Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s most celebrated guides and the larger, most iconic side of Victoria Falls. Beyond the falls, Hwange National Park holds enormous elephant herds, and the UNESCO-listed Mana Pools offers thrilling canoe and walking safaris on the Zambezi.
It combines beautifully with neighboring Botswana and Zambia for a classic Southern Africa circuit.
Highlights of Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls
The greatest curtain of falling water on earth — a natural wonder.
Explore Victoria Falls →
Hwange National Park
Vast elephant herds and excellent dry-season game viewing.
Explore Hwange National Park →
Matobo Hills
Ancient rock art, balancing granite and white rhino tracking.
Recommended lodges & camps in Zimbabwe
Where you stay shapes your whole safari. These are properties we know personally and return to again and again — chosen for their location, their guiding and the way they make you feel. Tell us which appeal and we'll build your journey around them.
These are a few of our favorites — we work with many more across every price point. Have a specific lodge in mind? Tell us in your enquiry and we'll secure it.
Know before you go
The practical details we handle for you — flights, entry, health and money — summarized here so nothing surprises you. Requirements can change, so we confirm everything when you book.
Getting there from the USA
Victoria Falls has its own international airport, reached via Johannesburg in about two hours. Hwange is a scenic road or air transfer from the Falls; Mana Pools is a light-aircraft hop.
Visas & entry
US citizens get a visa on arrival (about $30 single entry). Seeing both sides of the Falls? The $50 KAZA UniVisa covers Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Health
Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for Hwange, Mana Pools and the Falls area, especially November to April.
Money & tipping
US dollars are legal tender in Zimbabwe — bring small, newer bills for tips and extras (tipping is at your discretion — about $20–25 per person per day is a good benchmark). Cards work at larger lodges.
What to do in Zimbabwe
Africa’s best guides, its greatest waterfall, and its wildest canoeing.
Victoria Falls, properly
Guided tours of the rainforest opposite the falls, helicopter flights over the gorge, and high tea at a grand old railway hotel.
Victoria Falls
Peak flow Feb–May
Hwange’s elephant waterholes
Thirty thousand elephants in the dry season, watched from hides and platforms meters from the water — Zimbabwe’s licensed pro guides are the most rigorously trained in Africa.
Hwange
Jul–Oct at the waterholes
Canoe Mana Pools
A UNESCO World Heritage floodplain where you canoe past elephants crossing the Zambezi and walk among old bull elephants famous for standing on their hind legs to reach acacia pods.
Mana Pools
Apr–Nov; Sep–Oct prime
Matobo Hills and rhino tracking
Track white rhino on foot among granite whalebacks and San rock art — then sundowners where Cecil Rhodes chose his own grave for the view.
Matobo Hills
Year-round
Best time to visit
Dry season — best game viewing in Hwange and Mana Pools.
Highest water and the most powerful Victoria Falls spectacle.
In the rainy months many of these same camps drop their rates by 20–40% — emerald landscapes, newborn wildlife, superb birding and far fewer vehicles. Peak season isn't the only great season: tell us your budget and we'll show you what the green season buys.
Planning & cost
Fully tailor-made — priced privately to your camps, season and travel style. No fixed packages.
Fly into Victoria Falls (VFA) or Harare (HRE). US travelers can obtain a visa on arrival or the KAZA univisa (covering Zambia too); confirm current rules at booking.
Every journey is private and tailor-made — your own guide and vehicle, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout.
Everything else,
answered before you ask
The practical details that apply to every safari we plan — so this page is the only one you need.
Money & tipping
US dollars are accepted at virtually every camp, and cards work at lodges and city hotels. Your trip is fully inclusive, so cash is mainly for tips: plan on roughly $10–20 per guest per day for your guide and $10–15 for camp staff, handed over at the end of each stay. We send exact guidance with your final documents.
Health & safety
See a travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure for routine shots and malaria advice (most safari regions require prophylaxis; parts of South Africa are malaria-free). Camps are remote but professionally run, with radio contact and evacuation cover — we require travel insurance that includes emergency medical evacuation.
Staying connected
Nearly all lodges have Wi-Fi in the main areas (often in-tent too), and an eSIM from your US carrier covers the cities. Expect to be offline on game drives — most guests come to see that as the point. Family back home can always reach you through us, day or night.
What to pack
Soft duffel bags only (light aircraft cap luggage around 33 lb / 15 kg), neutral-colored layers for cold mornings and warm afternoons, and binoculars. Laundry is included at almost every camp, so pack for 4–5 days no matter the trip length.
Full packing list →Continue exploring
Victoria Falls
The greatest curtain of falling water on earth — a natural wonder.
Explore → Southern AfricaZambia
A Zambia safari means the home of the walking safari — and the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.
Explore → Southern AfricaBotswana
A Botswana safari is Africa’s water wilderness — the Okavango Delta, Chobe and the Kalahari.
Explore →Zimbabwe FAQs
Getting to Zimbabwe — flights, visas and health
Current at the time of writing. We re-confirm every requirement for your exact routing before you travel — and we will tell you what to apply for, and when.
Let's design your Zimbabwe journey.
Tell us how you like to travel and our experts will craft your private, tailor-made itinerary — no obligation.
Enquire now