Bumi Hills Safari Lodge & Spa

The iconic destination on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

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Lizard Weather

Its hot here at Bumi – 31 degrees at 9 in the morning hot. Thankfully due to our elevation there is almost always a cooling breeze off the lake to keep all the inhabitants of Bumi, human and animal, slightly sane. Regular arguments can be heard breaking out, however, as tempers fray and food becomes scarcer and harder to find in the intense dryness preceding the rains (and that’s just the staff!). The elephants are spending more and more time submerged up to their eyebrows in the cooling waters of the lake – it takes a lot of effort and energy in these temperatures to find enough food to keep their huge frames well nourished, and a dip in the heat of the day is welcome respite.

The only creatures which appear to be enjoying the heat are the blue tailed skinks, who rely upon the suns warmth to maintain their body heat – they lie, stupefied with warmth and contentment, on every rock surface in our restful green tropical gardens.

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Has been awesome hosting Kingsley Holgate and his expedition team, glad to see they enjoyed being at Bumi too!

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KIngsley Holgate's expedition boat - MA ROBERT

A large bolt-together inflatable boat named after Dr David Livingstones’ first motorized boat on the Zambezi steamed into Bumi harbour on a bright blustery morning, having taken 2 days to make its way up the lake from Binga, hampered by extreme and unseasonable high winds! Ross Holgate and Bruce Leslie were at the helm, and were more than a little peeved to discover that the rest of the expedition had been living it up at Bumi whilst they battled with the elements…In the bottom picture Kingsley gives Bruce a conciliatory hug for his troubles!

  This journey is one the expedition is making in stages , from the source of the Zambezi to her mouth in the Indian Ocean – from Kariba they will drive and sail down the river to Kanyemba, where the Ma Robert will be unbolted and left in piece until after the rains, when the journey will continue through Mozambique.

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Mashozis Right to Sight with Kingley Holgate!

Whilst Kingsley and his team have been here, they have checked the eyesight and distributed over 50 pairs of readers to 25 of our staff (one pair for “now now” and the other pair for “just now”.) This project, called “Mashozis Right to Sight” was initiated by Kingsley’s late wife Gill, affectionately known as “Mashozi”, who, during an adventure deep in the Brazilian rain forest, realised how many older folk in remote areas battled with short sightedness, and how easily, with the appropriate sponsorship, this problem could be solved.

Charlie, one of our hardworking chefs was the first to receive a pair of specs – here he is beaming happily with expedition members Mike and Joe and the rest of the staff patiently waiting their turn!

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Squirrel Explosion!

Bumi is experiencing something of a population explosion of Mopane squirrels. They are extremely endearing creatures, who don’t so much run as bounce, can leap incredibly high to catch a toe hold on a promising bit of log – and frequently are found skittering daringly about our offices, searching for a morsel that might have been dropped (or, just maybe, has been left on the windowsill – by mistake, of course).  Fiona, our Front Office Manager, can often be heard, on a quiet, hot afternoon, chatting away to an exploring squirrel, who, quite frequently, chats back.

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Tiger Time

Wakey wakey... rise and shine... It's nearly TIGER TIME!!! The 53rd edition of the now world famous KITFT - Kariba Invitation Tiger Fish Tournamant kicks off in just over a week! Our very own Bumi Hills Anti Poaching Unit (BHAPU) will be assisting with policing the event so watch their page for constant updates during the event! In the meantime our guests are enjoying the action themselves on our afternoon fishing excursions around the lodge!

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Fred and his ferns!

Repeat visitors to the lodge will be familiar with the luxuriant ferns which grow in old dugout canoes on either side of our al-fresco deck.

Of recent weeks, the set on the western side have taken quite a beating, and the prime suspect in the case is Fred, a young elephant bull who can be seen most days pottering about just in front of the lodge, drinking from our small waterhole and chasing away any annoying young baboons that venture too close.

It is hard to get cross with him, however, when comparing the lush green of the ferns with the rapidly drying out bush – and those ferns will probably benefit from a bit of thinning out!

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Great fly-in promotional special released in conjunction with Air Zimbabwe for the next three months!!!

Contact [email protected] for more information and reservations! 

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May 2014

Mhofu’s Maiden Voyage

Bumi Hills Safari Lodge and Spa is very proud to reveal their latest addition to an ever-growing fleet of boats and vehicles. 'Mhofu' (meaning Eland in shona and slang for 'the strong one') is a purpose built transporter is capable of carrying 5,000 litres of fuel, 10,000 kg of goods, including frozen and perishable items and 12 passengers, and  will be used to transport all the fuel and other supplies across the lake from Kariba Town.

The intention is to offer cargo services to other lodges around the eastern basin of the lake in the near future and combine this with a direct supply link from Harare.

The introduction of this service coupled with the ongoing replacement of the two-stroke outboard motors with more efficient and ‘green’ four-stroke option are just two small ways Bumi hopes to make a difference to the environment and tourism in the Kariba region as a whole! 

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April 2014

Full moon affects every living creature on our Earth, and the inhabitants of Bumi are no exception. This Easter moon rose brilliant and lemony yellow over the Matusadona mountains, casting a mellow light on a very mellow lion, rolling about languorously on the red, sun warmed sand on the shores of the lake.

We sat with our guests around the fire boma later that evening, the moon now brilliant and silvery far above us, listening to their tales of the day – a day which included sightings of much smaller but no less fascinating creatures – one of which was a chameleon, spotted slowly wavering across the road, conspicuously not blending in with his surroundings – clearly a chameleon who had not yet got the hang of this colour changing story… 

Speaking of Easter – over the holidays even the buffalo came to visit, and, as with most children who come to stay, the youngsters first activity was to get into the pool. This particular herd has a good crop of calves, which bodes well for its future, as does the abundance of Panicum Repens grass after the wonderful rains we experienced this season. They graze quietly on the shoreline, building up reserves for the coming winter months, when the grass will have turned golden and sharp.

One of the questions asked by our guests that moon flooded evening was about the great swathes of butterflies which are everywhere during these autumn days – creatively named “Brown Veined Whites” (Belenois Aurota), these indomitable aviators migrate in a north easterly direction, some even getting as far as Madagascar. On evening sunset cruises they are also seen determinedly flapping across the lake, and as we seldom find sad little corpses in the water, it is to be assumed they do make it to the other side! That, or the snapping jawed tigerfish are closely following their journey – emulating the birds, especially the flashing Fork Tailed Drongo.

A special thanks this month to one our guests, Ralph Hermann from Austria, who summed up the peace of our lodge and concession by writing “I felt as though I had fallen off the edge of the world and found paradise at Bumi”

Catherine Norton

Lodge Manager