Zimbabwe's Family Hwange, Kariba & Falls

On touching down at Victoria Falls International Airport, you and your family will be meet by your driver for your road transfer to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s biggest park and one of the top places to see predators like lions, African wild dogs and ever sought-after leopards. In less than two hours, you should be pulling up in front of The Private Hide, a small and intimate camp with spacious tented suites that are covered by A-frame thatched roofs. Set in a semi-circle but far enough apart to afford plenty of privacy (and peace of mind when you are enjoying the outdoor showers!), all the tents overlook the park’s golden plains.

Your early mornings and late afternoons at The Private Hide will be filled with game drives on 4x4 vehicles, with night drives and guided walks also possible. This is Big 5 country so be on the watch for elephants, buffalo and rhino although giraffe and zebra are often seen, too. Birders will delight in having 400 different species to tick off.

When you are not out in the bush tracking a black-backed jackal or watching the antics of a troupe of baboons, indulge in some ‘armchair game viewing’ or ‘bush TV’ on the shady verandah or at the swimming pool. Of course, keen photographers will want to spend time in the hide that overlooks the popular waterhole, waiting patiently to get the perfect shot of a giraffe performing its engineering feats to have a drink or a thick herd of impala slaking their thirst.

On Day 3, it is time to pack your bags, have a last breakfast at The Private Hide and be driven to the Manga airstrip for your short flight in a light aircraft to Lake Kariba. The world’s largest artificial lake, Kariba borders Zambia and Matsudona National Park in Zimbabwe. It is a popular holiday destination and its surface is dotted with houseboats.

Built right on the water’s edge, Changa Safari Camp will be your home for the next three nights. Boasting very comfortable luxury tents that all have private verandahs, Changa is known for its laidback atmosphere, the peace being only occasionally broken by the iconic call of a passing African fish eagle. Although Kariba is literally on your doorstep, the lodge has a swimming pool to avoid unexpected encounters with hippos or water monitors!

The skipper will welcome you on a fishing expedition as well as ride to Fothergill Island, where many of the animals displaced by the building of the lake in the 1960s found a welcome sanctuary.

End each day with an iced drink, watching the water turn ever deeper shades of orange as the sun sets over the horizon.

From a tranquil lake to a mighty waterfall: the last leg of your trip sees you flying once again in a light aircraft from Kariba back to Victoria Falls Town, where you check into Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. An expansive property ideal for families, the lodge has plenty to see and do, including watching vultures and other raptors like tawny eagles being fed at lunchtime, spending time in the photographers’ hide that overlooks the waterhole or having dinner in The Boma, an on-site African restaurant that is one of the most popular at the Falls (be sure to try their mopane worms, a local delicacy with a buttery taste).

Of course, the biggest attraction are Victoria Falls themselves. The water levels vary throughout the year and are dependent on the rains that fall over the far-off Angolan highlands. The Falls are at their fullest between February and May when the noise and mist can be overwhelming. Views are most reliable on the Zimbabwean side, especially of the Devil’s Pool and Angel Falls. Part of your itinerary includes a guided tour of the Falls, which includes sections of rainforest and views of Batoka Gorge and the hot-rivet bridge built in the early 20th century.

On your penultimate day in Zimbabwe, you will be driven to the Wild Horizons Animal Sanctuary for an elephant interaction. The elephants who have make their home here are orphaned, abandoned or injured and while every attempt is made to rehabilitate them back into the wild, some cannot unfortunately never return. Their handlers use humane methods to habituate them to humans and there is plenty of ‘elephant time’ built into their day: interaction with guests only take place in the coolness of dawn and dusk. If he feels like it, you may also encounter Sylvester, an orphaned cheetah who lives at Wild Horizons and cannot survive on his own in the wild. A beautiful creature, he will renew your appreciation for cheetahs’ unique physiques.

On your last day, enjoy a final delicious breakfast out on the deck at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge as you watch the animals coming down to drink at the waterhole. Your driver will collect you for departing flight at Victoria Falls International Airport, your African adventure drawing to a very satisfactory and memorable close.