zimbabwe
walking with elephants
Twelve nights across Zimbabwe, from Victoria Falls and Mana Pools to Lake Kariba, Hwange and the granite of Matobo.
- Private Safari
- From $9,986 pp
- 2 guests
- 12 nights
trip highlights
- Walk with reintroduced white rhinos in the Imvelo Ngamo Rhino Sanctuary, tracked at close range by Cobra rangers recruited from the surrounding villages.
- Sit in Stoffie's Hide on the Ngamo Plains, disguised as a termite mound, where in the dry months from July to November elephants file toward a nearby waterhole.
- At Deteema Springs, watch wildlife gather at permanent year-round springs in full view of the main deck and every private veranda.
- Stay on a remote bend of the upper Zambezi, where elephants swim the channels in front of the decks and crocodiles haul out on the sandbanks opposite.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Zimbabwe from the Falls to the Zambezi
This twelve-night route runs across northwest Zimbabwe, from Victoria Falls to the plains and springs of Hwange and back to the upper Zambezi. It opens at the Falls, moves to the Imvelo Ngamo Rhino Sanctuary on Hwange’s south-eastern edge, then the remote north-western corner of the park, and closes on a quiet bend of the river.
You start on foot and by boat at the Falls, then walk with rhino and drive the Ngamo Plains, watch game gather at year-round springs, and end on the Zambezi with inland drives and slow boat birding. The four stays range from a family-built hotel near the Falls to stone villas, a small tented camp above springs and a ten-tent camp on the river.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Victoria Falls on Foot and by River
You are eight minutes' walk from the rainforest gate, so the Falls set the pace of these two days. Footpaths thread through the rim rainforest to a run of viewpoints, and the town's activity centre coordinates cruises and flights over the Batoka Gorge. River cruises drift past hippos, crocodiles and elephants at the water's edge above the falls. Ilala Lodge Hotel borders Victoria Falls National Park directly, family-built and run since 1991, and warthogs graze the lawns while the spray rises above the trees.
- Accommodation at Ilala Lodge Hotel
Walking with Rhino on the Ngamo Plains
This is communal land inside the Imvelo Ngamo Rhino Sanctuary, where you walk with reintroduced white rhinos tracked by Cobra rangers recruited from the villages around them. A private gate opens onto Hwange, and game drives on the Ngamo Plains turn up buffalo, zebra, giraffe, sable antelope and predators. In the dry months from July to November, elephants file across the plains toward a waterhole holding Stoffie's Hide, where the water sits at eye level. Camelthorn Lodge has eight stone villas set well apart in acacia and camelthorn woodland, each with a spiral staircase to an open upper deck.
- Accommodation at Camelthorn Lodge
Northern Hwange and the Springs
In the remote north-western corner of Hwange, the pleasure is watching wildlife without moving far. Elephants, buffalo and plains game gather at permanent springs on the slope below the camp, in full view of the main deck and every private veranda. Through the dry season from June to October the surface water elsewhere vanishes, drawing game in from the surrounding teak and mopane woodland. Deteema Springs Camp has eight canvas tents on timber decks, running on hybrid solar, on a low rocky rise between the springs and Deteema Dam.
- Accommodation at Deteema Springs Camp
The Upper Zambezi
On a quiet bend at the western end of Zambezi National Park, the days follow the river. Elephants swim the channels in front of the decks, hippos work the shallows and crocodiles haul out on the sandbanks opposite. Game drives run inland through mopane and miombo woodland for Cape buffalo, southern giraffe, eland, greater kudu, sable and zebra, and slow boat work rewards birders with African skimmers and Goliath herons. This is a national park, so sightings come by patience. Zambezi Sands has ten glass-fronted canvas tents, bought and rebuilt by Vimbai Masiyiwa and her mother Tsitsi under Batoka Africa.
- Accommodation at Zambezi Sands
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
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Twelve nights across Botswana and Zimbabwe, linking the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, a Hwange concession and Lake Kariba.
- Private Safari
- From $12,275 pp
- 2 guests
- 12 nights
zimbabwe & botswana
the falls, the delta and the pans
Twelve nights from Victoria Falls into Botswana, linking a walking concession, a permanent Delta lagoon and the salt pans.
- Private Safari
- From $24,480 pp
- 2 guests
- 12 nights
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
remote, exclusive
& personal
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.