BUT
After this quote today I think they can stick their camping. Nearly R10 000,00 for 9 nights excluding park fees and so forth I think it is a total rip off.
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Zim Parks Crazy Costs
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paw_by_pawpa
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Zim Parks Crazy Costs
We are exploring Botswana in September and thought we will also sommer take a draai through Zim's going to Hwange, Mana and Gonarezhou.
BUT After this quote today I think they can stick their camping. Nearly R10 000,00 for 9 nights excluding park fees and so forth
I think it is a total rip off.
BUT
After this quote today I think they can stick their camping. Nearly R10 000,00 for 9 nights excluding park fees and so forth I think it is a total rip off.
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andrew.ashtonan
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Re: Zim Parks Crazy Costs
This quote from Zim4x4 news - February 2013 newsletter:
"THE MORNING AFTER...
OK, that's is for the festivities, now a dim memory. Payback time for all that fun, with our beloved Parks Authority dealing out the first dollop of cold water with the announcement of radically changed entry arrangements for the Mana Pools and Gonarezhou National Parks.
Hitherto, visitors to Mana Pools have been charged a single entry fee for stays of up to seven days. In future, they will be charged entry fees of US$20 (international), US$15 (SADCC) or US$8 (locals) per day. So if you hail from - say - Australia, you'll be paying US$100 in entry fees for your five-day stay, in addition to your camping or other accommodation fees.
For some reason, visitors to Gonarezhou get off more lightly, with US$15, US$12, and US$5 per day respectively. But at the Victoria Falls rainforest, you'll be whacked for US$30, US$20 or US$7 per day depending on your antecedents.
Wilderness and wildlife cost a vast amount to protect - I know this, because I've been a Parks officer and seen the accompanying realities, including more or less starving to death on a pittance of a salary - and US$15 a night for camping simply doesn't even make a dent in the necessary budgets. This is why our Parks are largely subsidised by sport hunting in the adjacent Safari Areas.
It's a fact of life that people will pay enormous sums to kill a lion or elephant, but not very much to photograph one. Hunting may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as matters stand we have every reason to be grateful to the professional hunters, who pay heavily for their concessions in the Parks Authority's safari areas, and the trophy fees paid by their clients. Otherwise we probably wouldn't get past the Park gates for less than US$500 a night. Meanwhile we also have to admit that the ecological 'footprint' created by tethical hunting operations tends to be much smaller than that of the photosafari business. One only has to compare the vehicle traffic in Mana Pools with that in - for example - the Chewore Safari Area to realise that.
Nevertheless, it's a shock to have charges like these dropped on us 'out of the blue' and without any consultation. Some kind of phased increases - and a lot more advance warning - would have been a more user-friendly. Our safari operator's association is negotiating for a moratorium on these increases during 2013, as most operators have already quoted for - and booked - safaris on the basis of the old prices; but the prospects do not seem good at the moment. The Parks Authority has never been renowned for its sensitive PR and it's difficult to avoid the feeling that, in Mana particularly, they have merely seen a chance to squeeze the last possible cent from the public. As Zimbabwe is already an expensive destination, they may live to regret it.
It would - as a small consolation - be pleasing to think that these increased costs might deter the small but astoundingly moronic percentage of self-drive 4x4 visitors who behave so appallingly in our National Parks. But it probably won't. They may not have a braincell to share among the lot of them, but money isn't any problem, if their flashy equipment is anything to go by. Meanwhile, if you feel like wading through the entire Zimbabwe Parks Authority tariff document for 2013, go to http://www.zimparks.org/images/tariffs.pdf. And if you have problems understanding it, don't worry - we do too!"
"THE MORNING AFTER...
OK, that's is for the festivities, now a dim memory. Payback time for all that fun, with our beloved Parks Authority dealing out the first dollop of cold water with the announcement of radically changed entry arrangements for the Mana Pools and Gonarezhou National Parks.
Hitherto, visitors to Mana Pools have been charged a single entry fee for stays of up to seven days. In future, they will be charged entry fees of US$20 (international), US$15 (SADCC) or US$8 (locals) per day. So if you hail from - say - Australia, you'll be paying US$100 in entry fees for your five-day stay, in addition to your camping or other accommodation fees.
For some reason, visitors to Gonarezhou get off more lightly, with US$15, US$12, and US$5 per day respectively. But at the Victoria Falls rainforest, you'll be whacked for US$30, US$20 or US$7 per day depending on your antecedents.
Wilderness and wildlife cost a vast amount to protect - I know this, because I've been a Parks officer and seen the accompanying realities, including more or less starving to death on a pittance of a salary - and US$15 a night for camping simply doesn't even make a dent in the necessary budgets. This is why our Parks are largely subsidised by sport hunting in the adjacent Safari Areas.
It's a fact of life that people will pay enormous sums to kill a lion or elephant, but not very much to photograph one. Hunting may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as matters stand we have every reason to be grateful to the professional hunters, who pay heavily for their concessions in the Parks Authority's safari areas, and the trophy fees paid by their clients. Otherwise we probably wouldn't get past the Park gates for less than US$500 a night. Meanwhile we also have to admit that the ecological 'footprint' created by tethical hunting operations tends to be much smaller than that of the photosafari business. One only has to compare the vehicle traffic in Mana Pools with that in - for example - the Chewore Safari Area to realise that.
Nevertheless, it's a shock to have charges like these dropped on us 'out of the blue' and without any consultation. Some kind of phased increases - and a lot more advance warning - would have been a more user-friendly. Our safari operator's association is negotiating for a moratorium on these increases during 2013, as most operators have already quoted for - and booked - safaris on the basis of the old prices; but the prospects do not seem good at the moment. The Parks Authority has never been renowned for its sensitive PR and it's difficult to avoid the feeling that, in Mana particularly, they have merely seen a chance to squeeze the last possible cent from the public. As Zimbabwe is already an expensive destination, they may live to regret it.
It would - as a small consolation - be pleasing to think that these increased costs might deter the small but astoundingly moronic percentage of self-drive 4x4 visitors who behave so appallingly in our National Parks. But it probably won't. They may not have a braincell to share among the lot of them, but money isn't any problem, if their flashy equipment is anything to go by. Meanwhile, if you feel like wading through the entire Zimbabwe Parks Authority tariff document for 2013, go to http://www.zimparks.org/images/tariffs.pdf. And if you have problems understanding it, don't worry - we do too!"
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TomPajTo
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Re: Zim Parks Crazy Costs
Hi Paw,
We're going to Hwange/Vic Falls/Matobo in July and found a nice self catering spot in Hwange - Kapula Camp http://kapulacamp.com/ - they have larney tents at around R950 each (2 persons) and semi-larney at around R630 each (2 persons) per night.
Not camping but looks pretty neat - have a look at the website but bear in mind that the cheaper ones are still under construction - will be finished in April.
Cheers
Tom
We're going to Hwange/Vic Falls/Matobo in July and found a nice self catering spot in Hwange - Kapula Camp http://kapulacamp.com/ - they have larney tents at around R950 each (2 persons) and semi-larney at around R630 each (2 persons) per night.
Not camping but looks pretty neat - have a look at the website but bear in mind that the cheaper ones are still under construction - will be finished in April.
Cheers
Tom
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andrew.ashtonan
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Re: Zim Parks Crazy Costs
Tom, my understanding is that you are still going to be charged the new conservation fees on top of that (US$15/day per SADC adult, US$8 per SADC child). Might be worth checking with Kapula?TomPaj wrote:Hi Paw,
We're going to Hwange/Vic Falls/Matobo in July and found a nice self catering spot in Hwange - Kapula Camp http://kapulacamp.com/ - they have larney tents at around R950 each (2 persons) and semi-larney at around R630 each (2 persons) per night.
Tom
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TomPajTo
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Re: Zim Parks Crazy Costs
Hi Andrew,
I'm aware of the extra costs - I'm comparing the accommodation costs against the US$150 per night at the Park Camps - which by all accounts are a bit run down.
On closer inspection of Paw's quote I see that is the cost per night at the camping spots. The "lodges" are US$100 and the chalets are US$60 per night - any idea of the difference between a lodge and a chalet?
In planning the trip I was aware how expensive Zim has become - a real pity because I fear they are pricing themselves out the market again.
Cheers
Tom
I'm aware of the extra costs - I'm comparing the accommodation costs against the US$150 per night at the Park Camps - which by all accounts are a bit run down.
On closer inspection of Paw's quote I see that is the cost per night at the camping spots. The "lodges" are US$100 and the chalets are US$60 per night - any idea of the difference between a lodge and a chalet?
In planning the trip I was aware how expensive Zim has become - a real pity because I fear they are pricing themselves out the market again.
Cheers
Tom
- Chris
- Country: RSA
- Vehicle: Pajero GLX
- Location: Boksburg
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Re: Zim Parks Crazy Costs
We booked and payed Mana pools last year already (trip planned for June) just to receive this suprise earlier this year. Mana pools better be as good as we've heard!
Chris