Musango is a place of absolute seclusion and pure wilderness on Lake Kariba. It is a safari- happy place for those lucky enough to discover it with its unparalleled experiences. This Zimbabwean camp resides on its own private National Park’s island on Lake Kariba, just off the shoreline of the Matusadona National Park. It’s an exclusive owner-managed, 8 tented luxury safari camp run with the same passion that the Edwards hold for the wilderness it is set in. Lake views are part of the allure and the tented rooms are set in dense forest with panoramic views of the lake and the mountains.
Much of its appeal comes in the form of its owner Steve Edwards, who is the most renowned safari guide in Zimbabwe. He also happens to have the warmest character and smile.
In a recent article “Africa’s 10 best safari guides” in The Telegraph, Brian Jackman paints a picture about the charisma of Steve and his incredible attributes. It’s easy to see why Musango’s guests hold him in the highest regard as he gives them the safari experience of a lifetime during their visits. Here is why Jackman says, Steve is best in the bush-business.
Zimbabwe: Steve Edwards
The bear-like owner of Musango – a 12-bed luxury safari camp on an island in Lake Kariba on the edge of the Matusadona National Park – was warden there for many years. He is also chief guide, leading his guests on walking safaris while Wendy, his wife, runs the camp.
He was born in Margate, in Kent, and was only a year old when he came to Southern Rhodesia with his parents in 1955. It was during a school outing that he signed up to join a birdwatching group headed by a national parks warden, and from then on all he wanted to be was a ranger.
This dream came true when he joined the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management in 1972 – its youngest ever recruit – as a cadet ranger based at Victoria Falls. From there he steadily rose through the ranks to the post of provincial warden.
When politics within the department became too much for him, he left to pursue his own career and found himself guiding in the Zambezi Valley, where canoeing and walking in the magnificent Mana Pools and Matusadona national parks convinced him where his future lay. Twenty three years ago, he set up his own safari business and finally built Musango – the camp of his dreams.
Here, whether you are tracking black rhino on foot, star-gazing in the clear Kariba skies or sneaking up on a herd of buffalo, a walk with Steve is a revelation. “There is so much more to the bush than what you read about or see on television,” he says. “My job as a guide and wildlife enthusiast is to introduce you to its wonders.”
Having clocked up more than 30 years of guiding in the wild (including a near-death experience with a hippo), he is also a decent photographer and a mad-keen birder. His other abiding passion is palaeontology; he recently discovered a fossil site in Matusadona with four species of dinosaur.
A little more about Musango:
At Musango, expect old-fashioned hospitality, expert guiding and a camp with a commitment to wildlife and the local people of the area.
Activities offered at the camp include game drives, bush walks, boat and pontoon game cruises, cultural village trips, specialist birding safaris, tiger and bream fishing on Lake Kariba, fossil hunting and canoeing in the private concession creeks and on the lake, depending on how the crocodiles are behaving.
Big News:
Musango is thrilled to announce that they have a brand new, swoon-worthy website.
Please meander through it: www.musangosafaricamp.com
Contact Musango Safari Camp
Web. www.musangosafaricamp.com
Email. musango@microlink.zm
wendy@musangosafaricamp.com
Tel. +(263)772307875
