10 Days Zimbabwe Wildlife Safari

Tour Type

Explore Tours

This 10 Days Zimbabwe Wildlife Safari is a leisurely tour of Zimbabwe`s main tourist attractions offering both the cultural and wildlife aspect. You will get to visit the metropolitan city of Harare, home to more than 2 million multi-cultural population. The great Zimbabwe ruins where the name “Zimbabwe” comes from; the Matobo Hills National Park for leopards, rhinos, the bushmen rock paintings and other common game—lions, crocodiles, elephants, etc. You will also visit the Hwange BIG 5 National Park and the Victoria Falls.

10 Days Zimbabwe Wildlife Safari Highlights

Day 1: Arrive in Harare and Optional Tours

Day 2: Transfer to and Tour of The Great Zimbabwe Monuments

Day 3: Transfer to and Game Viewing Activities in Matopo National Park

Day 4: Activities in Matopo National Park

Day 5: Transfer and Game Viewing Activities in Hwange National Park

Day 6: Game Viewing Safari in Hwange National Park

Day 7: Game Viewing Safari in Hwange National Park

Day 8: Drive to Victoria Falls, Guided Falls Tour and Sunset Boat Cruise on the Zambezi River

Day 9: Optional Tours in Victoria Falls

Day 10: Transfer to the Airport

10 Days Zimbabwe Wildlife Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Harare and Optinal Tours

On arrival at Harare International Airport, you will be met and transferred to the Meikles Hotel. Depending on your arrival time you may do a city tour, or visit the art galleries, or the wildlife orphanages (all optional). Your overnight is at the Meikles Hotel (5*) in Harare with dinner and breakfast.

Day 2: Transfer to and Tour of The Great Zimbabwe Monuments

After breakfast, depart for the Great Zimbabwe monuments. You will be in this medieval city at about 12:00 pm in time for lunch and an afternoon guided tour of the monuments. Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills of Zimbabwe near the town of Masvingo. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Late Iron Age and is believed to have served as a royal palace for the local monarch.

Construction on the monument began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century. The stone city spans an area of 722 hectares which, at its peak, could have housed up to 18,000 people. Great Zimbabwe has since been adopted as a national monument by the Zimbabwean govt, and the modern-day state is named for it. Dinner and your overnight stay are at the lodges at the ancient city (or similar).

Day 3: Transfer to and Game Viewing Activities in Matopo National Park

You will depart early for the Matobo Hills National Park near Bulawayo some 250km due west of Great Zimbabwe. You will do an afternoon game drive, the introductory drive to your African wildlife safari. Matobo National Park has a wide diversity of fauna: 175 birds, 88 mammals, 39 snakes and 16 fish species. The game includes white rhinos, sable antelopes, impalas and leopards.

The game park has been restocked with white and black rhinos. It has been designated as an Intensive Protection Zone for the two species, as well as hyenas, hippopotamus, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and ostriches. This is one park where you will have a realistic chance of encountering the rhinos in their natural habitat and shy and elusive African leopards Your overnight stay is at Amalinda Lodge (or similar) with dinner and breakfast.

Day 4: Activities in Matopo National Park

Matopo National Park is home to a wide range of game, including Africa`s largest concentration of leopards, which is a major attraction in the landscape in addition to the intensely protected highest concentration of the black and white rhinos. Elsewhere in the park, some more obvious game includes bushbuck, impala kudu, giraffe, lion, baboon, monkeys and more.

Dassies or rock hyrax are very common and the density of leopards that is also very high. On this day, we will visit the worldview point—the highest point of Matopo hills and the rock art painting in the morning and we will do another game viewing safari in the afternoon. Your overnight is at Matopo Hills lodge (or similar) with dinner and breakfast.

Day 5: Transfer and Game Viewing Activities in Hwange National Park

After breakfast, we will depart for Hwange National Park. You will be at the Hwange Safari Lodge at around 1:00 pm in time for lunch. You will join the late afternoon game drive in the Hwange Safari Lodge estate which borders the Hwange National Park—there are fences between the two reserves. Late afternoons are great for predators and they are seldom missed on these drives. Dinner and overnight stay are at the Hwange Safari Lodge.

Day 6: Game Viewing Safari in Hwange National Park

After breakfast, you will be picked up for the full day safari in the Hwange National Park. Mineral water, soft drinks, a picnic lunch and lots of refreshments will be provided. We will use any one of the many viewing platforms that dot the park for lunches. You will be back at the lodge at around 4:00 pm. The elephants of Hwange are world famous and the park’s elephant population is one of the largest in the world.

The Park is home to over 65000 elephants who in the dry season dominate all the water points in the afternoons. Other animals that can be seen in the park are lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, impala, kudu, sable, eland, waterbuck, zebra, giraffe, baboon, warthog and a lot more. Dinner and your overnight stay are at the Hwange Safari Lodge with breakfast.

Day 7: Game Viewing Safari in Hwange National Park

Hwange provides a safari experience to rival the great parks of East Africa—the Serengeti and Masai Mara—but without the crowds. You will have another fun-filled day in the park, now looking for your favorite animal or bird and even ignoring the other now common species. On a good day, you may even return to the lodge earlier as you will have seen all there is to be seen. Dinner and your overnight stay are at the Hwange Safari Lodge.

Day 8: Drive to Victoria Falls, Guided Falls Tour and Sunset Boat Cruise on the Zambezi River

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Victoria Falls in air-conditioned vans, a two hours trip. You will be checked into the Elephant Hills Resort and immediately do the guided tour of Victoria Falls. The walk on this 2km stretch lasts for about two hours. You will also be shown the big baobabs of the Victoria Falls National Park and you will also pass by the curio market for gift shopping.

Raincoats, mineral water and return transfers are included. At 4:00 pm, you will be transferred to the jetty for the relaxing Zambezi River sunset cruise. Relax with a sun-downer and snacks as you gaze out onto the banks of the river. Have your camera ready to capture one of the amazing sunsets in Africa. This is a two-hour boat trip with all drinks, snacks and return transfers. Expect to be back at the hotel at about 7:00 pm. Make your own dinner arrangements. Your overnight stay is at the Elephant Hills Resort on bed and breakfast basis.

Day 9: Optional Tours in Victoria Falls

This is your free day for Victoria Falls shopping and optional tours. Optional tours may include the following;

Helicopter flights over the Victoria Falls
Lion walks
Devils pool swimming on the Zambia side of the falls
Day trip to the Chobe National Park of Botswana
White water rafting
Bungee jumping off the Zambezi bridge
Visit the real and working African villages some 20km out of town

Dinner will be at the Boma Restaurant. Your overnight stay will be at the Elephant Hills Resort with breakfast.

Day 10: Transfer to the Airport

This is the last day of the tour, you may get a chance to do one more optional tour and these may include walking with the lions, a morning short game drive, early morning canoeing on the Zambezi River, etc. Departure times from the hotel will depend on the flight times. Guests are recommended to be at the airport at least two hours before the flight times.

End of 10 Days Zimbabwe Wildlife Safari

GENERAL INFORMATION

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

All visitors to Zimbabwe must have a valid passport with at least 4 consecutive blanks pages. The Government of Tanzania has rolled out an online Visa application portal accessible on internet. Any applicable visa and/or relevant documentation are the responsibility of the traveler. For further information on Visa requirements visitors are advised to contact their nearest Zimbabwe Embassy or Consulate.

LANGUAGE: English

TIME: GMT +3

CLIMATE: Southern Africa climate is predominantly tropical. The long rains are from mid-March to late May and the short rains from November to January. The hottest months are from October to February and the coolest months are June to August.

VOLTAGE: 220 Volts/AC50Hz. Sockets are UK style, 3 pin square plugs. Power is from the National Grid in the city/major towns and generator with inverter back up in the Safari Lodges and Camps.

CURRENCY: Foreign currency must be changed at the Bank, Bureau de Change, and Hotel/Safari lodge/Camp/Resort. Major Credit Cards, Master card, Visa, American Express, are usually accepted throughout the country. Where credit cards are accepted, the payment will normally be recorded in US$ regardless of the card’s default currency. However, US$ older than 2009 are only accepted

CLOTHING: Dress is mainly informal and should be comfortable as well as practical. Something warm should be brought along for early morning and evenings. Safari clothes are available from hotels/lodges/camps.

BAGGAGE: Where possible, travel light. Baggage space on safari is limited to medium suitcase or soft bag per person plus reasonable amount of hand luggage. There is 15 Kilogram per person limit on all flights to the wildlife sanctuaries. Excess luggage must be stored in your arrival hotel.

WATER: You will find many different of opinion of what is safe and what is not. We recommend for peace of mind, to drink local Bottled Mineral water. It is important to drink plenty of water especially during the hotter months. We would recommend that guests drink at least 2 to 3 litres of water per day to limit the effects of dehydration.

HEALTH: Southern Africa is a safe and secure destination; however, it is a good idea to take a few precautions. Kindly consult your GP or local doctor at least 6 weeks before you travel, with regards:

Malaria prophylactics. East Africa is a known malaria area and preventive measures are essential. You are advised to take one of the recommended anti-malarial drugs. Be sure to wear long sleeved shorts and trousers after sunset and spray the exposed parts of your body with a mosquito repellent spray. The hotels provide mosquito repellent sachets as part of the room’s amenities in all our locations.

Remember to protect yourself from direct sun rays with sunscreen cream or safari hat.

DIETARY REQUIREMENTS: For those guests with specific dietary requirement, please ensure Imbasa is notified prior to travel so that the respective Hotels and Lodges are informed

GRATUITIES: As a guideline and dependent on how happy you are, we would suggest the following:

The General Hotel/Lodge/Camp Staff – Approximately U$ 10.00 per person per day

Driver Guides – Approximately US$ 15.00 to US$ 20.00 per person per day

PHOTOGRAPHY: Please be careful when photographing public buildings, airports, bridges, the national flag and people in uniform. Ensure that you have sought permission before photographing local people and their villages. If in doubt, please check with your guide.

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