Destination Guide

Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls' thundering smoke, Hwange's vast elephant herds and the dreamlike floodplains of Mana Pools — Zimbabwe quietly delivers some of Africa's finest safaris.

Best months
Apr – Oct
Climate now
Cool dry · Hot wet
Currency
USD
Languages
EN · Shona
Visa (SA)
Visa on arrival
Flight time
2h to Vic Falls
Time zone
CAT (no diff)

Why visit Zimbabwe

Why Zimbabwe is the safari connoisseur’s choice.

Victoria Falls — Mosi-oa-Tunya

One of the Seven Natural Wonders. ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ — best from the Zimbabwean side, which sees two-thirds of the curtain.

Mana Pools walking safaris

UNESCO World Heritage. Walk among elephants, follow wild dog packs on foot, sleep in remote bush camps.

Hwange’s elephants

40,000+ elephants in Zimbabwe’s largest park — the camps overlooking pumped waterholes are spectacular in dry season.

Matusadona on Lake Kariba

Houseboating on the world’s largest man-made lake. Wildlife shoreline, dramatic sunsets, fresh tigerfish.

Great Zimbabwe ruins

The largest pre-colonial stone city in sub-Saharan Africa. A UNESCO site that gives the country its name.

Top-tier guiding

Zimbabwe’s professional guide qualification is the toughest in Africa. Your guide is genuinely a specialist.

When to go

April through October is the safari sweet spot.

Jan
30° · wet
Feb
30° · wet
Mar
28° · ok
Apr
25° · prime
May
23° · prime
Jun
20° · prime
Jul
21° · prime
Aug
25° · peak
Sep
30° · peak
Oct
34° · best game
Nov
32° · wet starts
Dec
30° · wet
Prime — ideal for all activities
Good — shoulder season, fewer crowds
Do not recommend — weather or seasonal limits
Prime · Apr – Oct

Dry season concentrates wildlife at water. Vic Falls is full Apr–Jun, low by October. Mana Pools walking starts in earnest from May.

Good · Mar · Nov

Green and gorgeous, fewer guests, lower rates. Birding is exceptional. Some walking camps in Mana are closed.

Do not recommend · Dec – Feb

Heavy rain, malarial mosquitoes, many parks closed. We’d suggest waiting for the dry.

What Zimbabwe is known for

The signature experiences this country is famous for.

V
Victoria Falls

1,708m wide, 108m drop. The smoke is visible 50 km away.

M
Mana Pools

Walking safari paradise on the Zambezi. UNESCO.

H
Hwange

Zimbabwe’s largest park — 14,650 km² of pristine bushveld.

K
Lake Kariba

World’s largest man-made lake. Houseboating and tiger fishing.

G
Great Zimbabwe

Pre-colonial stone city ruins, UNESCO, the nation’s namesake.

E
Eastern Highlands

Cool mountains, forests, trout streams, mist.

C
Chimanimani

Hiking, climbing, waterfalls — wild and largely empty.

R
Matobo

Rounded granite kopjes, San rock art, Cecil Rhodes’ grave.

How to travel Zimbabwe

Two signature ways we travel Zimbabwe.

Walking Safari

Walk it

Mana Pools, Matusadona, Hwange — walking safaris with Zimbabwe’s renowned professional guides. The ultimate immersion.

Plan walking safari →

Bespoke

Combine it

Vic Falls + Hwange + Mana Pools makes the classic two-week Zimbabwe itinerary. Add Lake Kariba houseboating for a fourth dimension.

Design my trip →

Did you know?

A few things about Zimbabwe most visitors don’t expect.

01
The professional guide exam takes four years.

Zimbabwe’s full guide license requires years of apprenticeship, written and oral exams, dangerous-game tests. Your guide knows the bush at a different level.

02
Vic Falls was named in 1855.

David Livingstone reached the falls and named them after his queen. The local Lozi name — Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ — is older and better.

03
Great Zimbabwe means ‘great house of stone’.

Built between 1100 and 1450, the city housed 18,000 people at its peak. Trade items from China and Persia have been excavated there.

Photo gallery

Zimbabwe through our travellers’ lenses.

Imagining your own Zimbabwe?

One of Africa's most under-rated safari destinations.

Walk with elephants in Mana Pools. Houseboat on Kariba. Stand at the edge of Vic Falls. Our consultants put it all together for you.

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