Sikumi Tree Lodge - under new managers

by Pete Roberts
(Victoria falls)

Sikumi Tree Lodge is a well known name in Zimbabwean tourism circles. Part of the Touch the Wild group, the lodge has been operating on its private estate on the Dete Vlei, just outside Hwange National Park Main Camp, for many years.

In recent years the Lodge has been forgotten and its secrets witnessed only by a lucky few but it is now enjoying a renaissance under new managers Brian and Marleen Sabeta-Post. In the year since they arrived at Sikumi the couple have gone about reinventing the Sikumi safari experience.

Welcomed with a friendship that really makes you feel one of the family, Sikumi is that rare example of a safari lodge where you really
do feel at home.

Guests at Sikumi Tree Lodge in Hwange Zimbabwe are housed in comfortable & clean thatched wooden tree houses up amongst the branches of Mangwe trees, all en-suite bathrooms with calming views across the pool toward the vlei grassland and flanked by Teak forests.

Sikumi Tree Lodge offers full board options for the leisure traveller. The outdoor restaurant and bar overlook the waterhole, frequently visited by animals sauntering in for a drink. At night the pan is illuminated and in keeping with safari tradition, a nightly log fire draws guests together to share their day’s discoveries.

Safari tours are taken on their private estate, which is a classic example of the Hwange forested dune ridge and grassland vlei ecotone which is found in the Main Camp area - and should really have be included in the area under the protection of the National Park! However its exclusion is to the advantage of the safari tourist, with lower reserve fees and the opportunity to undertake night drives on the estate, with the chance of glimpsing nocturnal species such as the bush baby and genet.


The area has been well watched over the years and returned regular sightings of lion, cheetah, buffalo, black-backed jackal and wild dog amongst more common sightings of Sable, Elephant, Zebra, Giraffe and various other antelope species.

Hwange is also known for its birds, with over 400 species being recorded within the area. The Dete Vlei is again no exception, and is not only a good place to find outstanding resident species such as the various species of Ground Hornbill and Secretary bird, but also offers the chance to find passing migrants at the right time of year.

The lodge is currently running special offer overnight stay and safari drive packages – Full board & 1 safari, US$145 pppn until December 31st 2011- Contact us for details If you’ve not visited Hwange before, or haven’t been in a while, a trip to Sikumi Tree Lodge is well recommended.