Highlights from our first Zimbabwe Yoga Retreat

In August 2024 we jetted off to Zimbabwe for our very first yoga and conservation retreat. Zimbabwe is Kat’s homeland and she spent 16 years living and traveling in this incredible country. In 2022, following our Kenya yoga retreat, Laura explored Mana Pools in Northern Zimbabwe for the first time and was blown away by the wilderness and the wildlife of this hidden gem. So began our love affair with Zimbabwe.

Our group spent two days in Victoria Falls; we took a tour of the falls, had a sundowner river cruise on the Zambezi, wandered the town and enjoyed lunch at the famous Lookout Cafe. After two nights in Victoria Falls to settle in after our travels we flew 2 hours North to Mana Pools National Park where our adventures began in earnest.

Here’s what we got upto on our Zimbabwe yoga retreat…

Mana Pools is a government owned and run reserve but we were staying at Vundu Camp which has a private concession, so it was so quiet and peaceful here; our own little patch of paradise. We were lucky enough to have some special sightings pretty much all to ourselves because the action was going down right around the camp; lion kills, leopard sightings, so many elephants and even some secretive lion cubs.

Game drives & bush walks

Something we loved about Mana Pools is the unique relationship that the tourism operators here have developed with the wildlife. They knew the lions and the elephants and the wild dogs by name and were so comfortable with some individuals that we got to spend time with them on foot.

One day we couldn’t find a pride of lions who were resting in the shade of a thick patch of bush near the river, so we set off on foot and spent a good twenty minutes watching them lounge around. They (and we) were cautious, which is to be expected, but it was incredible to see how comfortable they were with us when it became clear that we were not a threat.

Some of the elephants in Mana Pools have adapted the unique ability to stand on their hind legs and reach higher branches in the trees; something not seen anywhere else in Africa. And one morning we spent two hours walking with a well known and well loved elephant called Boswell as he rested in the shade, stood to feed and chatted with his travel companion; another elephant called Eddie.

For a lot of us, this was a favourite experience of the trip - there’s nothing quite like spending time with wild elephants in their natural habitat. At one point Boswell got a little tired so he had a nap and we all sat near by in the shade of the tree resting with him, before he woke and we all went on our way.

We were also lucky enough to spot a pack of African Wild Dogs. The wild dogs families here were made famous by David Attenborough when he filmed the Dynasties series (and stayed at Vundu Camp!). As these dogs are fast, often on the move and cover vast tracks of land you can never be guaranteed to see them so we were so excited to catch up with them one morning. It was a mad dash from camp when we heard they had been spotted but we held onto our hats and got there in time to see them - the rush was so worth it. These are incredible animals!

The yoga

Our yoga classes took place on a raised deck overlooking the Zambezi river. Our early morning classes here were magical - the sun slipped through the trees, monkeys played in the branches overhead and the gentle rush of river water and grumble of hippos guided us through each practice. This was the best way to start the day! In the afternoons we took things a little slower, as the heat of the day was settling in, and one afternoon we even headed out to a sandbank for our afternoon yoga. Albeit this didn’t last very long as we were interupted by a very curious elephant who was wondering, rightly, what on earth we were all up to.

A big thank you to BAM Bamboo clothing who kindly kitted us out with their gorgeous bamboo activewear range on this retreat.

Boat cruises

Something we love about Mana Pools is the option to take a boat cruise; we spent two afternoons on the water watching elephants, crocodiles, hippos and so much birdlife. The gentle rumble of the boat engine and the cool, golden air at sunset created magical moments that will stick with us forever!

The conservation

The private concession we stayed on in Vundu Camp is called Bushlife Conservancy and Bushlife not only funds the preservation of this incredible patch of land but they support the Bushlife Support Unit which provide, vehicles, veterinary units, supplies, training and educational resources to rangers and communities on the outskirts of the national park to actively combat human-wildlife conflict in this volatile area.

Our Zimbabwe yoga retreat resulted in a donation of $3,000 + $3,300 in conservation fees, making our total financial impact from this retreat a glorious $6,300 that will fund the important work Bushlife is doing on the ground in Mana Pools and the greater Zambezi valley. Thank you to everyone who made this trip and this donation possible!

Does an adventurous safari yoga retreat to Zimbabwe sound like a little bit of you? We’d love for you to join us!