Zimbabwe Travel Guide

Adventurous Self Traveller? Get off the beaten track in Zim.

Zimbabwe? Are you mad?! You'll get killed!

That was pretty much the standard answer when we told people that we were spending our summer holiday in Zim. We being me, my wife, my Father in Law and two children, 8 and 10. My wife had been born there "back in the day" and so we were making a trip down memory lane as well as spending some time in South Africa and Botswana.

Our first exposure to Zim was the border crossing at Beitbridge. We had been warned it would be difficult and would take a while to get through. Three and a half torturous hours later (including the time and cash it took to temporarily import our hire car and write down the serial numbers of the money we paid our visa fees with) and we were in country.

We spent some time visiting old haunts and so it was a few days before our first trip to a national park proper, Matopas (also known as Matobo). As always with national parks in Zim we were met at a guarded gate by a pair of uniformed officials. And as always they were friendly, polite and honest - one enthused about how wonderful it was that we had come all the way from Ireland to his country and the other listing all the Irish soccer players he knew! Once we had found out that we supported the same team we were friends for life!

We made the well worn trek up to the heights to visit Rhodes grave and were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views across raw bush that looked like it hadn't changed in thousands of years and from there we followed the route through the park recommended by my new best buddies at the gate. The viewing was partly restricted by the time of day but we saw the usual small game - impala in particular are very common in the area. Other than that we had some close encounters with giraffe and several large herds of elephants, including at least two nursing mothers. The scenery in the park itself was also outstanding - the trip down around the dam is a must. One warning though - many of the roads are tar but we branched off onto the "Scenic Route" which was a dirt track and it quickly deteriorated to the point where our standard jeep couldn't go on and we had to turn in the bush - a larger 4x4 such as a Land Cruiser could have coped but do be wary if you are in anything smaller (we were in an X-Trail). I have been told by several people that the largest concentration of wild leopard in the world are in the park but we didn't see any.

We then carried on to Antelope Park, a lion rehabilitation centre near Gweru. It's not a safari experience in the truest sense but it is well worth a detour for the experience.

Our next proper camp experience was at Miombo Lodge on the edge of Hwange National Park. This is a Lodge that has recently changed hands and the treehouses were undergoing renovation during our trip. That said I have rarely had a friendlier welcome and I would recommend this camp without hesitation - great food and atmosphere. One of it's best features is the waterhole just on the edge of the property and early in the morning we had a knock on the door from the owner to tell us that water buffalo were on their way to drink barely 200 yards from our room door - a very nice way to start the day!

Hwange itself we barely scratched the surface of as we were on a pretty tight schedule to see friends but it was much the same as Matopas - zebra, giraffe, lots of small game and herds of elephants. I should point out that we were self driving and self guiding and someone who knew the area better may well have seen more.

We rounded off the Zim leg with a short stay at the superb Elephant Camp in Victoria Falls - probably the highlight of the entire trip. It's an astoundingly high quality camp with fantastic lodging and world class food. Best of all was using the "bush shower" on our private veranda (complete with plunge pool) as the sun rose over the Zambezi and with the spray of the falls in the distance while a herd of wild Water Buffalo wandered through the bush just a few hundred meters away. And we did have a close encounter with a cheetah that most of our friends refuse to believe...!

We chose to set our own itinerary and travel independently through Zim and it was a pleasure and surprisingly easy. We paid in advance using Paypal and Bank Transfers to minimise costs and cash/bank risks in country. Travel throughout the country was on fairly well maintained and clearly signposted roads and we had very few issues with navigation although I wouldn't recommend driving at night. Fuel was reasonable and plentiful and everyone we met, from petrol station attendants to street vendors and lodge or park staff were friendly and polite. The food was of a high standard and fresh.

We didn't do a standard tour at any point in Zim so I can't comment on how organised trips and tourists are treated or what they are like but I would highly rate and recommend it for an independent safari traveller who is looking for a destination that isn't overrun and where you have more chance of seeing animals than other peoples backs!

Victoria Falls

We spent two days in Victoria Falls during a two week safari (going throuhg national parks in Botswana). Of course there we visited beautiful and waterfalls. There was ample possibilities for "entertainment" as well: aerial view of the waterfalls by helicopter or micro-light, bungee jumping, elephant rides and walking with lion cubs. Other attractions are boat cruises on the Zambezi river or barbecue dinners in the evening. Be aware: for all of this you pay high dollars (USD of course).
In a high contrast to this is the situation of the citizens: extreme poverty, extreme inflation, unemployment and hunger crisis.
My travel experience is from 2006, since then the situation got even worse regarding economics and politics. Considering this i would not recommend to travel to Simbabwe.

Zimbabwe has of course suffered during the troubles of the last 10 years or so. The infrastructure is not what is was in the 1990's due to neglect/lack of money for maintainance. The more remote parks, like Mana, remain beautiful and largely unaffected and are well worth visiting.

Zimbabwe was a fantastic wilderness experience with a great cultural vibe.

Our trip was absolutely fabulous - a trip of a lifetime! The scenery was gorgeous; the weather was perfect while we were there. Our accommodations in the bush were way better than expected, but still provided the rustic feel we were going for. I don't know who cooked our food, but if it was over an open fire, that chef was brilliant and way better at cooking in the bush than I would ever be. Our trip incorporated land rovers, station wagons, canoes and more. All worked out well for each situation. The wildlife was incredible and our walking safari guide, Gary, from Sengwa Safari's was top notch. I had a very up close encounter with an elephant that was just amazing and we saw several lions with their cubs while out for a drive. There were too many other animal sightings to mention, but that was a good thing! We ended our trip in Victoria Falls where we had a great white water rafting and bungee jumping experience. Seriously, this was the best vacation I've ever been on. I hope to repeat it some day with my husband.

A beautiful country being slowly crushed by one man's intransigence

While I wasn't in Zim for wildlife, what we saw was fantastic. The weather was perfect, the scenery stunning. As you would expect the only issues were those which could be traced from the economic situation.

Special country, perfect scenic

I traveled from Harare to Vic Falls by bus.

You will not regret a trip to Zimbabwe.

My husband and I were part of a tour group that visited Zimbabwe in February of 2010. I came away with wonderful memories and an incredible respect for the people of that country. I felt so welcomed into this land, so foreign to my experience, and found its citizens warm and eager to explain their lives. We stayed at the breath-taking Victoria Falls Hotel. I could not have wished for a more beautiful setting and we even did the "foofie slide" over the Zambezi River-- an even more "breath-taking" experience. Victoria Falls itself was an unforgettable experience.

We visited several markets (one for visitors and one for residents) and even had a chance to have a meal with a local family and compare our lives. Our local tour guides were amazing people who made our experience even more meaningful.

While in Zimbabwe, we boarded a jeep, hoping for sightings of the rare Black Rhino at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve. We had a great view of a pair of these huge animals, and also saw elephants, zebra, impala, warthogs and baboons. And birds galore! Even more fun was spotting the warthogs, monkeys and elephant tracks around our hotel itself. We also visited a lion-rehabilitation center, getting to pose with three huge cubs, and rode an elephant through the brush while learning about elephants from our guide.

The animals in Zimbabwe were amazing, but what made the Zimbabwean experience truly memorable for me were the people of this country, so courageous and generous. I hope to return some day.

Portland, Oregon, USA

Zimbabwe is a fabulous adventure location with wonderful locals and wildlife.

I loved my safari experience in Zimbabwe. I visited Zim on a missions trip and at the end of our 3 week stay we went to a safari camp. Not only was it beautiful but the weather was perfect, cool at night, sunny and dry during the day. The food was incredible. A little something for everyone. I highly recommend visiting this wonderful country!

Zimbabwe offers such a broad spectrum of wildlife, birding and scenery and the fact that it is still not over-run with tourists means that you will be one of the few enjoying these pleasures!

I will definitely come back soon!

I didn't know what to expect when I was crossing the border from Zambia to Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe turned out to be such a tranquil and peaceful country. I regret I didn't have more time to stay there for longer but I am already planning to come back.
The country is so beautiful and picturesque! Clearly it's a must see.
You will appreciate much less crowded parks, great food at significantly lower price than in the neighboring countries.
And don't forget about their biggest pride! Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and it really deserves this title!