Hwange National Park

[see my main review]

Hwange NP is very interesting and offers different landscapes. The wildlife was, due to the wheather, reduced (in comparison with Chobe NP e.g.), but we saw, that a lot of animals live there!

The camp site was terrific, near the lake, during the night we heard the hippos walking around, really beautiful!

We saw all the animals we could expect to see including wild dogs on a hunt, lions, cheeta, leopard, lots of elephants, giraffs, kudus, stein bok, duikers, hippos, crocodiles and many more.

Absolutely one of the best National Parks in Africa

I just made my second trip to Hwange National Park in June. It was just superb again. I stayed at Little Makalolo Camp and Camp Hwange each for four nights. The wildlife viewing was just phenomenal. I saw everything from elephants to wild dogs,lions and cheetahs. I also saw plenty of roan and sable antelope.

Zimbabwe is famous for having the highest standards of guiding in Africa. I have to say that all my guides at both Little Makalolo and Camp Hwange were just superb. I also felt that both the camps I stayed at were terrific in every way.

A little-known pearl in the heart of Africa

Perhaps Zimbabwe is one of those places in Africa where mass tourism has passed by in recent years due to socio-political reasons. May be it is also that same reason that turns a safari into this wonderful national park into a unique experience. Tranquility, little influx of visitors and an enormous diversity of fauna make this place an essential scene to enjoy any nature trip.

Located in an enclave punished by the history of the last two centuries, this park summarizes, in its entirety, the best of a safari in Africa: diverse landscapes, a high density of wild fauna and the recovery of endangered species - the African Wild Dog or Lycaon- make Hwange one of the best national parks in Africa.

With a bit of luck, especially at dawn, it is not difficult to find a herd of lycaons in full activity. A true experience to discover the group behavior of these fantastic animals: synchronized movements, strategic deployment, restless tracking to the search for food, and constant and jumping nerve. I had not had the luck to meet them in other African parks before and their picture was wonderful.

The great guides of "Ivory Lodge", located right on the edge of the park, gave us the possibility of going out to meet other equally interesting species. Also early in the morning, a herd of 18 lions on the side of a pond, delighted us with a good selection of playgrounds.

Among all the scenes of wildlife, I will highlight one of the most impressive I have lived in Africa. The displacement, at dusk, of a herd of hundreds of buffaloes through the dry basin of a river. Slowness accompanied by strength, serenity, sliding across the earth like a giant raft in the middle of a calm ocean.

A little-known pearl in the heart of Africa.

Almost perfect but....

I saw a decent number of animals, however I was informed that I had not chosen the best time to visit the park (in june). At that time trophy hunters were operating in private concessions close to the national park. Apparently that made some animals more elusive and thus harder to spot from the safari roads inside the national parks. I was assured that this was only a temporary issue and that animals would come out into the open more when the hunting season ended.
I was also informed that i visited the park during a dry spell, so some animals had migrated into Botswana. But that they would return with the rains. I saw plenty of evidence of lions in the park but they stayed out of sight. No sign of any leopards. But did see cheetahs which was nice. There were plenty of birds, elephants, antelope, hippos, crocodiles and even a honey badger. We stayed at a campsite inside the park which was one of the best i have ever camped at anywhere in Africa. The camp faced a watering hole, where we enjoyed the sunset and watched various animals enjoy a drink and bath. Then at night we had clear starry skies, the sound of night insects and various animals, including hyenas, to enjoy as we ate dinner.
Overall i can say from experience, having visited all the top wildlife parks across southern and east africa, that Hwange can be among the best of them when the conditions are right.

Beautiful park, few people, and lots of animals

Hwange is a beautiful park and the safari experience feels quite unique because there are very few cars/ people. It was usually just our car and at times one researcher. The scenery is gorgeous and I saw lots of elephants, anthelopes, birds of all kinds, zebras, giraffes, and a male lion. I feel you need a full day safari to go deep into the park and actually see the animals.

Hwange was amazing! Not at all crowded, and got to see lots of wildlife.

Huge herds of animals ... would have wanted to see rhinos though...

Hwange is a vast area and requires patience and travel over great distances to see the wildlife. There is no fencing so the animals wonder over large areas.
We prefer to get away from volumes of commercial tourism so Hwange is the ideal place for us. We love it and will return as often as we can.