My step-mum and I spent three days at Musango. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the beautiful location and the wonderfully unpretentious and organic decor that blended so tastefully into the surroundings. The view of the lake was spectacular from two vantage points, as the lodge is situated at the narrow section of a ‘bowtie’-shaped island, affording guests limitless photographic opportunities from the peninsula.

At the end of a drive ‘hunting’ down a lion by attempting to lure it with the recording of a roar, and learning about the various flora and birdlife along the way, spotting elephants and watching bushbuck ‘pronking, a long afternoon drink watching the resident hippo pod snort and wallow in the lake was simply divine.

So too, dining under a velvet sky with the Milky Way above one's head while being regaled with stories of the bush, accompanied by delicious homemade fare washed down with South African wine, leaves this writer at a loss for words.
Days on the water fishing from the pontoon (or in my case watching people fishing while I attempted to) and listening to the hippos grunting all around us and watching ‘flatdogs’ slip beneath the waters was wonderful.

My beautiful lodge was tucked away in complete privacy off the pebbled walkway, nestled into the bush, overlooking the lake and, if I so chose, I had my own seating right there to watch the sky change colour as evening settled in. Or from my bed, I had the same view as the sun rose and I could watch the vision from behind the mosquito netting.

I simply must go back again!

Kim Kemp

We booked a two weeks travels to Northern Zimbabwe in October 2022 including Mana Pools N.P., Matusadona N.P. and the Lake Kariba area and Hwange N.P. with Iwanowskis Individuelles Reisen - a German based travel agency specialized on safaris to Southern and East Africa. The initial itinerary of this fly-in safari starting in Harare and ending at Victoria Falls Airport included only Mana Pools and Hwange (3 different camps of ABC (African Bush Camps): Kanga Camp, Zambezi Expeditions and Somalisa Expeditions). Unfortunately, it didn’t cover Matusadona N.P., one of Zimbabwe’s best kept secrets and by far not as crowded as the other parks due to its relatively poor accessibility by road, and the islands on Lake Kariba known for their wealth of aquatic birdlife. Thus, we decided to add two privately owned camps in the Matusadona/Lake Kariba area to extend our travels by one week: 3 nights in the beautiful Rhino Safari Camp on Muuyu Island peninsula just inside the park boundaries and 4 additional nights at Musango Safari Camp which is located on a small island opposite the southern lake shore west of the Ume River mouth.

We arrived from Rhino Safari Camp by motor boat in the morning and after a warm welcome by Steve and Wendy we were surprised to be accommodated in the Honeymoon Suite with a private plunge pool on the terrace and a beautiful view to the hippo families grazing on the lakeshore. All the rooms are overlooking the lake in eastern direction, and you can enjoy an unforgettable sunrise over the lake every morning.

We are so happy that we have decided to stay 4 nights enabling us to enjoy the full range of game viewing activities and birding Musango has to offer: sunset cruise with lions, morning birdwatching of water-based birds, several game drives, feeding the majestic African Fish Eagle, boat trip to Starvation Island and an unforgettable boat cruise to the „Dead Forest” with the breeding colony of Great Cormorants and beautiful views to elephants on the island during our last sunset.

The Musango game drives and boat cruises are exceptional - a real celebration of African nature, wildlife and birdlife. Wendy and Steve and all the other staff members are highly motivated to offer their guests an extremely personal and intimate experience. Steve operates a huge ponton platform boat ideal for birdwatching and photography (bring a tripod and lens support of your choice if you are photographing with heavy lenses - there is plenty of space for managing your gear that way).

Game drives are operated with two good old very well maintained Landrover Defender vehicles set on the opposite lake shore. Because Steve itself is also an experienced and passionate wildlife photographer who knows and understands all the tricks of the trade one can be assured that the boat or the vehicle is always stopped in the right direction and to the best angle of light feasible to ensure terrific results. Steve’s knowledge on wildlife and birdlife of the region is outstanding - no wonder: He is the legend amongst Zimbabwe’s PGs.

Many thanks to Wendy, Steve and Conrad for welcoming us in their paradise. The time in Musango Safari Camp was by far the highlight of our 2022 Zimbabwe trip.
If you are seriously interested in Wildlife Photography and / or in African Birdlife go there and spend some time with the Musango people - you won’t regret it!