Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Light Aircrafts and Legendary Safaris Zimbabwe's Finest National Parks
Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls - Hwange - Mana Pools
The bush planes are part of the experience rather than merely the logistics, skimming low over terrain that would take hours to cross by road. On the ground, expert rangers lead morning and evening safaris by 4x4, on foot and by canoe, and the camps between each leg are small, well-placed and quietly exceptional. The Big Five (the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo) are reliably present across all three parks. Beyond that, each one has its own character, rhythm and reasons to stay longer than planned.
Itinerary
100% customisable for you
Fly from London to Victoria Falls, typically via Johannesburg, with a total travel time of around 13 to 15 hours. An overnight flight for the longer leg means you arrive the following morning ready to get straight into it (younger travellers may need some convincing that the elephants are worth the wait).
Today, transfer by 4x4 to your base on the banks of the Zambezi, upstream from Victoria Falls. Settle in for two nights and let the surroundings do the work: elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras and lions all move through the area, and the stars at night are breathtaking.
Two safaris daily are already arranged – by 4x4, boat or on foot – alongside a visit to Victoria Falls itself. The spray reaches so high it can be seen from miles away, and the noise arrives well before the view does. It’s one of the greatest spectacles on Earth, and one that earns every word written about it.
This morning, transfer back to Victoria Falls Airport and board a light aircraft for the 40-minute flight to Hwange National Park – the first of the bush plane hops that give this itinerary its particular character.
Your home for the next three nights is a small, seven-tent-strong camp in the south-east of the park, where elephants, buffaloes and zebras roam freely and occasionally stop to drink at the waterhole bordering the camp.
Hwange is southern Africa’s safari in its most complete form: bush, open plains, acacia groves and dry savannah, threaded through with waterholes that draw animals in from across the park. The Big Five move freely here, elephants in numbers that make an encounter less a question of luck than of patience, alongside shuffling buffaloes and a resident population of big cats that you’ll be glad you woke up early for.
Morning and evening game drives are already in place, both on foot and by 4x4, with night drives available for those wanting to see what the darkness brings.
This morning, board the light aircraft for the two-hour flight north-east to Mana Pools National Park, back on the Zimbabwean banks of the Zambezi. Make camp for three nights at a small six-tent base perched on platforms beneath the trees, each looking out directly over the river.
Mana Pools National Park has a character entirely its own. Named for the four permanent lakes formed by the Zambezi – ‘mana’ meaning ‘four’ in Shona – the park is deliberately undeveloped and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984.
Hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and cheetahs move freely through the landscape and, as before, your safaris run morning and evening – but Mana Pools adds something new: canoes. Drifting along the river at water level, with whatever the bank decides to offer, is a different kind of encounter altogether. Watch long enough and you may even catch an elephant standing on its hind legs to reach fruit from a tree’s upper branches (it’s one of those moments that feels too good to be true and turns out not to be).
Today, board your final light aircraft of the trip to Harare – a city that rewards a few hours between landing and the international departure with great restaurants, craft markets and a green, unhurried centre that feels a world away from the bush (in a good way). Fly home overnight and arrive the following morning.
Suggestions
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
WITH A FEW EXTRA DAYS...
VISIT LAKE KARIBA
Slot in a night or two on Lake Kariba between Hwange and Mana Pools – a vast artificial lake shared between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and a genuine change of pace. Legend has it that Nyaminyami, the dragon-like river god, makes his home here, which the lake does nothing to discourage. Stay in a lodge perched on a hilltop above the water, with the forest and the lake stretching out below. DISCOVER GONAREZHOU NATIONAL PARK
For those wanting to end the trip somewhere few others reach, Gonarezhou sits in the far southeast of the country, part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park alongside South Africa’s Kruger and Mozambique’s Limpopo. The draw here is the Chilojo Cliffs – vast walls of yellow and ochre sandstone that shift colour as the light moves across them.WITH THE FAMILY IN TOW...
Zimbabwe works well for families with children from around six or seven upwards: the time difference from the UK is minimal, transfers are short and the variety of experiences keeps things moving. Sleeping under canvas, crossing the bush by light aircraft and watching elephants at close range from the back of a vehicle tend to leave an impression that lasts considerably longer than the holiday itself.
Why visit Zimbabwe with Original Travel ?
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire nowA few of the benefits of travelling with us to Zimbabwe
- Our local Concierges
- The Original Travel app
- Destination Dossier
- 24-hour helpline
- Expert guides
- 100% carbon absorption
