Zimbabwe and Botswana Wildlife Safari

Our tour starts today in Victoria Falls. Often referred to as the adventure capital of Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls offers a thrilling combination of land, air and water-based activities. For those arriving in time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Victoria Falls at any time. If you'd an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive into Victoria Falls Airport (VFA), which is around a 30-minute drive from the hotel. If you miss the welcome meeting, your tour leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. This evening, we'll either be staying at the Batonka Guest Lodge or Pioneer Lodge. The two are sister properties located just over 1 kilometre/0.6 miles from each other and are almost identical. Both are set in beautiful, landscaped gardens and feature a swimming pool, spacious rooms, an expansive terrace where breakfast is served, a bar and a stylish lounge and dining room which are both extremely comfortable. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to choose from a host of adventurous activities including white-water rafting, canoeing and cruises on the Zambezi River. Full details are listed in the 'Budgeting and packing' section of the trip notes.

Leaving our lodge after breakfast we'll head south-east to Hwange National Park (a three hour journey) to kickstart our wildlife safari experience in the largest national park Zimbabwe has to offer. At just under 15,000km2 Hwange is home to over 100 mammals and over 400 species of birds including the African golden oriole, Bradfield's hornbill and the Crimson-breasted Shrike. During our safaris, we'll travel in customised, open-sided land cruisers. The land cruisers are ideal for game viewing but can be a bit brisk and windy at times - it's a good idea to bring some layers for longer travel days. The roads through both Botswana and Zimbabwe also vary in quality, so travel days can be slow and bumpy, but the scenery and wildlife more than make up for this. In addition to large herds of elephant and buffalo, Hwange is also one of the best places in Zimbabwe to spot big cats, giraffe and zebra. Our lodge for the next two nights is situated just outside the national park gates, each of the 12 chalets is nestled within the wild and untamed nature offering a unique and immersive experience. The chalets are spacious with en-suite bathrooms and there is a smaller swimming pool, bar area and a large terrace with wonderful views of the surrounding bushland.

Today we will have a very early start in order for us to maximise our time in Hwange National Park. Departing with our packed breakfast boxes, we'll set out in our game-viewers, with our expert safari guide, on the lookout for large herds of elephants. During the season it is not unusual to see huge herds numbering in their hundreds as they seek out the water holes in the early hours of the morning. The landscape of Hwange is exceptionally diverse ranging from vast dry savannah to green lush forests making it a true haven for most sub-Saharan species of wildlife including southern giraffe, pangolin, aardvark as well as a whole range of birdlife; We will be enjoying timely picnic lunch within the park before returning to our lodge in the early to mid afternoon, we'll have time for siesta, a dip in the pool, or a spot of birdwatching before dinner. Dinner at the lodge will usually be a buffet with a selection of fresh seasonal Zimbabwean dishes combined with a number of international dishes.

This morning, we bid farewell to Hwange and make our way on a five hour drive to Matobo Hills. Our journey takes us through open bushland interspersed with rural villages and farming communities. The major settlement on our journey is colonial market town of Bulawayo, where we will stop for lunch. We will spend the next days exploring Zimbabwe's oldest national park. Initially established as Cecil Rhodes National park in 1926 Motopo National Park was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 and is today recognised for having the densest population of leopard in the world and it is also home to a healthy population of the Southern White Rhino, the second largest land mammal on the planet. Our accommodation for the next two nights is located on the boundary to the national park and is a converted farmhouse with 12 individual bungalow cottages. The property features a rock swimming pool, large lush gardens as well as a newly renovated bar and restaurant, where we will be enjoying our dinner tonight.

Today we will set off from our accommodation after an early breakfast and travel the short distance into the national park, accompanied by an experienced ranger and tracker, where we will embark on a safari on foot in search for both black and white rhinoceros. Since Matobo National Park lacks both elephants and lions, a walking safari is an intimate way to experience wildlife that often cannot be accessed from vehicles or boats. Although the main focus of the walking safari is the majestic rhinoceros, there are a great opportunity for us to spot other wildlife species such as antelope, zebra and wildebeest. This afternoon we will also allow us to visit some of the more than 3,000 cave paintings the park has to offer and we will also pay a visit to the grave of British imperialist, politician and founding father of Zimbabwe Cecil Rhodes located on the very top of Motopo Hills overlooking the vast plains below. In the late afternoon we'll return to our lodge with enough time to freshen up before dinner.

Early this morning we'll begin our journey into Botswana and most of the day will be spent driving. After approximately 2 hrs we will arrive at the land border crossing between Zimbabwe and Botswana. Once border formalities are completed, we'll continue our journey towards the Ntwetwe Pan and our accommodation for the night. The distance we will be driving today is just over 420km and depending on how much time we will be spending at the border the drive can take up to 8 hours, including stops. Our accommodation this evening is situated in the region of the Makgadikgadi Pans, and is made up of a a number of large Bakalanga mud huts, inspired by the traditional homes of the Setswana people. The huts are spacious with full en-suite facilities and the property also have a pool and a large social area to relax before our boma dinner.

Departing our accommodation just after breakfast we explore the lunar landscape of the salt pan, providing vistas of blinding white and golden salt flats reaching far into the horizon. The landscape in this part of Africa significantly contracts with anything else you'll see on this tour. Not much wildlife lives on the pan, but a few desert-adapted species such as brown hyena, elephant, zebra and wildebeest inhabit the fringes and so does the Kalahari meerkat. A local expert guide will lead our short walk to see these curious little mongoose and will explain about the conservation work and science they are currently carrying out at the colonies. It is worth noting that these semi-habituated animals are wild, although they are curious by nature and it is not unusual for them to get very close to visitors but please resist the temptation to touch or hold them. Upon returning to our accommodation in the early to mid afternoon we will have lunch and the rest of the afternoon is free to explore the natural surroundings or study the local birdlife. There are a number of non-guided shorter nature trails available including the Baobab Village walk. For those interested there is the option of spending a night camping out on the salt pans, this can be booked directly via the guide on the ground.

We'll be leaving the comfort of the lodge behind just after breakfast, heading north-west towards Moremi Game Reserve stopping in Maun for lunch before arriving at the park gates just before 2pm. For the next two nights, we'll be camping in Moremi where the waters feed an abundance of flora and fauna, including endangered African wild dog. Hippos are often heard by night too. We should see a good amount of game heading to our campsite and in the late afternoon, we'll head off for another game drive. Our campsite for this evening uses dome-type tents with private en-suite facilities added to the back of the tent. They're big enough that you can stand inside and are made from durable rip-stop canvas with sewn-in groundsheets. Each tent is equipped with sturdy camp beds, mattresses, fitted sheets, pillows, and duvets. Other equipment used on safari includes camping basins, washstands, hot water bucket showers and camping toilets. Safari-style fold-up chairs and large tables are provided. Our backup staff do all the cooking and cleaning as well as setting up and breaking camp.

We'll enjoy two game drives today. Setting off for our morning drive at first light (often around 5am), we'll get the chance to experience one of Africa's unspoiled wonderlands, with the possibility to spot hippos, crocodiles, lion and a great variety of birds, as well as the elusive sitatunga antelope. This place is also an ornithologist's paradise with fish eagles, kingfishers, herons, storks, egrets, weavers and bee-eaters all seen regularly. Returning for brunch, the hottest part of the day is spent at leisure at our campsite - a chance for a siesta, to relax reading a book or do a bit of birdwatching. We'll set off for our afternoon game drive around 4pm and return in the early evening.

This morning we will depart camp after breakfast, starting our journey north towards Chobe and Victoria Falls. During our drive today, we'll make the most of the changing scenery and also the change in flora and fauna. Savuti and Chobe are famous for their high density of buffalo and lion and at the most recent aerial game census it was estimated that a population of over 130,000 elephants was living in Botswana, with around 90% of those living in the near or around the lush forests and plains near the Savuti Channel and the Chobe River. The drive today is only around 150km but due to the fairly poor condition of the roads this it is expected to take us up around 5-7 hours, ensuring we keep a leisurely pace to maximise our chances of spotting wildlife. We will arrive at our camp during the afternoon, and the rest of the day is free - a chance to rest, relax or perhaps do a bit of bird spotting.

Today we will be driving the last 150km from Savuti up to Kasane via the sandy roads of Chobe National Park. For most of the day we will stay within the borders of the game reserves, offering great opportunity to spot wildlife along the way. After approximately 80km we will pick up the proper tarmac road and the driving becomes slightly more comfortable. Upon arrival at our camp, we will have a few hours to freshen up before dinner. Our newly built campsite is the perfect base for exploring Chobe National Park. Situated at the point where Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana meet, it's located right on the water's edge. We'll be staying in comfortable safari tents, built on fixed platforms and each tent has a proper bed with all bedding provided. Tents also have en-suite bathrooms with a sink, shower and flushing WC, and there is a separate dining area and an area to relax.

On our game drive this morning, we'll take a slow drive along the southern bank of the Chobe River, where we can find Chobe Bushbuck and Puku Antelope. The sheer variety of animals in abundance makes this region a must-see for any wildlife enthusiast. We hope to watch huge herds in and around the great Chobe River, which also teems with hippos and crocodiles. This afternoon, our mode of transport switches to a boat as we take to the water and view the wildlife from a different perspective on a sundowner cruise. The Chobe River is one of the Zambezi's main tributaries, and is home to an abundance of wildlife, as well as a variety of fish including the tiger fish (freshwater barracuda). The area is also famed for its beautiful scenery and magnificent red and gold sunsets. we'll return to our accommodation around 8pm in time for dinner.

This morning, we'll leave our camp in Botswana and cross the border back in into Zimbabwe, heading back to the town of Victoria Falls. This afternoon, we'll visit the falls from the Zimbabwean side of the river where the Zambezi River plummets over a sheer cliff wall spanning more than 1,676 meters and dropping approximately 100 metres into the abyss below. The natives named the waterfall, Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning 'the smoke that thunders' because of the plumes of water vapour that rise like smoke into the sky above the falls, accompanied by the deafening roar. After checking in to our hotels, a rest and maybe even a dip in the pool we will head out for our last evening meal together.

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast. Depending on the schedule of your departing flight, you might like to spend a few hours exploring the town independently. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Victoria Falls at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our guesthouse