Zimbabwe – Chete

Chete Safari Area (200,000 acres) and Sijarira Lodge

The Chete Safari Area is located in northern Zimbabwe on the shores of Lake Kariba approximately 180km west of the dam wall. Chete is rugged country with broken ground, rocky rivers and ravines and mopane forests. The entire northern boundary is made up of the magnificent Lake Kariba bringing with it the flood plains on the shores of the lake. Hunting is by, vehicle, boat and on foot. This is rugged African hunting in wild country with some areas of Chete inaccessible other than on foot.Apart from hunting Chete and our adjacent Sijarira Safari Lodge offer superb fishing and birding opportunities and it is well worth taking a day or two off hunting in search of the famous tiger fish.

Chete Gorge Camp

The main safari camp known as the Chete Gorge Camp, is situated on a high cliff overlooking the Chete Gorge, where the lake narrows and follows the old path of the Zambezi river of years gone by. The Camp is Comprised of 4 thatched chalets, all with ensuite bathrooms, overhead fans and electricity.There is a large dining room, kitchen and a small plunge pool that provides welcome relief during the oppressive Zambezi Valley heat later in the year.

Hunting in Chete

Elephant hunting in Chete is, like Chirisa, typical tracking style of hunting. There is a resident population of elephant in the area and with some hard work results can be very rewarding. The best time of year is early in the year March to May. Trophy quality in Chete is generally in the 30 – 40 pound range.

Buffalo hunting in Chete is very good, there is a good resident population of buffalo and a relatively small annual quota means that trophy quality remains excellent and bulls in excess of 40 inches are regularly taken. Like most areas in Africa the best time to hunt buffalo is later in the year when the bush dries up, July through or September being prime months.

Lion and Leopard hunting in Chete is excellent for leopard but not good for lion. There is not a big enough population of lion in Chete to ensure an acceptable success rate on hunts and as such we do not offer lion on a specialized lion hunt but rather on a opportunistic basis. Leopard on the other hand has traditionally been very good, Chete is ideal leopard terrain, rocky hills, thick riverine and large populations of small mammals all contribute to this. Being a national parks safari area daylight only hunting is allowed and this brings the success rate on leopard to between 60 and 70%.

Plainsgame hunting in Chete is very good for some species, kudu and klipspringer in particular and for a while the SCI number 1 kudu came from Chete, bulls over 55 inches are common and over 60 inches is not unusual for the area. Other species, which can reasonably be expected to be taken on a 10 – 14 day safari are impala, zebra, hyena, duiker and bushbuck, whilst with a bit of work eland and waterbuck are also both available. Hippo and crocodile are abundant in the lake and success rate on trophy quality crocodile is 100%.

Trophy Fees

Important Note: We operate to strict quotas and cannot offer all species to every client, as such please ensure at the time of booking your safari, the specific species you want to hunt are available.

Additional Costs over and above trophy fees, daily rates and transfer costs