A Thrilling Safari and Spectacular Lodges
Wild Zimbabwe
Overview
Zimbabwe, one of the world’s least-touristed safari destinations, just happens to be one of the best. About the same size as South Africa’s Kruger National Park, vast Hwange National Park welcomes just a fraction of the visitors and offers an intimate safari rarely found in other parks. We’re unlikely even to see other safari vehicles as we explore the park’s famed Ngamo Plains, known for fabulous year-round game viewing, and in Zambezi National Park, we safari by boat at sunset. We’ll see great elephant herds and big numbers of lion, leopard, and cheetah, all the while enjoying exquisite boutique lodges with superb access to wildlife. Your participation helps support innovative local community conservation projects.
Arrive: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Depart: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Highlights
- Magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world
- Incredible Hwange National Park, a Serengeti without the crowds
- Authentic game walks, open vehicles, game drives, night drives
- Beautifully situated lodges with amazing access to wildlife
- Special “look-up” blind for incredible elephant photography
- Support the greatest community conservation projects in the country
- Visit the rhino sanctuary and meet the Community Wildlife Protection Scouts
Itinerary
Mile-wide Victoria Falls plunges 400 feet into the Zambezi River, creating an otherworldly spectacle. After touring the falls, we head to dreamy Nehimba Lodge, surrounded by rock outcrops in northern Hwange’s mopane woodland and sand river environment. At 5,657 square miles, Hwange has a level of biodiversity matched only by Tanzania’s Serengeti. Elephants in Hwange actually outnumber visitors! Our chalets encircle a waterhole beloved by throngs of elephant—we’ll see the “ellies” right from the dining deck—it’s a thrill!
A private open-air railway car called the Elephant Express brings us deeper into Hwange. On game drives and game walks at Camelthorn, expect great sightings of lion, zebra, giraffe, and cheetah. On a village visit, we walk to school with the local children—and see how we do at learning Ndebele, their “click” language. We’ll visit the rhino sanctuary built on village land and guarded by an anti-poaching unit. WT is proud to have helped sponsor this important initiative.
In Zambezi National Park, our riverside camp positions us for canoeing along the Siansimba Islands and we’ll search for wildlife during a game drive or boat excursion. Depart on Day 10 via Victoria Falls. We offer a pre-trip Okavango Delta Extension for this journey.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is Level 2+ (Easy to Moderate) according to our trip grading system. It can be enjoyed by anyone in reasonably good health. Optional game walks are available. While we do not see major elevation gain or loss, you need to be able to walk on uneven surfaces and feel comfortable on your feet for up to 2 hours a day.
Review Trip Level Details
Average Walking Day
- 1-2 hours
- 1-2 miles
- Flat terrain
Generally, Zimbabwe has a mild climate because of its altitude (about 3,000 feet above sea level). In the months of June and July, temperatures are colder (67°-77°F during the day, 40°-45°F at night) so warm jackets and insulating layers are necessary on early morning game drives. In August, the weather warms up a bit (75°-80°F during the day, 45°-55°F at night), and in the months of September and October, temperatures are even warmer (85°-95°F during the day, 60°-77°F at night), so you can pack lighter clothing.
Each of our safari lodges and camps has been meticulously designed to offer all your home comforts, a splash of luxury and an exciting dash of African charm. On top of this, our locations have been carefully selected for two vital reasons; the local communities' dedication to our conservation partnership and their proximity to some of nature's most impressive wonders, from the famous Victoria Falls, to the mighty Zambezi River and Hwange National Park, famed for its thousands of elephants.
While on safari, breakfasts and evening meals are served at the lodge you are staying in. Lunches while traveling between destinations will be served picnic-style en route. Bottled water, soft drinks, juice, house wine, and beer are included throughout the trip. All vehicles are equipped with a fridge or cool box stocked with bottled water. Tea and coffee are offered by all accommodations free of charge with meals and at afternoon teatime.
On safari, there are long driving days over rugged dirt tracks, we can be in and out of the vehicles all day long, usually only driving approximately 2 hours at a time. We will be in a 7-seat open sided 4WD vehicle with a roof for sun protection. We sit 6 people max per vehicle to optimize everyone's view and provide wool blankets for early morning and evening game drives.
This is a truly unique safari in that we will be traveling by many different forms of transportation—we will take a vintage train car on safari for 2 hours, a sunset boat cruise for 2 hours, and an optional canoe ride for 2 hours.
During drives and game walks, we can get quite close to wild animals at times. Being very quiet improves everybody's chances of observation. In the interest of safety, your Trip Leader explains limitations on movement while on game drives, on walks, and around camp. Incidents with wild animals are extremely rare on safaris, but no safari can guarantee immunity from such incidents. Wilderness Travel is not to be held responsible for incidents involving the behavior of wildlife.
Client Testimonials
"This trip delivered an experience beyond my expectations. The guide, the lodges, meals, community school and village visits, transportation, and the wildlife in the park. Loved the train experience. It was nice to take a charter flight at the end so we spent less time driving."
Catherine E.
Stamford, CT
"Stunningly good trip. Great guides, food, lodges, and total experience. We were very impressed by the organization—the way it works with the community and its commitment to conservation."
David L.
Palo Alto, CA
"This was my third trip to an African country and it exceeded all others. The game viewing, the fabulous lodges and the amazing knowledge, passion, and experience of our guide, Mark Butcher, made this one of the most unforgettable travel experiences I have had to date. All personnel on this trip get five stars!"
Deborah S.
Hermosa Beach, CA
"Everyone in our travel group agreed that this was the BEST trip we've ever experienced! Sibs was an amazing guide—wonderful sense of humor, amazing depth of knowledge regarding all wildlife we encountered, uncanny ability to spot every type of wild creature well before we could even make them out! And a genuinely warm, welcoming host at meals, snacks, and sundowners! He became a friend, not just a guide. The lodges were gorgeous, the food, outstanding, and everyone was friendly and eager to meet our every need. I cannot praise our experience enough—I've become a WT ambassador!"
Jane D.
Apple Valley, MN
"Everything about this trip was fantastic—can't think of any way to improve it. In particular, our Trip Leader's tracking skills, knowledge, and friendliness were outstanding."
Kurt B.
Irvine, CA
"The attention to detail, the quality of the accommodations and cuisine, the attentiveness of all staff, and the five-star quality of Mark Butcher himself combined to create a trip that exceeded all expectations."
Linda G.
Copiague, NY
"The hotels were superb! The best part of trip was the guides who were informed, interesting, organized, and kind; they were also great drivers."
Margaret F.
Bend, OR
"The accommodations were all spectacular. The staff at each of the lodges was incredibly helpful and friendly. We felt extremely welcome at each location. This was our fourth Wilderness Trip and it stood out as definitely one of the best. We were very impressed with the local outfitter is supporting the local communities near their lodges."
Patricia E.
Pasadena, CA
"Attention to detail at every level, consideration of the location of each lodging in relationship to the total trip experience, anticipation of the client's needs as to meals—it was perfection in itself!"
Peggy H.
Empire, CO
"Absolutely loved traveling on the Elephant Train, absolutely in awe every day of what we saw literally in the first few hours of each day! Absolutely blown away by our sundowner locations, every night a different theme and entirely different location! Absolutely in love with the lifestyle of incredibly hard-working people in Zimbabwe!"
Peggy H.
Empire, CO
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult.