amylin

Has anyone gone to Zimbabwe? I am thinking about spending most of my trip in Kenya. Someone mentioned Z??

ekscrunchy

I'm interested in making Zim my next Africa destination and would also love to read reports/comments of safari-trype visits.

To Amy: I've been there, but only to Vic Falls, about 10 years ago.

TravelBeyond

Zimbabwe is one of my personal favorite destinations in Africa. There are so many parts of this country that offer exceptional game viewing and an unforgettable experience. Hwange National Park and Mana Pools being the most well-known, however there are also areas like the Great Zimbabwean Ruins, Matobo National Park and one of my personal favorites, the Matusadona National Park.

It really depends on how much time you have and how much you would like to spend on this trip. The Wilderness Safari product have a pretty strong circuit; Ruckomechi Camp http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/camps/ruckomechi-camp in Mana Pools sits right on the river, they also have a smaller more intimate little Ruckomechi sister camp. This combined with Little Makalolo http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/camps/little-makalolo or Linkwasha Camps http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/camps/linkwasha-camp in the Hwange National Park offer a great experience.

I would add a stop in the Matusadona, Changa Camp http://www.changasafaricamp.com/ is a great option. The camp combines game drives with walking options, fishing for Tiger fish or taking a boat trip up the gorge to name some of the activities on offer. Elephant, Hippo and Crocodile sightings are exceptional here but this place also has a very special story attached to the area. Operation Noah, a wildlife rescue operation on the Zambezi river lasting from 1958-1964 took place here. Back then is was still North and South Rhodesia (present day Zambia and Zimbabwe), they constructed the Kariba Dam hydroelectric power station across the Zambezi River, at the Kariba Gorge about 400km from Victoria Falls. The Kariba Dam mostly provided electric power to both countries, creating Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made lake which flooded the Kariba Gorge. Thousands of animals inhabited this area and no allowances where made for movement of these creatures, in fact not much thought was given to wildlife at the time. The operation was led by Rupert Forthergill and more than 6000 animals were rescued, many caught by hand without any tranquilizers and moved to safety. It was truly a remarkable wildlife rescue operation.

Victoria Falls is another drawing card, there are many properties in this area to choose from; Victoria Falls River Lodge https://www.victoriafallsriverlodge.com/ being my favorite, Elephant Camp http://www.theelephantcamp.com/
is also nice and Ilala lodge http://www.ilalalodge.com/ is a more cost effective option. In Matobo National Park, Camp Amalinda http://www.campamalinda.com is a great choice, here you can visit Cecil John Rhode’s grave, rock climbing in the Matobo Hills are an activity offered as well as old bushman rock art drawings.

African Bushcamp company also offer a wonderful circuit, Somalisa camp http://www.africanbushcamps.com/camp...somalisa-camp/ in Hwange (exceptional elephant activity) combined with Kanga camp http://www.africanbushcamps.com/camp...amp-mana-pools in the Mana Pool area offer a great experience. Becks the owner was brave enough to open a camp away from the water where most other camps in this area are located. The combination in his circuit really works. This area offers a completely different backdrop where Mopani trees have grown exceptionally tall during the early 80’s when elephant pouching was an epidemic.

Many people feel that they don’t want to invest money into the country because of the political leaders, however very few tourism dollar go to the government – in fact wildlife conservation in Zim wouldn’t be in existence today if people stopped traveling to Zimbabwe on photographic safaris. A country once known as the breadbasket of Africa now faces unemployment of staggering numbers. 80% of the country in currently unemployed. By choosing to journey on a photographic safari in Zimbabwe, you would be contributing to the employment of many families as well as enjoying exceptional wildlife viewing… but more importantly, returning a changed person as there is no better place than Zimbabwe to move the depths of any travelers soul.

I hope this information helps, Marguerite Smit

ekscrunchy

That's incredibly helpful.

I might start another thread so as not to barge in on the OP. Imagine these places are best accessed through Joburg, correct?

SDsunflower

We spent 3 nights in Hwange at The Hide in May.
Flew by tiny plane from Vic Falls (you could also be driven there in about 2 1/2 hrs).

Fabulous guiding by long-term native guides with encyclopedic knowledge, and small size lodge with lovely tents covered by thatch, indoor/outdoor bathing, a Hide to watch animals at the water hole and food was very good .
Very gracious hosts.
Also, stayed at a treehouse which was 2 km from the main camp: very exciting night, especially when we were awoken by a lion walking/roaring below us!

Walking safari for 1 1/2 hr also offered in addition to the typical 2 game drives.

Only negative was that a nearby train blows its very loud horn at all hours of the night: not good for light sleepers....

Still lots of green in the brush this time of year, so no lions seen in daytime (nor other cats for us), but tons of elephants, giraffe, zebra, etc.

ekscrunchy

Sd that is so helpful. I was about to ask you since I read that you had just been to The Hide.

So here I am back but one week and can barely think of anything else but where to go next in southern Africa! MY trip to Londolozi andn Tswalu was so perfect I am tempted to try to repeat that but these "new" countries are also calling me...
I like to combine safari with some "culture" or urban area, but Bulawayo does not sound so great at the moment and doubt Harare is that much better..


I did get to explore Joburg a small bit this trip and would go back there for more exploring but partner was less than keen.....

TravelBeyond

Ekscrunchy

Yes you can access Zimbabwe through Johannesburg, there are daily flights. It depends on your International routing as you can also fly directly into Zimbabwe if you are not taking a direct flight from the US to Africa. If you have spent time at Londolozi and Tswalu, I would recommend the Wilderness portfolio as the experience would be on a similar level in terms of level of luxury, service, cuisine and guiding etc.

The Hide is a wonderful option, their actual hide is also a great spot to view animal from and lends to the experience there, however this product would fall under the more moderately priced options – so again so much depends on an individual’s budget, there really is no right or wrong choice however it is very important to match expectations with the correct product. Another wonderful option in this price bracket is the Imvelo camps http://www.imvelosafarilodges.com The offer phenomenal long stay rates, meaning if you spend a certain number of nights at a camp and combine camps within this portfolio, your overall package rate just gets better and better. You can even take a train between camps which offers something very unique to this portfolio of camps!

Amylin, there are actually now direct flights from Nairobi to Zimbabwe so you can easily combine the two countries if you wanted to explore both on one trip. I personal prefer focusing on one country and emerging myself into the culture and game viewing there as much as possible. I enjoy covering as much as I can in one country to get a true sense of the diversity offered but it is now much more easily done to combine the two than previously, when you had to route via Johannesburg.

I hope this info helps you both in the planning process, Marguerite Smit

Matt_Zarchy

I would recommend definitely checking out the HWanage national park. Thier staff, there are so friendly and help you understand and integrate into the Zimbabwean culture. As well as the fact that Victoria Falls is right there. Can guarantee you won't be disappointed with that.

I would suggest going towards the end of August when summer starts roling in. Zimbabwe itself isnt too cold. But if you do want to see more wildlife, tyhat would probably be the most ideal time.

Sorry this isnt as indepth as most of the posts, but hope it helps,

amy_torres_sd

You should check out Safaritalk.net. There are many trip reports by experienced safari-goers.

I just returned from my first safari (to Kenya) and loved it. Anticipating that, and based on trip reports on SafariTalk, I booked my second safari before going on the first, to Zimbabwe. I'll be visiting Mana Pools, Chitake Spring, and Kanga Camp in November.

Here's a link to the Zimbabwe trip report forum: http://safaritalk.net/forum/284-zimbabwe/

and here's one to the trip report that sold me on the trip: http://safaritalk.net/topic/15466-sa...irginity-gone/