A New Season in Sight at John’s Camp

Preparations at John’s Camp are now fully underway for the new season in Zimbabwe!

The team behind John’s Camp in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe, have been working tirelessly in Harare sourcing supplies, welding tent poles, and packing up trucks will all the odds and ends that make up a tented camp. Every year, at the beginning of the rainy season, the team packs up and pulls down the entire campsite. The reason for this “off-season” is the dense green bush that grows in the wet season and makes travel and game viewing almost impossible. Additionally, because of the camp’s remote location, the roads are mostly inaccessible during this period. Which means that John’s Camp gets to start fresh every April and set up from scratch!

The rains in Zimbabwe come between December and May, but the green season lasts until the end of June. The weather at this time of year is absolutely beautiful – still sunny and warm with a slight coolness in the evenings. The down-side is that it is not yet prime game-viewing time because of the dense vegetation, and the inland water means there are not as many animals along the river-bank. It does bring, however, a little adrenaline to any excursion, as there could be an elephant hiding behind any bush! The birdlife on the floodplain is abundant all year round – it is a perfect ecosystem for waterfowl, birds of prey, and everything in between.

Last week, the team set out with their first supply truck. After receiving brilliant rains this year, the bush at the campsite was very overgrown so it’s going to be a couple weeks of hard work before the camp is ready to welcome its first guests in May.

Last October, the camp had some unexpected heavy rain which caused devastation. Trees and branches were strewn everywhere, damaging the steelwork of some of the tents. The resident handyman and baker, Diva, has been busy making new tent poles and shower rigs in the workshop. Diva is truly multi-talented and makes amazing bread – always a favourite with guests.

One of the exciting developments in John’s Camp is a renovation of the star-deck. The deck was erected at the end of last season, next to a beautiful Acacia albida tree. This raised platform overlooks the floodplain, with the river and the beautiful Zambian Escarpment in the distance. It is a safe haven for guests to relax and view game during the day and watch the skies at night. The deck has been painted and will soon receive a full revamp – bringing guests the fullness of the Zimbabwean safari experience.

John’s Camp is looking forward to an exciting season and can’t wait to share the breathtaking Zimbabwean landscape with you!

Contact John’s Camp
Web. www.robinpopesafaris.net
Email. info@robinpopesafaris.net
Tel. +265 (0) 999 970 002/3