Zimbabwe is Africa’s great underdog safari destination — home to some of the continent’s finest elephant habitat, the world’s best canoe safari along the Zambezi, extraordinary walking safari at Mana Pools, and an outstanding guiding tradition that produces some of the most knowledgeable wildlife professionals in Africa. A country that rewards travelers who seek it out with experiences they struggle to find anywhere else.
Game Reserves & National Parks
Hwange National Park
Zimbabwe’s largest national park and one of Africa’s great elephant destinations — an estimated 40,000 elephants make Hwange home, the largest protected elephant population in any single reserve on the continent. Artificial waterholes maintained by conservation organisations ensure year-round wildlife viewing even in drought conditions. Lion prides are large and well-habituated, wild dog are regularly sighted, and Hwange’s concession areas adjacent to the park offer premium low-density safari with exceptional guiding.
Wildlife Density: ★★★★★ Infrastructure: ★★★☆☆ Photography: ★★★★☆
Adventure: ★★★★☆ Exclusivity: ★★★★☆ Value for Money: ★★★★☆ Scenery: ★★★★☆
Key wildlife: African elephant (40,000+, largest in any reserve), lion (large prides), leopard, cheetah, wild dog (regular packs), sable antelope, roan antelope, gemsbok, giraffe, zebra, spotted hyena, 400+ birds
Best for: Elephant enthusiasts, wild dog, value safari, guides of exceptional quality in private concessions
Best time: May–October (dry season, elephants at waterholes, peak game viewing)
Mana Pools National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa’s most extraordinary walking safari destinations. The floodplains of the Zambezi River attract extraordinary concentrations of wildlife during the dry season, and Mana Pools is uniquely one of the only national parks in Africa where you can walk unguided — a freedom that creates an entirely different relationship with the wilderness. Canoe safaris along the Zambezi, with hippos surfacing alongside the boat and elephants swimming across channels, are genuinely life-changing experiences.
Wildlife Density: ★★★★☆ Infrastructure: ★★☆☆☆ Photography: ★★★★★
Adventure: ★★★★★ Exclusivity: ★★★★☆ Value for Money: ★★★☆☆ Scenery: ★★★★★
Key wildlife: Elephant (including famous “Apple” who stands on hind legs to reach mopane pods), lion, leopard, wild dog, buffalo, hippo, Nile crocodile, zebra, waterbuck, impala, eland, nyala
Best for: Walking safaris (walking without a guide allowed), canoe safaris, serious adventurers, photographers
Best time: August–October (dry season peak, Zambezi floods recede, maximum wildlife concentration)
Gonarezhou National Park
Zimbabwe’s most undervisited great park — a remote wilderness in the south-east that forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. The spectacular Chilojo Cliffs, great red sandstone battlements rising from the Runde River, frame one of Africa’s most dramatic wildlife landscapes. Gonarezhou’s elephants are known for their large tusks. Part of the Save Valley Conservancy network, the greater area harbours exceptional predator diversity.
Wildlife Density: ★★★★☆ Infrastructure: ★★☆☆☆ Photography: ★★★★☆
Adventure: ★★★★★ Exclusivity: ★★★★★ Value for Money: ★★★★☆ Scenery: ★★★★★
Key wildlife: Elephant (large-tusked), lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah, nyala, eland, impala, hippo, crocodile, sable antelope, roan antelope
Best for: True wilderness, off-the-beaten-path, Chilojo Cliffs photography, experienced safari travelers
Best time: May–October (dry season, accessible roads, best wildlife viewing)
Matobo National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for two things: extraordinary ancient rock art painted by San Bushmen over thousands of years, and the most accessible white rhino tracking on foot in Africa. Certified guides lead small groups on foot through the granite boulders — coming face to face with rhino at close range in wild conditions. The landscape itself — balancing rocks, kopjes and hidden valleys — is unlike anywhere else in Africa.
Wildlife Density: ★★★☆☆ Infrastructure: ★★★☆☆ Photography: ★★★★☆
Adventure: ★★★★☆ Exclusivity: ★★★☆☆ Value for Money: ★★★★☆ Scenery: ★★★★★
Key wildlife: White rhino (tracking on foot, excellent close encounters), black rhino, leopard (rock-dwelling), sable antelope, zebra, vervet monkey, rock hyrax, 175+ bird species including 11 eagle species
Best for: Rhino tracking on foot, rock art archaeology, granite landscape photography, Bulawayo combination
Best time: May–September (cooler, drier, better tracking conditions)
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