CHRIS ZVIDZAYI

Chris was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and nicknamed ‘animal’, for his love of wildlife! He spent 20 years of his life in the African bush and admits that he can more easily find his way in the bush than in the streets of towns! Whilst traveling through Southern Africa, he gained valuable knowledge of fauna, flora and all the different cultures in Southern Africa, he has been guiding tours for 17 years and is always ready to share this knowledge and his love for nature. He believes to always give his best in everything he does. Chris is interested in working within a multicultural environment and being in the bush ‘touching nature’. He encourages participation on tour and motivates those around him to conserve nature for the future generations. Chris is a wonderful person, always friendly and caring.

In June of 2024 Chris was admitted to hospital with a severe lung infection. After all the efforts of the medical staff, his condition continued to worsen. Sadly he passed away on the 8th of June 2024. Our condolences to his family and friends from the whole Sunway team.

IVORY ROUTE BZac15: "This was a very full-on tour, brilliantly facilitated by Chris and Bryan. No praise is too much in terms of their professionalism, warmth, friendship, knowledge and sense of fun! Chris drove us 1000s of miles with great care and Bryan contributed in so many ways, making them a team that you must be very proud of. We were hugely grateful that Chris was able to find a solution to the fuel crisis in Zimbabwe - otherwise our tour would have been over before it had really begun!

I would be very pleased if the directors of Sunway could be made aware of our praise and thanks - we returned to the UK feeling enriched and much more knowledgable about Southern Africa, its people, fauna and flora." Tony & Janet, UK

NAMIBIA & BOTSWANA DESERT & DELTA: "We were lucky enough to have Chris and Simba as our guides. They are extraordinary. Chris is a veteren of African expeditions, and a natural born leader, with amazing people skills, a contagious sense of humour, and an unforgettable baritonal voice. He knows everything you may want to know about the places, the people, the local history, the animals and plants. We can never thank them enough for allowing us to live such an extraordinary experience." Laura Cesarreti, Italy

CAPE TOWN TO VIC FALLS GRAND EXPLORER: "Dear Chris, thank you very much for this unforgetable, amazing and great trip.  I was enjoying every single minute.  Thank you also for your organisation driving , cooking and all the things you did for us. You did a great job and earned my great respect!" Anita Fleuckiger, Germany

CAPE TOWN TO VIC FALLS GRAND EXPLORER: "Sunway you have an absolute gem of an asset in Chris.  Knowledgeable, personable, organised and respectful to name just a few!" Margaret Sabine, Australia

BOTSWANA WILD PARKS: "I found this particular holiday hard to convey into words that would give it all justice.. My husband Jarvis lived out in Africa for 3 years as an engineer 30 years ago, and never got around to visiting again until this trip...He covered (Malawi -his cousin was a safari director-retired now)+Namibia+most of South...so it was hard to find a trip and this one seemed to fit the bill he was amazed, and how organised and hard working the guides, and knowledgeable they were. However, the guides Chris and Patrick were truly remarkable and made everyone special, making time for answering all our questions none stop, cooking wonderful home made food, which was a delight, (I even ate my porridge) said mummy bear!. As a group Chris and Patrick really made and helped us all jell like one huge family, always ready for laughing, both remarkable and got the balance right for all of us... SO WELL DONE TO THE GUIDES excellent!!!" Heike Knopp, Germany" Marie and Jarvis Weir, UK

CAPE TOWN TO VICTORIA FALLS EXPLORER: "Hi, I am writing this e-mail to say thanks for a fantastic trip with Sunway Safaris! We just had the best time of out lives! Especially I would like to thank our tour-guides Chris and Jonathan. With their enthusiasm, their knowledge and their love for the african continent they made this journey become an unforgettable memory. They always had an answer to all our questions, made us really feel at home away from home and last but not least, spoilt us with delicious food every day! I can only recommend to anyone who wants to experience the real Afrika to go on a trip with Sunway Safaris; it will be the experience of a lifetime!" Heike Knopp, Germany" Heike Knopp, Germany

BOTSWANA WILDPARKS SAFARI: "Hi Chris, Tinus. Still buoyed by the experience of this mainly Botswanan holiday. Anne and I would like to thank you all for the hard work and daily problem solving that seems to be part of a fast paced people moving exercise in Africa. Of course we were delighted with the opportunity to be so close to animals in their natural habitat but the bonus was to be so close to the people who live in this environment and to find the safari leaders to be so engaging and informative. The local guides also, were generous with their knowledge, answered questions freely and went out of their way to assist and to bring us closer to wildlife. No guests could be happier than we were throughout the trip and still are as we muse on the memory. This safari provided many unexpected delights such as the kindness observed in the local people, both to us and to each other at San-Ta-Wani . And thrills such as an elephant coming to the bar-side pool at Elephant Sands for an after dark drink. While I am sure that many sticky situations and frustrations must have arisen through the 14 days, the leaders managed to keep cool, stick to the timetable and iron out difficulties so that we had the impression that everything ran like clockwork. This was a many layered experience and we will take pleasure in commending this tour to those who ask and will look forward to another trip in the future!" Gary Chapman, Australia

TRADE ROUTE: "I just wanted to point out that both Chris and Tinus were an inspiration to me. As I employ people in BP and we have a code of conduct in how to work in my company I just wanted to let you know the professionalism that was given to me by both Chris and Tinus. With my observation of them both I wanted to point out that Chris is a motivator with all groups concerned and has a way with interacting with people on all levels and his mastery of languages gives you the impression that he is an asset to your company. He is passionate about Sunway Safaris and gives 110% to his job and wakes up every day with a smile on his face and a motivating aura to his group. if I was to have a job going within BP I would snap both of them up to employ them given their commitment to their jobs and their passion." Zandra Smith, UK

TRADE ROUTE: "Chris was one of the most dynamic people I have met. He offered a window into the heart and soul of Africa that I never dreamed of seeing. His interactions with the people that extended to us on tour were truly one of the most rewarding parts of my journey. I feel privileged to have shared this experience with him." Chris Egan, California USA

CAPE TOWN TO VICTORIA FALLS: ”I did the cape to vic falls accommodated tour in march and wanted to tell you how much I liked it. Especially the guides who where a really good choice for this trip. We had Iris, who did a real good job on organization and tour leading. And she made delicious meals! Maxwell and Chris explained the nature and culture to us in a very interesting way. It is a really good choice to put some regional tour leaders on the tour as well. They were both very reliable and responsible and of course they knew about everything related to southern Africa. The whole tour was really great… thank you!” Stephanie Ritter, Germany

WALKING SOUTH AFRICA: “We recently were guests on the Walking South Africa tour and want to give special thanks to our guides Andre & Chris, who made an excellent job to make this vacation a real great experience for us.” Andres & Ramona Mitsch, Germany

BOTSWANA WILDSIDE: "Hi, we are back in Australia and well rested now, but I think our hearts and heads are still in Africa. It certainly was a wonderful experience. Sitting on the drop toilet in the Okavango delta looking at a full moon was an experience not easily forgotten! We felt so fortunate to have Chris as our guide. He truly is a wonderful person and perfect in his role. We were also lucky having such a great group of fellow travellers. We hope to keep in touch with them all. Thanks again." Barbara Hilling, Australia

ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA GAME TRACKER: "Now back home from my third trip with Sunway Safaris for more than 3 weeks now. I would like to let you know how much I enjoyed it once again. A big thank you to the guides Chris and Gerrit for a great time, always helpful, reliable and friendly. Their knowledge of the African bush, the animals, the culture and history of the countries was brilliant. I could feel their love to that beautiful nature at any time. Visiting Zimbabwe was a wonderful experience with the interesting history of Great Zimbabwe, the beautiful landscape of Matopos Hills with an amazing sunset and Hwange National Park with an abundance of elephants I have never seen like this before all coming and going at one water hole, more than 300. We couldn’t stop watching. And Vic Falls especially at this time of the year a lasting impression. Thanks again to Chris and Gerrit and as well to Albert and Wayne. It was always a great pleasure and a lot of fun to meet them on the way." Christiane Bohr, Germany

TRADE ROUTE: "Thank you for taking us with you through the great countries of Namibia and Botswana! Showing us all the beautiful wild nature, and of course the birds! I enjoyed every bit of the trip thanks to the well organised and very positive guides. Keep up with the great cooking and no group can ever complain!" Sander Vink, Netherlands

WALKING SOUTH AFRICA: "Thanks to both Maxwell and Chris for a truly memorable Walking South Africa Tour. Sunway is very fortunate to have such dedicated, professional, knowledgeable staff. I have never been anywhere that any group leaders were able to identify and answer questions on the local flora and fauna as thoroughly as Chris and Maxwell were. They always had smiles on their faces and knew how to keep all of us laughing, no matter what the situation. I had such a great time traveling with them." Annette Paluh, USA

BOTSWANA WILD PARKS: "Chris is a very experencied guide, very open and friendly, caring and patient, always trying to make everyone in the group feel as comfortable as possible. Sometimes in our group a pretty hard job for him... :-)" Dagmar Werner, Germany

SOUTH AFRICA RAINBOW ROUTE:"Chris Z went Above and beyond to please us. He was so patient + accommodative this tour could not have been better! Thanks!” Kimberley Cockrell, USA

BOTSWANA WILD PARKS:"The Sunway local guides Chris and Jonas were outstanding. They took excellent care of us, are friendly, flexible if needed and very informed! They really made this trip a special experience” Mrs. Pavlic, Germany

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