Zimbabwe has always offered exceptional big-game safari, with intimate encounters with black and white rhinos, thousands of elephants, and exclusive concessions and thrilling game walks. New luxury camps and private reserves have opened in the last few years, as the country’s safari industry has been re-energized. This 2018 highlights of Zimbabwe safaris celebrates Zimbabwe’s new and exclusive experiences, including aerial charters, modern luxury camps, and wonderful wildlife encounters.
Best of Zimbabwe Safari 2018: Exclusive Camps & Experiences
DESCRIPTION
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Celebrate the revitalization of Zimbabwean safari by staying in a handcrafted collection of new boutique properties, including opulent camps surrounded by marauding elephants
- Uncover the intimacy of safari in two private concessions, where the wildlife wanders right past your suite, and the game viewing is as easy as it comes
- Explore the thrilling enormity of the Zimbabwean wilderness with three nights in Hwange National Park, where thousands of elephants gather at waterholes, and you’re never far from lions
- Hop across the country on a combination of scheduled and chartered light aircraft flights, touching down on remote airstrips after an astonishing aerial flight
- Walk amongst black and white rhinos in Matobo Hills National Park, the new and exclusive safari addition to a landscape that Cecil Rhodes nicknamed “World’s View”
- Start this highlights of Zimbabwe safari in Matetsi Private Game Reserve, where hippos and buffalo join you just a few miles upriver from Victoria Falls
- Escape onto the shores of Lake Kariba for adventurous safari mornings in Matusadona National Park and languid afternoons on the water
- Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve has just established itself as Zimbabwe’s premier private safari destination; three days here provides the opulent final stop on this 13-day safari
- At Malilangwe, take the option to spend a day in the neighboring vast and unexplored Gonarezhou National Park
- Get up close and personal with some of Africa’s rarest animals, including black rhinos, brown hyenas, and wild dogs
TRIP AT A GLANCE
(Day 1): Matetsi Private Game Reserve – Safari From Your Suite
(Day 2): Matetsi Private Game Reserve – Downriver to Victoria Falls, Upriver to the Hippos
(Day 3): Hwange National Park – Following the Elephants Through the Wilderness
(Days 4 – 5): Hwange National Park – Decadent Big-Game Safari and the Southern Africa Safari Camp
(Day 6): Lake Kariba (Matusadona National Park) – Private Aerial Safari and the Authenticity of Wild Africa
(Day 7): Lake Kariba (Matusadona National Park) – Escapism and Evocative Wildlife Encounters
(Day 8): Matobo Hills National Park – Walking Amongst Black and White Rhinos
(Day 9): Matobo Hills National Park – Indulgence and Intrigue Within World’s View
(Day 10): Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – The Opulence of a Private Zimbabwean Safari
(Day 11): Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – A Full Day in Southern Africa’s Next Big Safari Destination: Gonarezhou National Park
(Day 12): Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – Relaxed Final Day of Luxury Safari
(Day 13): Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve to Johannesburg – Departure
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Zimbabwe has always offered an exceptional big-game experience. Black and white rhinos occupy the same landscapes, thousands of elephants maraud through woodland, and ungulates and predators meet on vast dusty plains. There has continued to be a sense that Zimbabwe would become the ultimate safari destination, certainly within Southern Africa, if not the entire continent. However, the potential was never fully realized. Political challenges kept visitors away. However, the animals haven’t gone anywhere, and throughout the last two decades, the country has shown a remarkable commitment to conservation. Those who make it to Zimbabwe uncover a wonderful collection of national parks and big game experiences, from following the leopards to walking with buffalos and rhinos. And best of all, those who venture to this Southern African gem get the wildlife almost all to themselves.
The challenge over the last decade has been the luxury tourism infrastructure. During uncertain times, there wasn’t huge investment in this niche market. However, that’s changed in the last two or three years as the local safari industry has been revitalized with an influx of resources. This 2018 highlights of Zimbabwe safari takes an intimate journey through the new developments, incorporating contemporary camps, private reserves, re-energized old favorites, and includes some wonderful aerial journeys by light aircraft. It’s an opportunity to explore an exceptional hidden destination before the rest of the world eventually finds out.
Start in Matetsi Private Game Reserve, wild animals wandering past your suite as Victoria Falls rumbles just a few miles downriver. A relaxed two days includes easy safari introductions, the best of the falls, and a quality of luxury you can expect throughout the safari. Next, fly south, following migratory elephants into Zimbabwe’s longstanding flagship: Hwange National Park. The four-legged pachyderms are everywhere, and the encounters with carnivores are legendary. It’s all made up to date by a reinvented camp that’s surrounded by herds, overlooking a floodplain in the heart of the park. From this central location, game drives can explore diverse habitats, including a wilderness populated by very rare brown hyenas and wild dogs.
The flight to Lake Kariba is the first in a series of breathtaking aerial charters. These flights touch down within reserves and parks, keeping you firmly engrossed in the wilderness. Views from the window reveal the scale of Zimbabwe, a country of remarkable natural features and the iconic ochre-red earth associated with Africa. Land in Matusadona National Park and spend two days on the shores of Lake Kariba, a destination of classic waterfront escapism, made completely unique by the presence of so many wild animals. Some of the exclusive encounters include thousand-strong buffalo herds, rare antelope species, boating past hippos and birdlife, and tracking fish eagles from your suite. Like all the destinations on this safari, you’re virtually alone on these beautiful landscapes.
Then spend two days in Matobo Hills National Park, where a thriving population of black and white rhinos is complemented by some of the world’s highest concentrations of leopards and black eagles. You’ll spend a day on safari along with an afternoon exploring San rock art left on the red granite domes. For a scenic setting, there’s nowhere quite like this park’s landscape of boulders and rugged rocks. Complete the safari in Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, a pristine wilderness in the far southeast of the country, home to a fabulous Singita lodge and the full Big Five roaming through a landscape of baobab trees. This is a classic luxury safari in a private concession, a very relaxed way to end a longer safari adventure. Included in your stay is the option to spend a day in neighboring Gonarezhou National Park, one of Africa’s last, fully untouched big game wildernesses.
It’s not just the destinations that make the Zimbabwean experience. Adventures incorporate a full range of activities, with drives supplemented by walks, boat cruises, cultural encounters and watching wildlife from private verandahs. Redesigned camps and lodges offer superb accommodation, placing the country on par with its more established neighbor South Africa, with indulgent food menus and a very inclusive selection of imported and premium drinks. Getting to and from Zimbabwe is also made much easier, with a flight into Victoria Falls International, and then a departing transfer from Malilangwe direct to O. R. Tambo International in Johannesburg.
Consider learning more about the Zimbabwe safari operators whom we partner with, who strive to ensure that you have the Zimbabwe safari vacation of a lifetime.
ACTIVITIES
- World Heritage Sites / Leisure / Ecotourism / National Park / Reserve / Nature / Outdoor Adventures / Safari / Wildlife
THEMES
- Leisure / Ecotourism / African Safari
FEATURES
- Leisure / Luxury African Safari Camps / Luxury African Safari Lodges
Day to Day Itinerary
PLACES VISITED
Matetsi Private Game Reserve, Victoria Falls, Zambezi River, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Matusadona National Park, Matobo Hills National Park, Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Gonarezhou National Park, The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
DEPARTURE DATES
Dates are flexible and customizable for private departures.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Matetsi Private Game Reserve – Safari From Your Suite
In the Sotho language, Victoria Falls is known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, translated as “The Smoke that Thunders.” This name is stunningly appropriate, the roaring Zambezi River tumbling into a mist-filled chasm, sending clouds of condensation hundreds of meters into the air. Even from your lodge, 24 miles upriver, it’s possible to see the spray and hear the dramatic growl of the water. Matetsi Private Game Reserve has 17 miles of private river frontage and over 50,000 hectares of pristine wilderness. This safari oasis is within easy reach of the falls, yet fully surrounded by Zimbabwe’s four-legged wildlife.
You’re greeted at the airport and transferred to Matetsi River Lodge, a &Beyond property, and the only accommodation within the reserve. Safari is private here, and you watch animals directly from your river-facing suite; hippos quarreling, baboons playing, zebras grazing, and buffalos wandering as you dip into the private plunge pool on your verandah. There’s also a fabulous circular bath that looks out over the Zambezi, a lazy space for recovering from the flight. Your stay is flexible, and a variety of activities are included, dependent on your energy levels. Twice-daily game drives introduce the big game safari experience while sunrise and sunset boat cruises offer opportunities to explore the wilderness at a very relaxed pace. Walking safaris and canoeing are additional options.
What’s Included: airport transfer, accommodation at Matetsi River Lodge, transfer, safari, dinner
Day 2: Matetsi Private Game Reserve – Downriver to Victoria Falls, Upriver to the Hippos
You’re in the perfect location here to access Victoria Falls. Travel downriver, and the growl of Victoria Falls looms louder. Stop at an island close to the precipice then explore the walking trails around the falls, enjoying wonderful vistas over a mile-wide sheet of water that plummets over 100 meters into the chasm. Or take a boat upriver, where pods of hippos wade through the shallows and migratory elephants are never far away. Transfers to the falls are included, and you can choose when you want to see the spectacle. For the rest of the time, the safari continues all around you, springboks and impalas among those that scamper past as you’re lounging on the verandah.
What’s Included: accommodation at Matetsi River Lodge, transfer, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3: Hwange National Park – Following the Elephants Through the Wilderness
It’s a short flight south to Hwange, the light aircraft swooping over western Zimbabwe’s unbroken wilderness, low enough to spot herds of elephants traveling in and out of the woodland. You touch down in Zimbabwe’s longstanding and largest national park, Hwange National Park, a flagship destination on an astonishing scale. Enormous herds of elephants and buffalos roam here, sometimes hundreds of them seen in a single panorama. Gemsboks graze as packs of rare brown hyenas form. One of Africa’s largest populations of wild dogs can be found close to the camp, thriving on a floodplain in the heart of Hwange. This is classic big game safari and the next three days are all about the expressions of wild Africa. Two game viewing activities are included each day, and the camp’s central location allows you to explore the park’s diverse habitats and animals.
What’s Included: accommodation at Somalisa Camp, transfer, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Days 4 – 5: Hwange National Park – Decadent Big-Game Safari and the Southern Africa Safari Camp
Wake to elephants, trumpeting far across the plains. Game drive at dawn, tracking a pride of black-maned lions on the prowl. The sun is rising, and the predators are getting desperate, lunging unsuccessfully at zebras. Wildebeests canter past, full of energy. Buffalos fill a waterhole, grunting and slurping without pause. It’s impossible to keep track of the elephants, especially when you journey north into the woodlands. Game drive south and the Kalahari Desert plains attract a rich abundance of antelope: bushbuck, eland, kudu, gemsbok, reedbuck, hartebeest, impala, steenbok, duiker, and more. This wide-ranging menu creates food for the complete cast of predators, and a 3-day safari is a great chance to see the iconic combination of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena. Sometimes they’re resting, but often you follow them as they hunt and explore.
Providing a calm space after the wildlife drama is Somalisa Camp, where there’s a real luxury to safari under canvas. Sounds drift through the canvas walls, keeping you firmly immersed in the events of the bush. En-suite bathrooms feature beautiful al fresco bush showers, where you sometimes look out onto elephants. A pool and verandah overlook a flooded pan, which is lit up in the evenings. Evenings are majestic here, a fine dining menu served as all manner of animals meet at the water below, while a soaring canopy of trees ensures none of them get too close to your wine glasses.
What’s Included: accommodation at Somalisa Camp, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 6: Lake Kariba (Matusadona National Park) – Private Aerial Safari and the Authenticity of Wild Africa
Take a flight north, the first of your chartered light aircraft journeys across Zimbabwe. These flights hop from wilderness to wilderness while offering sublime impressions of the landscapes down below. As you land, you spot herds and giants on the plains and then disembark to giraffes and buffalos close to the dusty airstrip. Backdropped by rugged mountains, Matusadona is a destination of remarkable beauty, where every panorama is a potential photograph. Stay at Changa Safari Camp on the shores of Lake Kariba, a camp that epitomizes ideas of waterfront escapism. Your spacious tented suite has a private deck overlooking the water, with curved stairs leading down to a wide beach and a large fire pit, where the warming flames are constant throughout the evenings.
Some aspects of the Lake Kariba experience are reminiscent of a typical waterfront getaway. Boat safaris take you past a rich array of birdlife, while storks and fish eagles are familiar sights around your suite. It’s easy to spend lazy hours on the beach, watching the hippos and buffalos along the banks. And that’s where Lake Kariba is so different, this unique fusion of big game activity and waterfront tranquility. Up to three activities are included every day, so you can choose to explore on drives, walks, and water-based activities.
What’s Included: accommodation at Changa Safari Camp, transfer, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 7: Lake Kariba (Matusadona National Park) – Escapism and Evocative Wildlife Encounters
Walk across the plains, surrounding yourself with zebras and waterbucks, admiring the horns of rare sables and roan antelopes. Cruise on the water, watching how the herons flit in and out of the hippo pods. Drive into the park and stop in a clearing, waiting for elephants and a dense concentration of lions to get close. This is a park with a full range of activities, and it’s compact enough to include all three modes of exploration in one day. Serene and sublime, it’s a park that helps keep you energized on a multi-day safari, while simultaneously continuing the big mammal encounters.
What’s Included: accommodation at Changa Safari Camp, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 8: Matobo Hills National Park – Walking Amongst Black and White Rhinos
Enjoy a relaxed morning on the lakeshore before you fly south to Bulawayo, a short transfer away from the World Heritage Site of Matobo Hills. Remarkably high concentrations of leopards and black eagles occupy the jagged granite scenery, thriving in the broken landscapes. Other mammals are prolific in compact areas of open plains, including both black and white rhino subspecies. Today’s exploration is dedicated to the endangered giants, a conservationist leading you on a drive into the rhinos’ realm. Watch in awe as the white rhinos rumble past, fierce and determined in their movements. Then wait patiently to see the smaller and shier black rhinos, which only emerge when they’re confident. From the vehicle, you continue on foot, a very rare chance to share the landscape with Africa’s most iconic endangered species.
What’s Included: accommodation at Camp Amalinda, transfer, safari, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 9: Matobo Hills National Park – Indulgence and Intrigue Within World’s View
Cecil Rhodes called these hills “World’s View.” It’s not difficult to see why, especially when you walk to the summit of the granite domes and castle kopjes. Up here, you find San rock art, history etched into caves and overhangs, interpreted by your local guide. Many of the paintings tell of wildlife nearby, and the hills continue to offer some majestic safari encounters. Walks are short and relaxed, exploring a compact area popular with different antelopes. Drives bounce into the hills, in search of the legendary leopard population. And when the black eagles soar, the guides know that there’s something intriguing down below, usually a decomposing carcass fought over by scavengers. Camp Amalinda is a tranquil base for these activities, hidden in an ancient Bushmen shelter, with a swimming pool and bar overlooking a waterhole.
What’s Included: accommodation at Camp Amalinda, tour, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 10: Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – The Opulence of a Private Zimbabwean Safari
Day 11: Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – A Full Day in Southern Africa’s Next Big Safari Destination: Gonarezhou National Park
Day 12: Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve – Relaxed Final Day of Luxury Safari
Day 13: Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve to Johannesburg – Departure
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