Meet our Members: The Hide, Zimbabwe
The Hide Safari Camp is located on a private concession within Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife reserve, the 3.5-million-acre Hwange National Park, and has been instrumental in establishing anti-poaching units.
In the late 1920s, the land was deemed unsuitable for agriculture and set aside for wildlife conservation. However, due to water shortages and neglect, wildlife had almost entirely vanished, and only 1000 elephants remained. Thanks to conservation efforts, today, Hwange holds the second-highest population of elephants in Africa. There are over 450 species of birds in the area, and mammals include wild dogs, bat-eared foxes, and cheetahs.
Rewilding Hwange
Conservation is integral to The Hide, which specialises in photographic safari experiences. These safaris play a crucial conservation role by generating revenue supporting wildlife protection and habitat preservation. They also raise awareness about the importance of conserving biodiversity, helping foster a deeper connection between people and nature.
In 2016, The Hide became founding members of the Conservation and Wildlife Fund (CWF), which brings together stakeholders in Hwange to establish anti-poaching units (one of which is on The Hide’s concession), raise conservation awareness in local schools, implement environmental initiatives and improve the lives of women.
The Hide is also a founding member of Friends of Hwange, which maintains the park’s essential boreholes and watering holes, now pumped using solar energy. To further restore the land, The Hide started a tree nursery, propagating over 1000 indigenous trees. Those trees re-planted in Hwange are protected from elephant damage by beehives — a device also used to protect local crops from wildlife damage.
Commitment to conservation and community
Striving to become one of Zimbabwe’s leading eco retreats, The Hide Safari Camp separates waste, has an organic vegetable garden, and offers guests refillable glass bottles to reduce their use of plastic. Paper and cardboard are recycled to create fire bricks, keeping guests warm as they huddle around the campfire at night, telling stories about their day.
Community outreach revolves around education, minimising human-wildlife conflict, and women's empowerment. The Hide works encourages guests to Pack for a Purpose, utilising suitcase space to bring items the local Che Zhou Primary School needs. The camp also supports local charity Sista2Sista by donating reusable sanitary pads and crafting items.
The non-profit The Hide Community Trust works with community leaders to find sustainable solutions to improve livelihoods. Key initiatives include teaching women how to make kilns out of termite mounds and unused car parts so they can recycle aluminium bottles into beads and developing a market garden for a local primary school. Fundraising efforts help to support The Trust, while guest levies go directly to conservation projects.
Find out more at https://thehide.com/
If you’re interested in becoming a member of The Long Run, please contact info@thelongrun.com
