Highlights of Zimbabwe safari

Wonderful wildlife and natural wonders Highlights of Zimbabwe safari

Elephant-lovers, raise your hands. Highlights of Zimbabwe safari is for you. Over nine elephant-filled days, Zimbabwe will show off its very best side, from one end of the Zambezi to the other. From the thronging herds of Hwange to the tip-toed pachyderms of Mana Pools, you’ll be thoroughly spoiled. (Plus, there’s a generous supply of lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild dog too.)

Starting at the top end of the Zambezi, with a three-day Hwange-shaped detour, you’ll explore this mighty river’s lower stretches too. Then you’ll double back to the Victoria Falls – or Vic Falls, as she goes by around here. (Be on the lookout for elephants who occasionally wander into town.) Against a backdrop of one of the world’s seven natural wonders, you’ll be treated like Zimbabwean royalty, enveloped in cushy suites and treated to helicopter flips above the Falls. Highlights of Zimbabwe safari might only be nine days, but it sure won’t feel like it.

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Highlights

Hwange sundowners surrounded by huge herds of elephant and buffalo.
Photographing Hwange’s wildlife from the cover of the sunken hide.
Comparing the upper stretches of the Zambezi in Vic Falls to its lower counterparts in Mana Pools.
Trying your hand at tiger fishing in the Lower Zambezi (catch-and-release, of course).
Canoeing down the Zambezi, surrounded by hippos and crocodiles as the elephants look on.
Follow in David Livingstone’s footsteps on a walk through the Victoria Falls rain forest.

Cool & Unusual

Book an angel’s eye view of Victoria Falls from the lofty heights of your private helicopter.

Break it down Itinerary overview

Nights 1 to 3 Hwange the land of elephants

Leaving Victoria Falls behind (don’t worry, you’ll be back), you’ll catch a small bush plane to Linkwasha Camp in the south-east corner of Hwange National Park. Here you’ll spend three nights in one of just nine elegant tents, amid a steady stream of wildlife. You’ll head out in search of predators like cheetah, wild dog and lion, photograph the elephants and buffalo from the sunken hide, or hit the bush on foot. You might even be tempted to sleep out under the stars.

Nights 4 to 6 A dash of “Mana magic”

You’re up and away to Mana Pools for the next leg of your adventure. (Keep an eye out, you might spot Lake Kariba down below.) On the sandy banks of the lower Zambezi, three magic nights – and hundreds of elephants – await you at Ruckomechi. Watch as they balance on their hindlegs in search of seed pods, or grab a canoe and wind your way through the hippo pods instead. At night, fall asleep to hyena cackles and not-so-distant lion roars, while tiger fish dance in your dreams.

Day 7 & 8 Vic Falls the smoke that thunders

It’s time to hop back in a little plane and hit Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall (by volume, to be precise). You’ll have a full day of exploring, sandwiched between two exceedingly comfy nights, away from the crowds, at Victoria Falls River Lodge. You’ll have the opportunity to tour the Falls with a local guide, and if you like, hop into a helicopter for the scenic ride of your life. There’s a ton to see and do in what’s considered the adventure capital of Southern Africa, so expect to be spoilt for choice.

Your stay Camps & lodges

3 Nights

Linkwasha Camp

At the base of this beautiful, teapot-shaped country’s spout you’ll find Linkwasha, brimming with hand-crafted baskets, bold Ndebele prints and Zimbabwe’s signature hospitality. Here among the ilala palms, natural textures and pin-sharp lines expertly blend the classic and the contemporary....

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3 Nights

Ruckomechi Camp

With the Zambezi to its front and a wildlife-laden floodplain to its notably elegant rear, Ruckomechi’s plum position beneath a canopy of acacias casts a spell of Mana magic. Here, huge herds of buffalo and elephant rumble by, and lion...

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2 Nights

Victoria Falls River Lodge

Just a few kilometres upstream from the thundering Falls you’ll find Victoria Falls River Lodge. Here, from your private plunge pool on the banks of the Zambezi, a gentle river breeze – and a touch of smugness – washes over...

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