Introducing our fly camp

At the beginning of April, we introduced a reworked

into our itineraries. It’s not entirely new in spirit, but rather a reimagining of an older way of doing things — a step back towards safaris as they always were, and in our minds, always should be. Instead of returning to Kujwana each day, we now spend a couple of nights mid-safari in a more remote part of the concession; somewhere just far enough away that it can’t comfortably be reached and returned from in a single day. This lets us explore a totally different area than the one surrounding Kujwana, a different landscape and more opportunity for varied game and bird spotting as well as having a proper adventure!

For those riding, it becomes a natural part of the journey. You set off in the morning, crossing floodplains and open grasslands, following game tracks through the Delta. At lunchtime we stop for a picnic by the Xudum river, a swim and a siesta in the shade before tea and continuing on with our journey, and by late afternoon you arrive in camp. For those not riding, the same picnic spot and fly camp can be reached by vehicle, allowing everyone to come together again, even if they’ve experienced the Delta differently during the day.

The camp itself is simple, but comfortable in all the right ways. Proper beds with linen, hot ensuite showers, flushing loos, and a mess tent where we gather in the evenings to swap stories from the ride or drive — often with a drink in hand and something cooking nearby as the whole place settles into dusk. The horses rest nearby in their boma, watched over by their grooms and a night watchman after the day’s journey.

Since taking over OHS, one of the things we’ve been keen to do is gently evolve what we offer without losing the feel of the place and inject a little more adventure and wilderness into our guests safaris. The fly camp has come out of that quite naturally. It gives us the freedom to explore further afield without overcomplicating things or changing what people come here for in the first place.

It’s now part of our five, seven, and ten-night safaris throughout the season, and more often than not, it’s the part people talk about afterwards. Not because it’s particularly grand, but because it isn’t. You’re simply properly out in it — and in my experience, that’s the sort of thing that stays with people.

Alex