camp centres on an open-sided mess tent set a few metres from the Zambezi's edge, with a lamp-lit lounge and a dining area on either side of a firepit and sweeping views over the river. The lounge is furnished with deep sofas and armchairs and a tea and coffee station, and it is the perfect spot for a siesta between activities. A solar power system supplies 220V electricity 24 hours a day, with charging points for cameras and phones in the main area. Daily laundry is included.
Activities
Sapi Explorers Camp offers early-morning and late-afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, guided walking safaris, canoeing on the Zambezi, and boating and sunset cruises. Walking is the heart of a stay here: qualified trails guides lead guests on foot through albida woodland and along the floodplains, reading tracks, following elephant and searching out the smaller creatures most safaris drive straight past. Game drives explore the reserve's pans, woodlands and riverine forest, including the legendary Mutawatawa Pan, while a canoe glides you past hippo pods and elephants browsing on the islands at water level.
Every day at Sapi Explorers Camp should end the same way: a cold drink in hand as the sun drops behind the Zambezi and the sky burns orange and then violet.
Child Friendly
Sapi Explorers Camp welcomes families with children aged eight and older, with suitable activities and meal options. The camp has just one dedicated two-bedroom family tent, so it needs to be booked well in advance. Young guests can join Great Plains' complimentary Young Explorers Programme, learning animal calls, tracking and bushcraft, and leave as fully fledged Young Explorers and Conservation Ambassadors.
Sapi Explorers Camp FAQs
Where is Sapi Explorers Camp?
Sapi Explorers Camp is on the southern bank of the Zambezi River in the private 118,000-hectare Sapi Reserve, which borders the eastern side of Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe. Great Plains Conservation runs the camp, and the Sapi Reserve forms part of the Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most remote safari regions in Southern Africa.
How do you get to Sapi Explorers Camp?
Sapi Explorers Camp is a fly-in camp. Guests take a light-aircraft flight from Harare or Victoria Falls to the Sapi airstrip, where a Great Plains guide meets the plane for the short road transfer to camp. Return airstrip transfers are included in the rate, and Uyaphi.com arranges all connecting flights as part of a tailor-made Zimbabwe safari.
Is there malaria at Sapi Explorers Camp?
Yes. Sapi Explorers Camp lies in the Zambezi Valley, a high-risk malaria area that includes Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi Reserve. Visitors should see a travel doctor about antimalarial prophylaxis before travelling, and use insect repellent, long sleeves and mosquito nets, especially at dawn and dusk and during the warmer, wetter months from November to April.
Can children stay at Sapi Explorers Camp?
Sapi Explorers Camp welcomes families with children aged eight and older. The camp has one two-bedroom family tent, with two en-suite bedrooms sharing an outdoor sitting area, so it books up early and should be reserved well in advance. Children can join the complimentary Young Explorers Programme, learning tracking, animal calls and bushcraft from the Great Plains guides.
What activities are offered at Sapi Explorers Camp?
Sapi Explorers Camp offers morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, guided walking safaris with qualified trails guides, canoeing and boating on the Zambezi River, and sunset cruises with drinks on the water. All activities take place in the private Sapi Reserve, so sightings of elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and, with luck, painted wolves are rarely shared with other vehicles.
When is the best time to visit Sapi Explorers Camp?
The best time to visit Sapi Explorers Camp for game viewing is the dry season, from about June to October, when inland pans dry up and wildlife concentrates along the Zambezi River. September and October are the hottest months and the most dramatic for elephant and predator activity. The November to April rains bring lush green scenery, migrant birds and far fewer visitors.
In Conclusion
Sapi Explorers Camp is the camp we would choose for travellers who want the Zambezi Valley at its wildest and most private: five canvas tents, a 118,000-hectare reserve shared with almost no one, the great river at your feet and the Great Plains Conservation ethos behind every detail. Come for the walking safaris, the silent canoe drifts past grazing elephants, the fireside dinners under a sky thick with stars, and the rare luxury of a sighting with no other vehicle in view. It is old-school safari in the very best sense, and it's quite unforgettable.
Sapi Explorers Camp works beautifully as the wilderness finale of a Zimbabwe journey. Pair three to four nights here with the elephants of Hwange and the spray of Victoria Falls, or set it alongside Lake Kariba or neighbouring Mana Pools National Park for a full Zambezi Valley adventure. For peak game viewing, travel between June and October, and book early: with only five tents and a single family tent, the best dates fill months ahead.
Uyaphi.com has been planning tailor-made African safaris since 1999, and 27 years of arranging trips across Zimbabwe mean we handle every light-aircraft connection, every transfer and every detail so you can simply arrive and exhale. We are owner-run, with no booking fees and no credit card surcharges. Tell us your dates and the safari you are dreaming of, and we will build it around you. Send us your enquiry below.
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Sapi Explorers Camp Rates
Per person per night sharing
Rates are in US Dollar
*Rates may vary according to season
- Accommodation
- wildlife viewing activities
- Meals
- Daily laundry
- Return airstrip transfers
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including premium beverages
- All flights
- Optional transfers
- Visas
- Additional levies and taxes
- Travel insurance
- Items of a personal nature
- Gratuities
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