When you arrive at camp, everything seems effortless. Your room is ready, a delicious lunch appears, and your guide is waiting for you with a smile. But behind that seamless experience is a dedicated and passionate team working from before sunrise to long after the sun has set. We want to take you behind the scenes and introduce you to some of the teams that help everything run smoothly at Kavinga.
Front of house
As you arrive at camp you’ll be given a warm welcome, a cool towel, and a tasty drink to cool off after your journey. Welcoming our guests is just one of the many things that our front of house team does each day. From prepping tables for meals, taking breakfast orders, and serving food and drinks, to doing stock take, replenishing the tea and coffee station, and even scanning the waterhole for leopards! They’re always willing to help or chat, however long the day has been.
Housekeeping
A clean, well-appointed room doesn’t just happen. Members of our housekeeping team are on their feet from 6am to 6pm, stripping and remaking beds, cleaning tents and bathrooms, and checking that everything is where it should be. The amount of washing and ironing alone would make your head spin! It’s also easy to forget, too, that after your stay, the team must turn the room around – often in the space of a few hours – ready for the next set of guests.
Guides
Of course, one of the most exciting parts of a safari is heading out on a game drive or bush walk. But being a great safari guide is about more than just having good eyes to spot wildlife. Our guides have spent years studying their craft and perfecting the art of tracking animals, reading the landscape, and storytelling – helping you get the most out of your stay. They’re also on hand to answer any questions you might have about the wildlife or camp, and if they don’t know the answer, they’ll make sure they find out. Their day also includes helping the front of house team, setting up the cars and packing the cooler boxes, and helping to clear and maintain the roads on the concession. And, if you’re flying or transferring into or out of camp, our guides will be the ones to pick you up and drop you off.
Kitchen
The kitchen team, which works in shifts, is busy prepping hot water and continental breakfast from well before sunrise to as late as 9:30pm once all the dinner dishes are washed. Breakfast alone is more complicated than it looks, since the team never knows in advance what our guests will order. Similarly, it’s no easy feat ensuring we have all the necessary stock on hand given how far away we are from the shops. It’s up to our chefs to ensure we always have the right ingredients for every guest’s dietary needs and the delicious meals they turn out, from scrumptious chocolate cakes to mouth-watering curries.
Maintenance
How the maintenance team work in the Mana heat is nothing short of superhuman – whether they’re servicing cars, gardening, replacing floorboards, or fixing roads. They play a key role helping across every department to keep things running smoothly. They’re also responsible for keeping the hides clean and the waterholes full to ensure our guests – and the animals that come to drink – can enjoy the experience.
Camp management
Finally, let’s not forget the admin! Ever wondered how a camp in the middle of nowhere keeps everything running? The answer is our management team, some of whom are based at camp and others in Harare. They order in all our supplies, direct the teams so the jobs get done, deal with all our suppliers and legislators (you might be surprised about the amount of work it takes to maintain a bush air strip!) and liaise with our bookings and marketing teams. They’re always there with a smile, even after an exhausting day, and look after all our guests throughout their stay.
So, the next time you sit down for a delicious breakfast overlooking the pan, step into a perfectly prepared tent for a rest, or climb into a vehicle for a game drive, take a moment to remember everything that needed to happen to ensure you get to have a wonderful experience! If you’d like to see it all for yourself, contact us to book your stay.
Thank you to Rachel Bright for helping to write this blog and giving her first-hand insight into all that goes on behind the scenes at Kavinga Safari Camp.