Email Dipesh Patel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
All round amazing natural beauty with excellent varied itenary arranged by Vayeni.
The weather was lovely throughout.
Victoria Falls is amazing with lots to do around the area.
We had 3 different but all amazing lodges with the food excellent at each place. Everyone was so friendly and our guides were particularly knowledgeable and attentive to the many kids questions!
Mel at Vayeni arranged a beautiful itenary from start to finish - walking with elephants, close encounter with a hippo, all bush drives including night and Victoria Falls being the highlights.
Thanks you!
The walking safari was an unforgettable experience, so incredible I want to do it again very soon!
The journey was perfect from beginning to end. The travel agent, Liz Read, was so helpful and kindly answered all my doubts and requests during the planning of the journey. I have chosen to pick a walking safari with Leon Varley, which was the best choice I could have made. The walks are amazing (be prepared to walk approx. 20 km per day). Still, you won't get tired or bored because there is so much to see. The wildlife is amazing, we had the chance to see plenty of lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, impala, crocodiles, a huge diversity of birds, rodents and so on. I really recommend this trip if you are interested in exploring the bush in this wild and beautiful environment. This was my first safari and I don't regret doing it by walking. On the contrary, I really want to do it again! I was a lone traveller, so I highly recommend it to who is a lone traveller because all the accommodation is private and the interaction with the rest of the group was great. The camp is a bit rustic, but the tents are great with a lot of space and it has everything you need. Besides, Leon Varley's crew make you feel very confortable. The guide (Leon) and tracker (Obe) are very experienced, they explain everything about the environment, animal behaviour and make you feel safe to observe, take photos and enjoy all the beauty.
Email Tom Bullock | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A walking safari was a first for us and gave a very different perspective of Hwange.
The numbers and diversity of the animals in Hwange was disappointing and definitely not comparable to the pre-independence period.
The bush camp was well organised and comfortable.
Our guide, Scott, was knowledgeable and interesting.
Unfortunately we hit a hot spell which made activities in the middle of the day difficult.
SE
Email Conny Jorneklint and Laila Kirpu | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We had a wonderful time in Zimbabwe
Our first experience in Zimbabwe was Victoria Falls and it's mighty and powerful glory! We saw it by foot and also from a helicopter and it was an awesome experience. The first two nights we stayed at Flat dog lodge in Vic Falls and we enjoyed the time there very much. We were very well taken care of. We spent 7 nights in Hwange NP, first at Hwange Bush Camp and after that at Sable Sands. It was a very good combination as we saw different habitats. We saw all the animals we could expect including wild dogs during a hunt. Our guides were very knowledgeable and the walking safaris at Hwange Bush Camp were very exciting! We enjoyed our stay at both places very much, the staaf was very, very friendly, the food was marvelous and the gamedrives were very interesting. Near Sable Sands we saw 17 lions sleeping in the shade. We finished with two days in Vic Falls and a stay at Batonka Guest Lodge, a wonderful place to stay at! During the time there we made a last game drive to see the black rhino, we saw 2 of them, a helicopter ride over the falls and the last night a cruise on Zambesi river including a good meal! We loved Zimbabwe and it's friendly people and we had a very good plan for our visit thanks to Rosemary and Monika at SafariSource and I must say that everything worked according to the plan including all transports! I am sure that we will come back to Zimbabwe in a few years!
DE
Email Olaf Korbanek | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing experience with an excellent guide!
We made a Budget Camping Safari with Kanghela Safaris and it was a brilliant experience! Everything was organized perfectly and all people involved were very friendly and likeable!
Our guide, Andy Trivella, was one of the highlights of the trip. He is an amazing tracker and always tries to give his guests this extra experience. Approaching lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos on foot is really much better than in a car and although this was already our third camping safari, we never had the possibility to feel as close to the wildlife before! And, we made this trip with our daughter (16), we always felt safe! And he is a great storyteller around the camp fire! :-)
THANK you very much, Andy!!!
The safari crew (Bernhard Sibanda and Memba Sibanda) made also a terrific job and were very friendly, too!. It is unbelievable, how tasty meals can be prepared with only an open fire. It was Membas first trip as a safari assistant and he is a natural talent!
We visited Hwange NP, Matopos and Mana Pools. All Camping sites were beautifully situated and we had, especially in Mana Pools, a lot of wildlife experiences. In Hwange it was very cold and due to the excessive rain season the animals were hiding in the bushes. Without Walking we would have seen "only" occasionally elephants, another advantage of Khangela Safaris and their focus on walking experiences.
In Matopos we stayed in the beautiful Farmhouse Lodge in the beautiful scenery surrounding the former farm.
The transfer from Matopos to Mana Pools was exhausting due to the long distance, but as a side effect we learnt a lot about Simbabwe and we saw the results of the Mughabe era: abandoned farms and factories! To get an insight into the culture and the political situation these transfer days were very interesting, too!
Overall, it was an extremely interesting, touching and unforgettable Holiday. We are really in love with Africa and we are looking Forward to returning to Simbabwe.
AND: Khangela Safari will definitely be our first choice!!!
US
Email David from Kalamazoo | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bush camps in Hwange National Park were everything I'd hoped for
I spent four days at two bush camps--Camp Hwange and Hwange Bush Camp, two nights at each. They were both extremely well-run
and had excellent guides. These are small-group experiences. Each accommodates only about a dozen guests at a time. Some of my
days I was the only guest. The most other people that joined me on any vehicle or walking safari was a family of four. Our guides were
exceptional. Twice, once at each camp, we were led on foot to close encounters with elephants from a safe vantage point. One brought
us to within 10 feet of one. We saw lion cubs, a male lion, and three females at Hwange Bush Camp. I saw a serval cat on a night safari at
Camp Hwange. I wrote down all the other species we saw, and there were more than 20. The food at each camp was virtually the same, and very high-end. The weather throughout was mostly sunny and dry.
Each camp is about 4-1/2 hours by good van and safari "jeep" from Victoria Falls, so you feel well away from everything. I couldn't have been more pleased.
Now, as to Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe generally: Bring all of the cash that you will need in small-denomination U.S. dollars. Don't use your cards in any ATM machines. Most hotels and restaurants accept U.S. credit cards. The ticket office at the Falls will give you change in U.S. dollars; but any other place you spend U.S. dollars you will probably get change in local bond coins, which are useless to us--which is the reason you want small denominations--1s and 5s are best.
I also visited Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, and found it a very comfortable city. Once you solve the money problem, it's a great place to visit. People are very friendly.
IT
Email William Kinard | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
City and Bush, Birding and Boating -- Zimbabwe Had It All!
From the time we arrived in Zimbabwe, my wife and I had nothing to plan or deliberate during our entire stay. All transportation was prompt, clean, and courteous. We enjoyed a sunset cruise down the Zambezi in Vic Falls, lunch at the gorge, and drinks at the bar at Bayete. Zambezi Sands was AMAZING and truly felt remote while also luxe. We enjoyed plenty of gin and tonic sundowners, a brief pontoon boat trip, many game drives with plenty of wildlife, and the real highlight was kayaking the mighty Zambezi River. We'll never forget being that close to hippos and crocs and the one section of rapids was a rush. Dinner was phenomenal, John and the staff were incredible hosts, and the nighttime campfires made us feel right at home with other guests we'd just met.
CA
Email Fred and Deb | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Experience, wonderful guide, wonderful staff, wonderful accommodation.
Everything we expected and more, especially our guide Leo who was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. Weather was a bit wet, but it was the rainy season, and our guide was prepared. Food was great as was the camp staff.
Email Carole Barnes | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Zimbabwe is amazing! The people are warm, friendly, hospitable, and also professional.
We visited Harare, Vic Falls and Hwange National Park.
In Harare we stayed four nights in probably the best B&B we have ever stayed in. The Victoria Falls are of course magnificent.
The Wildlife in Hwange is abundant, including the big five (apart from Rhinos), and the little five. Our guides were incredibly passionate and professional. Walking safaris are highly recommended. Nothing beats being up close and personal with the animals and the bush. The sweet smell of true savannah grassland is something I have not experienced anywhere else, nor will I forget the pungent smell of a hyena den.
The standard of accommodation and service in both camps (Bomani and Camp Hwange) was exceptional. All staff worked really hard to make us feel valued and welcome. It still confounds me how these camps manage to create restaurant quality meals with the freshest ingredients in the middle of the bush.
All our transfers were spot on. The hire car pick up at Harare International Airport was the easiest least stressful pick up EVER! The best transfer in the world has got to be the Elephant Express! A restored open air railway carriage, which transfers guests from Dete siding to Bomani/Camelthorn camps along the main Zimbabwe railway line. We were served a delicious lunch and saw as much game in 2 hours as any of the game drives; lion, zebra, giraffe, sable to name a few.
Please don't be put off visiting this wonderful country by negative media stories. The normal everyday Zimbabweanz are probably the friendliest most hospitable people in the world. You arrive as guests but leave as friends.
CA
Email Jenni MacDonald | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The animals were amazing (especially the elephant container) and staying at Jozi camp was perfect!
The food for this trip was wonderful. All the staff were so helpful. Gorges Lodge, Bomani Lodge and Jozi camp were perfect! The only thing that was not great was the ride from Gorges to Bomani and Bomain back to Victoria Falls. Suzanne was ssoooooo helpful!
