Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Zambezi National Park by Luke Brown
The Zambezi National Park lies upstream from Victoria Falls and runs in linear fashion along the edge of the Zambezi river for some 30-40km. It is a beautiful park and is home to elephants, lions, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and more. You will typically have a softer safari experience here than you would in Hwange, Gonarezhou or Mana Pools, but because it is close to Victoria Falls it is a popular spot for a game drive or boat cruise. Birding is also good here.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Hwange National Park by Luke Brown
Hwange is Zimbabwe's biggest National Park and also its premier safari destination. It's proximity to Victoria Falls makes it accessible and popular to the international safari seeker. Hwange is home to all of the big five and sightings of large herds of elephant and buffalo are common, as are good viewings of lion, leopard and wild dogs. It is also a great place to see the amazing Sable antelope in some of their biggest numbers. The park has many waterholes that the wildlife likes to congregate around, especially during the afternoon heat. Hwange is largely flat country interspersed with grassland, teak and mopane tree forest. This park is not as spectacular in terms of scenic beauty as Gonarezhou, Matusadona and Mana Pools, but the abundance of game and birdlife more than make up for this.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Victoria Falls by Luke Brown
Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe's and Africa's adventure capital and of course a natural world wonder. When you travel to southern Africa you simply have to see Victoria Falls. They are the largest continuously falling curtain of water in the world. To see them is incredible and you cannot help, but stop and stare at them for hours. There is plenty of flora and fauna in the rain forest area. Look out for the Trumpeter Hornbills flying overhead. In the nearby Zambezi National park you can see wild buffalo, elephants, hippos and more.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Great Zimbabwe by Luke Brown
Great Zimbabwe is a United Nations Cultural World Heritage Site and has significant resonance with Zimbabwe's heritage. It is an amazing site to behold, being the largest ruined city in Africa, south of the pyramids. It is definitely worth a visit. Lake Mutirikwi National Park is close by, but this area is not a strong safari destination. The scenery is beautiful and the ruins are spectacular however.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Nyanga National Park by Luke Brown
Nyanga National Park is situated in Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands. It has amazing scenic beauty with rolling grassland, rocky outcrops, large forests and rushing, clear-water streams. It is not a big game destination, but is home to kudu, waterbuck, impala and other plains game.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Matusadona National Park by Luke Brown
Matusadona lies along the shores of Lake Kariba, and as such the expansive inland water body is an added element to the incredible scenic beauty of the area. Lions, Elephant, Buffalo and many more species of animal exist here, but are not as frequently seen as in Hwange and Mana Pools. The area is very well known for its diversity of bird life, with about 400 species recorded here. The lake is home to the tiger fish, which is one of the best fighting fresh water fish in the world.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Gonarezhou National Park by Luke Brown
Gonarezhou is a place for the true bush lover. The wilderness here is seriously untouched and as such remains the Africa of old. It is in a remote corner of the country and was neglected by visitors for a period as a result, but in recent times it has received big investments from international donors. This support along with the fact that it is now part of a transfrontier park, that stretches into South Africa and Mozambique, means that it is Zimbabwe's awakening safari giant. Game sightings here may not be as good as Mana Pools or Hwange right now, but they are improving all the time and will be on a par with those parks very soon.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Matobo National Park by Luke Brown
Matobo Hills is another one of Zimbabwe's Cultural World Heritage Sites. It has significant spirtual significance for locals. It has the most amazing scenery that is second to none when it comes to vast granite rock formations that include large continuos rock domes and blalancing rocks. This area is home to one of the largest, if not the largest concentration of Black Eagles in the world. There are numerous other bird species present to. It is not a major safari area, but having said that it is a great place to track white rhino and there are also many leopards in residence here.
Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mana Magic!
Mana Pools is one Africa's most magical wilderness areas. It is a United Nations World Heritage Site for good reason. Here the Zambezi river gives life to an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, all of which rely on one another to maintain a healthy and diverse ecosystem. The tall Acacia albida trees that line the river provide much needed shade from the hot sun and their apple ring shaped pods, rich in protein, are highly sought after by elephants, who will even stand on their hind legs to reach them, a truly amazing site to behold! Wild dogs exist here in large packs, lions and leopards are abundant as are big herds of buffalo. The river is home to an incredible density of hippos that create a cacophony of sound, which lulls you to sleep at night a midst the haunting laugh of the spotted hyenas. Mana Pools is typically only accessible during the dry months of the year i.e. April to October. It is possible to get in by air, road and also on the river. Zimbabwean air charter companies have light aircraft that can access Mana Main, Dandawa or Chikwenya airstrips all within the vicinity of the national park. There is a dirt road into Mana Pools from the main Makuti-Chirundu tar road. Depending on whether this has been graded or not will determine how long this section takes. If it has not been graded for a while then the trip can take up to 4 hours due to severe corrugations. It is advisable to travel this road in a 4x4. There are only one or two companies that offer road transfers. Most people that drive in are self drivers. It is possible to canoe the river with a reputable canoeing company. Trips range from a few days up to nearly two weeks and this is determined by the stretch of river you run between Kariba dam wall and Kanyemba. A popular stretch is the 4 day, 3 night canoe trip from Chirundu to Mana Pools. Mana Pools is in a remote area of the country, which has meant that it has remained pristine, adding to its already renowned fame for excellent game viewing. A visit to this park is a must for any African wildlife lover.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Safarihub!
We had an incredible time! Tanzania is an unbelievably beautiful place! The landscape and surroundings of the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti are just mesmerizing! The guide was professional and knew the whereabouts of the animals in all the parks. During our Safari we were lucky enough to see the famous wildebeest migration and to top it all a live cheetah kill, absolutely surreal experience.