4.9 /5
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Based on over 1000 Verified Reviews.

Highlights

  • Stay in superb private concessions in Mana Pools and Hwange National Parks
  • Excellent armchair game viewing
  • See rare African wild dog in Mana Pools
  • Stay at a sensational hilltop lodge overlooking Lake Kariba
  • Sunset boat cruises on Lake Kariba and Zambezi River
  • Excellent birdwatching at Lake Kariba and Somalisa Camp
  • Walking safaris and night game drives in Hwange
  • Guided tour to Zambian side of Victoria Falls

Overview

Spend 13 days in some of Zimbabwe’s most remarkable locations and cap off your safari with two days on the Zambian side of the great Zambezi River, staying about a mere 30-minute drive from Victoria Falls. Start your adventure in a private concession of the Zambezi Valley’s golden child, Mana Pools. The abundance of water in this beautiful national park attracts a plethora of wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, waterbuck and predators like lion, leopard and wild dog. Birdwatching is also superb – you are bound to see showstoppers like African fish eagles, water fowl and carmine bee-eaters.

Then move to an authentic, private and intimate tented camp set on the banks of the Zambezi River. Explore more of Mana Pools on canoeing trips, guided walks and game drives in an area renowned for its burgeoning wild dog population. Your next stop is the sensational Bumi Hills Safari Lodge nestled in the undulating landscape surrounding the gorgeous Lake Kariba – the biggest artificial lake in the world. Marvel at the sensational views over the lake’s eternal blue water as the sunset paints the African sky a hundred hues of scarlet.

Your journey then whisks you into the heart of Zimbabwe’s largest national park, almost 12 times bigger than greater Los Angeles. The immense Hwange is the kingdom of more than 30 000 elephants, the Big 5, and rare animals like African wild dog, black rhino, and roan and sable antelopes. Enjoy a luxury ‘armchair safari’ experience as you watch animals come to drink from Somalisa Camp’s raised deck, overlooking a popular waterhole. Go on incredible walking safaris and night game drives in a gorgeous private concession.

End your adventure at one of Zambia’s most lavish lodges set on the banks of the iconic Zambezi River, just upstream from Victoria Falls. Spend your final days enjoying sunset boat cruises and kayaking on the Zambezi, and nature walks and white rhino tracking in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. And of course, getting face-to-face with our planet’s biggest waterfall in all its mist-spraying and earth-trembling glory.

Make a Positive Impact Through Travel

This Positive Impact Safari includes a donation to a Community initiative

When you book this safari Go2Africa will donate $30 to Maunga Village Primary School near Livingstone, to improve the school’s facilities and provide access to food for learners.

Summary

  • Tour Duration: 13 Days

  • Start: Mana Pools
  • End: Zambia

Accommodations Visited

Look forward to first-class hospitality on this tour that combines the thrill of Victoria Falls, with the beauty of Lake Kariba and exhilarating game viewing in Zimbabwe’s biggest reserve, Hwange National Park, ensuring that you get to experience three iconic destinations with some of the best guides Southern Africa has to offer.
Mary Keet

Mary Keet

Africa Safari Expert

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Day to day

Itinerary

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Days 1-3: Discover magnificent Mana Pools

Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
Detailed breakdown

Days 1-3: Discover magnificent Mana Pools | 2 Nights

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Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

After touching down at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Zimbabwe, you will be transferred on a short-haul flight to the rugged and beautiful Mana Pools National Park. Your safari kicks off at the authentic and exclusive Kanga Camp, situated in a totally crowd-free private concession. Settle into your Meru-style tent set on a raised wooden deck, shaded by ancient jackalberry trees.

Kanga overlooks a permanent water pan, a regular waterhole where a variety of game and birds come to drink. Spend the next two days watching animals from the viewing decks or the comfortable armchairs set in the camp's hide. Enjoy regular sightings of elephant, wild dog, fish eagles, storks and Kanga's resident lion pride. Go on game drives in one of Africa's most pristine parks to encounter the iconic Big 5.

Days 3-5: Explore the beautiful Zambezi River Valley | 2 Nights

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Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

Today you hop into a 4x4 vehicle for your transfer to Zambezi Expeditions, a luxury tented camp set on the banks of the majestic Zambezi River. Your suite is set along the river, secluded among gorgeous albida and mahogany trees. There are no set itineraries here - each day is planned according to your wishes and which animals are in the area. If you are a fishing enthusiast, take the chance to catch the renowned tiger fish and tilapia. Go canoeing on the Zambezi, and enjoy guided walks and game drives to encounter elephant, water buck, buffalo and lion. The area is also very popular for its wild dog sightings.

Days 5-8: See superlative sunsets over Lake Kariba | 3 Nights

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Matusadona National Park, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Get transferred by road to the Mana Pools main airstrip for your short-haul flight to Bumi Hills. This luxurious lodge is nestled in the remote hills surrounding the gorgeous Lake Kariba, and boasts views over the Zambezi River Escarpment that are beyond words. Spend your days exploring Kariba's bird-rich shoreline, or head out on the lake for a boat cruise or a spot of tiger fishing. Bumi's proximity to Matusadona National Park allows for excellent game-viewing opportunities - go on game drives to see wildlife like rhino, elephant, buffalo and the famous Matusadona lion prides. Or simply relax beside Bumi's show-stopping infinity edge swimming pool and gaze out over paradise until the enthralling sunset steals the show.

Days 8-11: Explore the elephant empire of Hwange | 3 Nights

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Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Head back to the airstrip for your short-haul flight to Hwange, Zimbabwe's biggest and best known national park. Your accommodation for the next three days is Somalisa Camp, an elegant and authentic safari camp tucked away on a remote island of acacia trees within an ancient floodplain. Your elegantly furnished tent is equipped with a private viewing deck and an en suite bathroom that features a grand copper bathtub boasting superb views over the savannah.

Somalisa is built around an elephant drinking hole, offering you the perfect 'armchair safari' experience as you watch Hwange's gentle giants from the camp's pool or viewing deck. If you want to leave the chair, go on 4x4 game drives and guided walks to get up-close with Africa's Big 5. Birdwatchers will revel in the area's wonderful display of feathered wildlife.

Days 11-13: Witness ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ | 2 Nights

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Zambia

Another short-haul flight will touch you down at Victoria Falls Airport. A road transfer will see you cross the border into Zambia and end at one of the country's most indulgent and contemporary lodges. Thorntree River Lodge sits elegantly on the banks of the Zambezi River, just upstream from the world-famous Victoria Falls. Step into your intimate suite, your haven of tranquillity for the next few days. Walk out onto your private deck, submerge into your sparkling plunge pool and drink in the views over one of Africa's biggest rivers.

Spend your last few days enjoying nature walks, kayaking and sunset boat cruises on the Zambezi. Leave the tranquillity of the water's edge for a thrilling visit to Vic Falls. Witnessing the sheer magnitude of this waterfall will genuinely take your breath away. Head back to the lodge for a sunset cruise on Thorntree's private boat; refreshing drink in hand while listening to the distinct call of the African fish eagle and the humorous chortling of nearby hippos.

Inclusions tick icon

Inclusions

  • All road transfers
  • All scheduled air transfers
Exclusions tick icon

Exclusions

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes
  • All meals and drinks not specified
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature

Rates

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Dates Price
2022-07-01 — 2022-09-30 $13,780
2022-10-01 — 2022-10-31 $13,780
2022-11-01 — 2022-12-18 $9,520
Our rates are per person sharing unless we note differently. Please treat all pricing as a guide only:
  • All rates are subject to availability and may change without notice.
  • Single supplements may apply.
  • Request a quote or speak to one of our African Safari Experts for the best, most current rates available.