Zimbabwe has always offered exceptional big-game safari, with intimate encounters with black and white rhinos, thousands of elephants, and exclusive concessions and thrilling game walks. New luxury camps and private reserves have opened in the last few years, as the country’s safari industry has been re-energized. These highlights of Zimbabwe safaris celebrate Zimbabwe’s new and exclusive experiences, including aerial charters, modern luxury camps, and wonderful wildlife encounters.
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Matetsi Private Game Reserve - Safari from Your Suite
In the Sotho language, Victoria Falls is known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, translated as “The Smoke that Thunders.” This name is stunningly appropriate, the roaring Zambezi River tumbling into a mist-filled chasm, sending clouds of condensation hundreds of meters into the air. Even from your lodge, 24 miles upriver, it’s possible to see the spray and hear the dramatic growl of the water. Matetsi Private Game Reserve has 17 miles of private river frontage and over 50,000 hectares of pristine wilderness. This safari oasis is within easy reach of the falls, yet fully surrounded by Zimbabwe’s four-legged wildlife. You’re greeted at the airport and transferred to your river lodge. Safari is private here, and you watch animals directly from your river-facing suite; hippos quarreling, baboons playing, zebras grazing, and buffalos wandering as you dip into the private plunge pool on your verandah. There’s also a fabulous circular bath that looks out over the Zambezi, a lazy space for recovering from the flight.
What's Included:
Day 2
Matetsi Private Game Reserve - Downriver to Victoria Falls, Upriver to the Hippos
Day 3
Hwange National Park - Following the Elephants Through the Wilderness
Day 4
Hwange National Park - Decadent Big-Game Safari
Day 5
Hwange National Park - Luxury Tented Safari
Day 6
Lake Kariba - Private Aerial Safari
Day 7
Lake Kariba - Evocative Wildlife Encounters
Day 8
Matobo Hills National Park - Walking Amongst Black and White Rhinos
Day 9
Matobo Hills National Park - Intrigue Within World’s View
Day 10
Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve - The Opulence of a Private Zimbabwean Safari
Day 11
Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve - A Full Day in Southern Africa’s Gonarezhou National Park
Day 12
Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve - Relaxing Final Day of Luxury Safari
Day 13
Johannesburg - Departure
Trip Highlights
- Celebrate the revitalization of Zimbabwean safari by staying in a handcrafted collection of new boutique properties, including opulent camps surrounded by marauding elephants
- Uncover the intimacy of safari in two private concessions, where the wildlife wanders right past your suite, and the game viewing is as easy as it comes
- Explore the thrilling enormity of the Zimbabwean wilderness with three nights in Hwange National Park, where thousands of elephants gather at waterholes, and you’re never far from lions
- Hop across the country on a combination of scheduled and chartered light aircraft flights, touching down on remote airstrips after an astonishing aerial flight
- Walk amongst black and white rhinos in Matobo Hills National Park, the new and exclusive safari addition to a landscape that Cecil Rhodes nicknamed “World’s View”
- Start this highlights of Zimbabwe safari in Matetsi Private Game Reserve, where hippos and buffalo join you just a few miles upriver from Victoria Falls
- Escape onto the shores of Lake Kariba for adventurous safari mornings in Matusadona National Park and languid afternoons on the water
- Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve has just established itself as Zimbabwe’s premier private safari destination; three days here provides the opulent final stop on this 13-day safari
- At Malilangwe, take the option to spend a day in the neighboring vast and unexplored Gonarezhou National Park
- Get up close and personal with some of Africa’s rarest animals, including black rhinos, brown hyenas, and wild dogs
Starting Price
$19,100 per person (excluding international flights)
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.94 stars based on 589 reviews.
Zicasso's trip planner and his team were amazing! He worked with us to plan the perfect trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. From the moment we landed in Johannesburg until our flight home from Cape Town, everything was seamless and flawless. We can't thank him and his team enough. If you are looking to visit South Africa and beyond, I highly recommend our agent and his team!!! He and his team will be the first to be contacted if we venture to the African continent again. Thank you again! We can't thank you enough!
Reviewed By David M.
Our trip was amazing and Zicasso's travel company and our agent could not have been more helpful in planning the trip and making sure it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She listened to our desires and planned a trip that met all our requirements. She was very patient in making little modifications until we were completely satisfied.
When we encountered some delays during the trip, she was very responsive in helping notify people on the ground and rescheduling our activities so we didn't miss a thing.
She was very knowledgeable about Southern Africa and selected exceptional lodging facilities for us. The accommodations were not only beautiful, but the staff were extremely professional, friendly, and attentive.
I would highly recommend this travel company if planning an African adventure!
Reviewed By David B.
This was a trip of a lifetime. We are not sure we will ever be able to top it! I have never cried leaving a place before because I was so sad it was over, but I did... three times! From the incredible food and views in Cape Town to the unforgettable adventure at the buffalo camp to the amazing views of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, we cannot say enough good things about our experience.
We've used Zicasso several times and have always had a great experience. That's why we keep coming back! But our experience with this travel agency was above and beyond all our expectations. The way our travel agent crafted our trip to meet our desires; stayed in constant contact via text, phone and email; provided us a departure call to walk us through every step of the trip before we left; and stayed connected throughout our trip to ensure we were having a good time and help us tweak some things along the way was customer service like we have never received. We would work with this agency and our agent again in a heartbeat and recommend them to friends and family.
Reviewed By Allison B.
Zicasso's travel agents were excellent at providing a luxury trip. I also sincerely appreciated that they respected my budget. Every detail was expertly planned and completely stress-free.
Reviewed By Amanda G.
What an incredible experience! Everything was so well organized by Zicasso's tour company, from the moment we stepped off the plane in Johannesburg to the time we got back on to head home in Entebbe. We were treated so well by all the support staff hired to help our trip move along seamlessly. All of our experiences were phenomenal and even more amazing than hoped for. We had excellent in-country assistance, lodge staff and other guides, wonderful accommodations, amazing safaris, and delicious food.
Reviewed By Anne S.
Zicasso's travel agent was a blessing. Her organizational skills were excellent. The trip plan app was used daily during our trip. What a wonderful tool. Our agent had all the pertinent information in the app and at our fingertips. The trip exceeded our expectations. I would definitely recommend using our travel agent and Zicasso to all my friends.
Reviewed By Tom O.