Overview
Remote luxury rewilded
Backed by a thick riverine forest on the edge of the Zambezi River in the private 128,000-hectare Sapi Private Reserve, next door to the legendary Mana Pools National Park, Tembo Plains Camp brings a sumptuous level of luxury and inspiring conservation story to this remote corner of Zimbabwe.
The camp has four expansive canvas and stone suites, each with its own private indoor lounge area, outdoor swimming pool and dining area, along with stunning handmade bathtubs and outdoor showers. The two-bedroom Tembo Suite is ideal for families or friends.
In the central shared area, the wine cellar and interactive kitchen serve up Relais & Châteaux quality cuisine in a range of special settings where you can reflect on days spent on games drives, river adventures and walking safaris.
Facts
At a glance
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Four suites with private pools and two-bedroomed Tembo Suite
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Relais & Châteaux dining and wine cellar
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Canon professional camera and lenses, plus Leica binoculars
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Spa
Experiences
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![Tembo Plains Camp26]()
Game drives
Experience up-close encounters with elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, buffaloes, elands, zebras and more on game drives in the reserve in well-equipped vehicles. Being in a private reserve means freedom to drive off road and head out at night. Day trips can also be taken into neighbouring Mana Pools National Park.
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![Tembo Plains Camp25]()
Canoeing and boating
The opportunity to view Africa’s animals and birdlife by canoe or boat on the Zambezi is a must-do experience.
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![Tembo Plains Camp23]()
Walking safaris
Join expert guides on foot to traverse the wilderness in search of wildlife great and small.
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![Tembo Plains Camp15]()
Family safari
Great Plains Young Explorers Programme is thoughtfully designed to explore a range of experiences and topics from birding to cooking to art to tracking wildlife.
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![Tembo Plains Camp18]()
Fishing
Enjoy the thrill of heading out on the Zambezi River with your guide to try your hand at catch and release fishing.
Community & Culture
A Conservation and Community Levy is added to each stay here as a contribution to the Great Plains Foundation. Through this levy, every traveller is not only helping to conserve and expand natural habitats, but also contributing to conservation and community development across Eastern and Southern Africa.
Conservation
Great Plains Conservation exists to conserve and expand natural habitats using sustainable eco-tourism to protect and restore critical habitats and conserve wildlife. By staying at Great Plains Conservation’s camps, you are directly helping to protect Africa’s wild spaces. Sapi Reserve was once a hunting concession, with Great Plains taking over in 2016 to manage the 128,000 hectares for photographic tourism and rehabilitate the land. The most ambitious step is launching one of Africa's biggest wildlife relocation efforts, Project Rewild Zambezi, transporting around 3000 animals from a reserve in the south, where overpopulation of many species that would have led to a cull are instead being moved north to Sapi and wider the Mana Pools ecosystem.
Footprint
The camp operates under a guiding principle that operations should have no negative influence on the land or any animal that uses it. Tembo Plains is by design sensitive to the environment of the Zambezi National Park. This is achieved by using canvas and wood in its construction and ensuring all the camp’s electricity needs come from its solar farm.
Example trips
Get inspired
Browse our example trips and get in contact to start planning your very own adventure.
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Example trips
Get inspired
Browse our example trips and get in contact to start planning your very own adventure.
What makes us different
Why Niarra
Niarra Travel is a forward-thinking travel company headquartered in London born out of a passion to do things differently.
In Swahili, a Bantu language spoken by millions in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa, the name Niara means "with utmost purpose" and our team are united by a passion for exploration and a belief that the right kind of travel can make the world a better place.
Our Travel Researchers are here to create incredible trips with a positive impact for you.
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Unforgettable experiences
Creating your trip is entirely collaborative and our Travel Researchers are here for every step.
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Positive impact
Curated sustainable experiences and accommodation that maximize the benefits to local people and place.
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Fairness and transparency
An open, competitive pricing structure that ensures more money goes to where it's needed in the destination.
