Great Guide Safaris, Hwange National Park & Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

Great Guide Safaris operates mobile fly camps across two of Zimbabwe's most productive wildlife areas: Hwange National Park, with its open plains and permanent waterholes, and Mana Pools, the floodplain system along the Zambezi where elephant, lion and wild dog move through the riverine woodland. The camps shift with the seasons and the game.

Kaz Dube leads the safaris. He is a Zimbabwean guide with a detailed reading of animal behaviour, and the small group format — four to ten guests — means he can take time to explain what he is seeing rather than move through a checklist. The programme combines guided bush walks with game drives; the walks, in particular, let you cover ground slowly and read tracks, dung, and browse lines in a way that a vehicle cannot.

The fly camps themselves are semi-permanent: twin or double beds, private bathrooms set in the open air, and meals cooked from local ingredients eaten outside. There are five rooms across the operation. Nothing is fixed — the camp is placed where the wildlife and the season warrant it, which is the point of the format.

Bookings run in small groups, so the ratio of guide to guests stays close throughout each safari.