Review: G Adventures' Zimbabwe and Botswana Geluxe Collection Trip

Earlier this year, G Adventures started running The Geluxe Collection, a set of premium trips that include elevated dining experiences and stays at unique upscale accommodations. The collection offers 45 trips across 26 destinations, from Croatia, Cambodia and Costa Rica to Jordan, Japan and Iceland.

In July, I was a guest on the first Geluxe departure of the Zimbabwe & Botswana: Chobe, Hwange & Lake Kariba route, a 10-day journey promising an off-the-beaten path safari experience in Southern Africa. We were a small group of just eight travelers from around the globe, with the youngest passenger in their mid-20s and the oldest in their mid-70s. (The maximum group size for any Geluxe Collection itinerary is 16, with an average of 10 to 12 people per departure.)

Lions, Elephants and Crocodiles, Oh My!

The trip started and finished at Victoria Falls — set on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia — where I had the chance to swim in the world's most dangerous natural infinity pool. Devil’s Pool is perched on the edge of the falls, and guests can dip (safely) at the water’s edge for a view over the 350-foot falls.

Our accommodation in the area was Victoria Falls Safari Club, a 20-room lodge featuring butler-style concierge service, a fine-dining eatery and an epic watering hole frequented by elephants at dusk, which I observed from the comfort of my balcony. 

Elephants have always been my favorite creature, and I've been fortunate enough to see them in the wild from Sri Lanka to Kenya. However, I had never experienced them as up-close-and-personal as I did at a hide during our excursion in Hwange National Park. It was the best hour of my life watching African elephants — the largest land mammals on the planet — cool down by spraying mud on their bodies and hydrate at the watering hole as bulls and babies competed for the best drinking spots.

Another trip highlight was the 24 hours we spent in Botswana's Chobe National Park. Our journey started with a private river safari cruise via local operator Chobezi; we sipped on sparkling wine as we watched a massive parade of dozens of elephants make their way to the banks of the Zambezi River. Later, we had a safari drive through the park and came across a lioness and her three young cubs. It was dusk, and the lioness was returning from a kill and leading her cubs back to the carcass so they could eat. 

That evening, we camped within the park in spacious, comfortable tents equipped with mattresses. It was my first time sleeping alone in a tent — an exhilarating experience, as during the middle of the night, a lion killed a kudu just 60 feet away from our campsite. I was terrified yet mesmerized as I heard the lion kill the creature, tear it apart and growl as it ate.

During the epic itinerary, we also traversed by boat across Lake Kariba — also located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe — where we saw yet more elephants, massive Nile crocodiles and hippos (fun fact: a herd of hippos is known as a “thunder”). 

OMG Days and Stays

Geluxe Collection trips include a Your OMG Stay, a unique accommodation hand-selected based on its history, design or surrounding experience. In Cambodia, for example, clients will stay at Cardamom Tented Camp, an ecolodge with nine luxury safari tents, while in the Peruvian Amazon, travelers stay at the 32-room Refugio Amazonas ecolodge set in Tambopata National Reserve.

Each Geluxe route also has a Your OMG Day, which gives travelers a choice between two experiences. In Tokyo, for instance, clients might opt for a food walking tour; in South Africa, they can choose a Cape Malay cooking class; and in Nepal's Himalayas they can decide between a row boat ride and a yoga session.

During my Southern Africa adventure, our OMG Stay was on the shores of Lake Kariba at Changa Safari Camp, where a wild elephant enjoyed its lunch on the greenery a few feet away from our lunch table. The OMG Day took place in Victoria Falls, where we could choose between a tour of the historic bridge that spans the border or a ride on an adventure jet boat to the base of some of the cascades. 

While the OMG Stay offered access to my beloved creatures, my favorite accommodation of the trip was Imvelo's Camelthorn Lodge, an upscale safari lodge adjacent to Hwange National Park. The intimate, eight-villa lodge supports a white rhino conservation project and serves as a reserve for the near-threatened animals. Imvelo guarantees rhino sightings — two armed guards are always with the rhinos, so it is safe when you see them — and one morning, I had rhino prints right outside my room. I also went out to the plains at dusk to watch the rhinos graze just a few feet away from where I was standing. It was yet another experience with G Adventures that I'll never forget.