Zimbabwe isn’t always the first place you may think of when planning an African safari. Kenya has the migration. Tanzania has the Serengeti. Botswana has the Okavango Delta. South Africa has the Big Five and great infrastructure.
Yet Zimbabwe offers some of Africa’s most rewarding experiences, from standing in front of Victoria Falls to visiting the elephant-dotted floodplains of Mana Pools, the vast wilderness of Hwange and the dramatic landscapes of Gonarezhou.
It might not be the first country that comes to mind for a safari, but perhaps it should be.
“My parents went to Zimbabwe on honeymoon,” says Leopard’s Elise Kirsten, “I remember seeing photos of crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the Zambezi River and I’d always dreamed of standing in front of the Victoria Falls. When I finally did, it was spectacular to see up close! However, I also vividly remember standing on the lawns of the Edwardian-style Victoria Falls Hotel – which first opened its doors in 1904 and where my parents had stayed in 1971 – and seeing plumes of mist from the Falls, billowing above the rainforest canopy, creating a rainbow. It was magnificent, and that image will stay with me forever.”
Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya (“The Smoke That Thunders”), is where the Zambezi River plunges into deep gorges along the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. At full flow, water crashes over the edge in a horizontal wall of water, while spray rises high enough to sustain its own rainforest.
In addition to seeing the Falls, we recommend a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, where elephants, hippos and crocodiles lounge and the fiery sunset silhouettes the forest along the banks. It’s also well worth taking a helicopter flight for a bird’s-eye view of the Falls, while white-water rafting provides a more adrenaline-fuelled option.
Then trade the roar of the Zambezi for the bush.
Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange covers more than 14,000 square kilometres of woodland, grassland and seasonal pans. It is particularly famous for elephants, with huge numbers gathering around waterholes during the dry season.
This is a park where good guiding can completely change your experience. Instead of simply hoping to spot something, you learn to read the bush: identifying tracks, following signs and understanding alarm calls.
Tracking leopard on foot is a perfect example.
Diana Granoux once followed fresh leopard tracks during a walk in Hwange. The animal remained elusive, but the experience was no less memorable. “Spending a few hours tracking her was a completely absorbing experience, where nothing else mattered except for the tracks in front of me,” says Leopard’s founder and director.
On her last visit, Diana says the park rewarded her with sightings of sable and roan antelope, lion and large herds of elephant, including a close encounter from a log-pile hide. “Observing these gentle giants from a few metres away with only a pile of logs between you and them was a truly immersive, almost spiritual, experience.” Hwange is also home to buffalo, African wild dog and abundant birdlife. Diana also thought the guiding she experienced in Hwange was world-class. Zimbabwe has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the best wildlife guides on the continent.
If you really want to get away from the better-known safari routes, consider Gonarezhou National Park.
The name means “Place of Elephants” in Shona, and large tusker elephants are also one of its defining features. But the rugged landscapes are just as compelling. Baobabs punctuate the bush, walls of sandstone rise above the Runde River and the spectacular Chilojo Cliffs provide one of Zimbabwe’s most memorable viewpoints.
The birdlife is equally rewarding. You could see lesser spotted eagles soaring overhead and listen for the distinctive call of the Diderick cuckoo among the woodland. With more than 400 bird species recorded in the park, it’s worth bringing binoculars.
At Gonarezhou, conservation is deeply connected to the local Shangaan communities.
Clive Stockil, founder of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge on the border of Gonarezhou, was instrumental in establishing the pioneering Mahenye community conservation initiative. This had a ripple effect, influencing community-based conservation elsewhere in Zimbabwe and contributing to the wider community-based natural resource management movement in southern Africa. Today, around 6,000 Shangaan people live in the Gonarezhou area, and some of the benefits of this partnership include schools, a clinic, boreholes and grinding mills.
Chilo Gorge also has a Pack for a Purpose initiative that invites guests to bring practical supplies, such as:
These weigh just 5 pounds (2.27kg) and can make a meaningful difference. Our clients often ask how they can help, and depending on where you are travelling, we can advise you on what to bring.
Mana Pools lies along the Zambezi River in northern Zimbabwe, where floodplains and woodland attract large concentrations of wildlife. It is particularly famous for its elephants, some of which have developed an extraordinary feeding technique.
During the dry season, elephants sometimes rear onto their hind legs and stretch their trunks into the branches of albida trees to reach seed pods. The behaviour is most famously associated with a bull elephant named Boswell, while others, like Fred – named for Fred Astaire because of his wiggle (or dance) before leaning onto his hind legs – have learned it by observing him.
Wildlife photographer Chris Fallows, who has spent many hours photographing Boswell in Mana Pools, describes him as “Zimbabwe’s most famous elephant”, who, because of his once unique skill, “was often accompanied by less adept elephants, hoping to steal his food.” Chris loves a photograph he took of Boswell alone, called “Boswell under bough,” beneath the sweeping boughs of the albida trees that have become so integral to his story.
Mana Pools is also one of Africa’s great walking safari destinations. Here, knowledgeable guides can help you explore on foot or take to the Zambezi by canoe.
Considering Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s extraordinary wildlife, dramatic landscapes, excellent guiding and meaningful conservation make it a compelling safari destination and one that our clients often like to add to a broader Southern African trip, which may include South Africa and Botswana.
We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to discover more about the wonders of Zimbabwe, or if you’d like insight into the best Southern African travel itinerary… tailored to your preferences.
Happy travelling,
The Leopard Team
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