Mpala Jena Camp

truly elegant but premium-priced

Mpala Jena Camp is located in the Victoria Falls area of eastern Zimbabwe.

The lodge is centred on a cosy thatched main area, which leads out to a sandy campfire and outdoor dining area above the river. To one side there is a swimming pool area.

Rooms

The lodge has just five gorgeous tented rooms, each with a private indoor bathroom.

Two of these rooms are much larger Family Suites, which are effectively two regular suites connected via a central lounge area and with a much larger deck out front.

Note that the rooms have ceiling fans, but do not have air-conditioning (which was present in the previous iteration of the camp).

Activities

Activities are centred on vehicle safari, motorboat safari, canoe safari, visits to the Victoria Falls, scenic flights and white-water rafting.

Victoria Falls is a very popular location and is, from a transport perspective, the central hub for safari in the southern part of the continent. The area therefore tends to feature in a lot of trips.

The usual stay duration at Victoria Falls is 2-4 nights, usually at the front end of a trip, since this is such an easy place to slide gently into Africa.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Victoria Falls is generally considered to be during the May-Oct dry season, when safari in the reserves of Zambia and Zimbabwe is strongest.

During the early part of this season, the flow rate over the falls should be high, possibly with the spray obscuring the views.

Towards the end of this season, the flow rate over the falls can reduce to not much more than a trickle, which can significantly reduce the majesty of the experiences.

Generally, we tend to recommend that you focus your trip on the best time for safari, rather than worry too much about the falls.

Getting there

The lodge is usually accessed by private vehicle transfer from Victoria Falls International Airport, a drive of around 90 minutes.

Another option is to arrive into Livingstone Airport, across the border in Zambia, in which case the journey is likely to be around 120 minutes.

It is also possible to connect by road down to Kasane, in order to continue by road into Namibia or by air into Botswana.

can be combined with a very wide range of safari areas