Matetsi
Largest private game reserve in country Safari Camp - 12 elegant tents Water Lodge - 3 camps with suites 15km of exclusive Zambezi River frontage Wildlife includes large elephant herds, buffalo, kudu, wild dog, sable antelope Canoeing, river boat cruises Abundant birdlife Twice daily game drives Guided bush walks About a 30 minute drive from Victoria Falls Zimbabwe Tourism Authority award There is a wild and untouched stretch of the mighty Zambezi River 40km upstream of the Victoria Falls, fringed by a band of high riverine forest, a dreamy place of unhurried pleasure and deep serenity that echoes with birdsong. Here CC Africa has created two remarkable lodges: Matetsi Water Lodge and Matetsi Safari Camp, situated in the private Matetsi Game Reserve. Matetsi extends over 50 000 hectares of wilderness, the largest private game reserve in Zimbabwe. With 15 kilometres of private Zambezi River frontage, Matetsi offers an unrivalled river experience and forms part of a huge wildlife paradise straddling two countries - there are no fences between it and Botswana's Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. As many as 50 000 elephants live here - the highest concentration on earth.

Water Lodge
Suites
The accommodation at Water Lodge offers harmonious sophistication, in true CCA style. The lodge comprises three separate, exclusive camps with six superior air-conditioned suites. At Water Lodge, the vast teak doors of each of the 18 suites - even those of the en suite bathroom - swing open to command sweeping views of the broad river. Indoor and outdoor showers offer refreshing alternatives to a bath. Plunge pools on the private decks, shaded by Mangosteen and Waterberry trees, make for a truly indulgent experience.
Guards accompany you to and from your suite at night. Covering 500m of Matetsi's 15km Zambezi River frontage, Water Lodge gives you total exposure to this mighty river.
Interiors
Water Lodge is a sophisticated synthesis of teak, slate and thatch, softened with blue fabrics and evocative of ancient Zimbabwe and the myths of the great Zambezi.
Living Spaces
Each of the three camps is located on the banks of the Zambezi River under a canopy of sheltering trees. Matetsi Water Lodge opens directly onto the great Zambezi River. Central guest areas consist of lounge and covered dining areas overlooking the mighty Zambezi. A well-stocked curio shop is found at the main reception. The camp layout ensures privacy and intimacy in an idyllic setting.
Matetsi is an ideal choice for honeymooners or for celebrating a special occasion. The lodges are also an imaginative choice for incentives, leisure groups and small informal meetings.

Safari Camp
Tented Camps
On the edge of an open grassland system and waterhole, Safari Camp's 12 superior cream canvas suites elevate luxury tented safaris to new heights. The tents feature air-conditioning and en suite bathrooms with baths, showers and solid teak structures. Private decks overlook a waterhole, where herds of animals congregate during the dry season (May to October). Guards accompany you to and from your tent at night.
Interiors
Matetsi Safari Camp merges old-world sophistication and antique charm with modern luxury. Situated on the edge of open grassland abounding with wildlife, Safari Camp's teak and canvas décor fits comfortably into the environment of ancient paths used by elephant, buffalo and lion
Living Spaces
An intimate guest area, shaded by a canopy of teak trees, is located on the edge of the open grassland leading to the waterhole. The shared living spaces consist of a lounge and dining area and a curio shop is located in the reception. The lodge's watering hole is frequented by large numbers of plains game and elephant. You can view passing game at your leisure from the strategically located, large rim-flow swimming pool and spacious tree-shaded deck. The living spaces are kept deliciously cool by a dense canopy of huge teak trees. Matetsi is ideal for honeymooners or for celebrating a special occasion. The lodges are an imaginative choice for incentives, leisure groups and small informal meetings.

Activities
Game Drives
Activities at Matetsi include twice daily game viewing drives in open Land Rovers, as well as exciting spotlit night drives. Sole use of a Land Rover may be requested for private game viewing.
Walks
Bush walks through the private Matetsi Game Reserve are led by armed rangers.
Adventures
At Matetsi Water Lodge, morning and afternoon riverboat cruises and guided canoe excursions are among the many delights that await you. Five canoes are able to take a maximum of ten guests on Water Lodge's private river frontage. For bird-watchers, exploring this region is pure magic.
Optional activites include a visit to one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the 103 metre Victoria Falls, which are just 40 kilometres away (about a half hour drive.) A complimentary daily shuttle is available to guests. A host of adventure activities - from white-water rafting to walks in the rain forest on the lip of the Falls - can be arranged at your own cost.
The ever-changing moods of the Zambezi are a siren's call for today's explorers. You can make your way into Victoria Falls for heart-pounding white-water rafting or gentle boat cruises. There are tours of the falls and surrounding areas, canoeing in the falls, sky-diving and horse riding. You can listen to a Marimba band and see traditional dancing, or enjoy the breathtaking views of the Victoria Falls ravine by light aircraft, helicopter or microlight. Adrenalin junkies can take the plunge and bungee jump off the bridge spanning the gorge below the Falls.

Wildlife & Ecology
Landscape
The conservation area in which Matesi is set incorporates Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park in the south and Botswana's Chobe wilderness area to the west. It forms the single biggest rangeland for Africa's surviving herds of elephants, and is a rarity in that it is an open wildlife system rather than the more common pockets of fenced-off protected wilderness.
Matetsi Game Lodges are located in the heart of one of the world's prime wildlife and natural heritage areas and is well positioned to explore the Victoria Falls area. An upland plateau of some 1 000 metres above sea level dominates the immediate vicinity. This plateau is bisected by the Zambezi River, which forms the northern boundary of the reserve, and Zimbabwe's border with Zambia.
Game
Kudu, impala, warthog, buffalo and African elephant are the most conspicuous mammals. The conservation area in which Matetsi is set forms the single biggest rangeland for Africa's surviving elephants.
When the marshes or vleis around Matetsi are dry, they attract a variety of grazing animals such as sable antelope, topi (tsessebe), reedbuck and the ubiquitous African elephant and buffalo. Warthog and baboon are also found here. Large herbivores occurring in the woodlands include the rare roan antelope, sable antelope, Burchell's zebra and the nocturnal aardvark and aardwolf. Lion, spotted hyena, leopard and cheetah, and occasionally wild dog, find conditions along river valleys to their liking. The almost completely nocturnal caracal, serval and African wild cat may be spotted at Matetsi. The Cape clawless otter feed on the abundant fish in the Zambezi.

Cuisine
Our accomplished chefs prepare sumptuous meals with a Pan-African theme and serve them under the giant trees on the intimate dining deck.

Conservation
After a 70-year history of exhaustive exploitation in the area - varying from teak logging and cattle ranching to trophy hunting - it is truly remarkable what CC Africa's presence at Matetsi has achieved in just four short years.