Imvelo Safari Lodges are bringing rhino back to Hwange

Imvelo Safari Lodges is driving one of the most exciting conservation projects in Africa today, and this in the face of a pandemic which has seriously affected our business. Guides (and guests) of the right age can recall that at one time finding white rhino in southern Hwange was almost guaranteed. The last was seen in our area around 2005. That’s the bad news. The good news is that years of dreaming and then planning will soon culminate in the return of the first two white rhinos to the Hwange area.

The vision is huge and it calls for an equally huge commitment and investment. The first critical objective was to provide the security which will ensure a safe sanctuary for the new arrivals as they adapt and settle in their new environment.

Today, most rhino conservation successes throughout Africa are on private land. Imvelo’s CRCI -Community Rhino Conservation Initiative - represents a massive paradigm shift, placing rhino on community land with local communities as custodians. Imvelo Safari Lodges, given its strong links to the community, is well placed to rise to the challenge of this initiative.

CRCI and the establishment of the Imvelo Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary would not have been possible without a strong and long-standing partnership with the local community, the District Council, National Parks, the Malilangwe Trust, an important network of donors and a host of other organisations. Revenue generated from white rhino tourism fees will go back to the communities engaged, to help sustain socio-economic development in the area while simultaneously conserving wildlife.

Some of the wide-ranging and far-reaching benefits of this project include:

• The re-introduction of white rhino to Hwange – a once naturally occurring species.
• The protection of habitats and ecosystems which will facilitate rural development though tourism.
• Strengthening local community-based natural resource management.
• Improving socio-economic development opportunities in the area.
• Discouraging poaching of any and all wildlife.
• Further developing game water supplies and other conservation priorities.
• Growing capacity and resources within our area’s National Parks estate.
• Facilitating biodiversity conservation and research.
• Enhancing visitors’ safari experience and growing the number of visitors to the area.

And finally, it’s happening!

Fanfare and celebrations are all around as we get our first look at the two rhino which will soon be relocated to Hwange under Imvelo’s CRCI programme!In just a few days, we will be loading our rhino into special container trucks. This will be followed by a slow and careful ten-hour journey across Zimbabwe. Expectations are high among the communities at our destination – imagine children pouring out of classrooms as the trucks pass a local school – and if we can win with this young audience, it will be one sure step on the way to securing the future of the species in and around Hwange.

Some key information can be downloaded here to help you have all the information to share with your guests that may be already booked to travel with us, or for future clients you may send to us. CRCI factsheet ( this can be downloaded from our agents corner page, along with high res images). 

The factsheet has the prices to visit the sanctuary and what the morning or afternoon activity will involve. We will flesh this out further in the coming weeks, once our rhinos are settled, so bear with us as we embark on a few practice runs and finesse the experience for our valued guests.

Please do also follow along with us on our journey over the coming days as the rhinos translocate and settle in, we will share all the excitement on our social media platforms as below:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/imvelosafarilodges

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/imvelosafarilodgeszim/

If anyone, wants to find more about this momentous project, please do visit our dedicated website at Hwangecommunityrhino

We’d also like YOU to help the people of Mlevu Ward name their rhinos or share this with any of your guests that you feel would love to participate in this worthy cause.

Join us on Monday 23 May 2022 at our live auction to get an update from the team who will be tuning in live from the Headquarters, see the rhino and have your say. We will be taking live bids for your chance to choose the rhino's names!

The auction will start at 7pm CAT, 5pm GMT/UTC, 1pm ET, 10am PT

For more information and the list of rhino names chosen by the community, visit www.hwangecommunityrhino.com/rhino-naming-auction

And to register to join the live auction bid please use this link - https://bit.ly/ImveloRhino or share it onto friends, family or guests who you feel would want to bid in this exciting, one of its kind event and be part of making history in naming the first rhino being re-introduced back to Hwange.

And on a final note, what magnificent news that our guests staying at Bomani or Camelthorn will now have the opportunity to potentially see the Big 5 – something we have not been able to say since 2005!  This is a momentous achievement for Hwange and for our future guests to have a meaningful impact on the communities who have taken the leap to be part of this ground-breaking conservation initiative.