THE TIMES FEATURE

‘I’ve travelled across Africa — this place gives me goosebumps’

“It may be a tourist spectacle, but this natural wonder still has a wild side with rainforest, rainbows and stampeding elephants”

An excerpt from an article by Lisa Grainger featured on The Times:

Since Mpala Jena’s new owners, Kevin and Shannon Lang, took over the lease in 2021, they have transformed the camp. Gone are the dark Zanzibar-style interiors. In their place are light, open-plan interiors: all shaggy thatch roofs, pale stone and bleached wood walls and, in homage to its name (Mpala Jena meaning “white impala”), white linen sofas, pale sculptural ceramics and white Zulu beaded mirrors.

Situated on a 740-acre private concession within the park, this riverside camp feels a world away from the bustle of Victoria Falls, 13 miles to its east. It also feels far more polished than many Zimbabwean properties. That’s because the Langs have four smart safari camps in Botswana, which were also created by the Australian architect Craig Hayman, and designed by the acclaimed decorator Tracy Kelly.