7-Day Victoria Falls & Hwange Safari - Standard - NETT

Batonka Guest Lodge is a hybrid of a boutique hotel and owner-run guesthouse on the outskirts of Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side. In a quiet spot with immaculate gardens, you're close enough to explore the falls.

The Batonka has 27 rooms arranged around a swimming pool and an immaculate garden; a large living area houses the reception, curio shop, dining room, lounge, bar and huge shaded verandah.

Decor is simple and stylish with a nod to the elegance of colonial times and a full-on yodel to the sophistication of modern times. Mozzy-netted four-poster beds dominate the large rooms and the en suite bathrooms are enormous - all have extra-big shower units, some also have bathtubs. Tiled floors, ceiling fans and air conditioning take care of the temperatures and the water is solar-heated. A large flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi tick the downtime box as does the small balcony overlooking the garden.

Claire and Rowan and their delightful team make the difference between a well-priced, well-appointed guesthouse and the highlight accommodation of your holiday. Batonka quickly made its mark, which is hardly surprising given their pedigree. We have every confidence these high standards will be maintained.

So in Batonka Guest Lodge you’ve got a well-priced, comfortable and friendly place to stay. What more could you want? How about one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World a pleasant half hour walk away?

Victoria Falls is one of those experiences that never gets old. Through a dense rainforest of its own making you hear the roar long before arriving at the sheer cliff opposite the thundering cascade. The power and scale of the world’s largest waterfalls are at once exhilarating and just that little bit terrifying. And of course, in addition to spending a day exploring the waterfalls from all angles, there is a silly amount of additional activities to choose from. Your hosts will book all your activities for you and even lay on a shuttle for the purpose, the only difficulty will be in choosing what to do.

Pack your beige togs because Camp Hwange, deep in Zimbabwe's biggest and most diverse game reserve, is one of a few lodges in southern Africa where walking safaris are the main activity.

After a walking safari, a game drive will seem coarse and vulgar by comparison. You'll notice the bush smells less of diesel fumes and more of wild grasses and tree blossoms; that the trees are filled with birdsong and not engine clatter; you'll hear animals before you see them and a pride of lion encountered on foot, while perfectly safe, is a life-changing event.

Camp Hwange is an exceptional safari lodge in the centre of one of the largest and most diverse game reserves in Africa. Famous for its elephant and large mammals including lion, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, wild dog, hyena, giraffe, zebra and many antelope species, the game viewing is guaranteed to be amazing.

Facing a permanent waterhole, the lodge is spread along the edge of an ancient teak forest. Accommodation is in enormous chalets with thatched roofs and tented sides on a polished screed floor. En suite bathrooms have flushing toilets and hot running water and power is delivered to each unit by a silent solar panel.

The main living space is an unpretentious thatched area that follows the shape of the surrounding landscape and it ends exactly where the bush starts. In front of the lodge is a large sandy clearing with a campfire slab in the middle - here is where you'll spend most of your downtime between safaris.

The food is exceptional and not just considering your impossibly remote location; the service is top-notch Zimbabwean hospitality at its heartfelt best and the guides' the guides. The guides are amazing. With the most rigorous training anywhere in Africa, Zimbabwean guides have earned the claim to be among the continent's best. And here at Camp Hwange you quite possibly have the best of the best. And that's a good thing because a walking safari is, strangely, no walk in the park. Their knowledge and bush confidence will set you at ease in an instant, all you have to do is enjoy the experience. And you will.

Somalisa Expeditions is a classic safari camp of old world charm. The essence of a mobile camp with all the additional comforts of a luxurious permanent lodge. In the heart of the Hwange National Park. In a private concession. A real safari adventure that immerses you in the bush and gets you up close with wildlife. Elephants are everywhere.

A sincere Serengeti-style tented camp with a vintage feel. The camp is spectacular, the people even more so and the wildlife continues to raise the bar. There’s more than just something special about this place. It’s everything that makes it what it is.

The way it’s designed to allow you to truly explore the bush. The elephants that come to quench their thirst daily at ‘elephant’s pool’. The service-minded staff and the finer details that make this camp authentic without compromising on comfort. You’ll be left in awe. It’s both humble and proud.

Wood, canvas with touches of copper and gold are a reminder of a bygone era. Perfectly transformed to the modern world without losing the essence of a classic safari camp. You’re in the African bush here and it’s incredible. From your private deck look out onto the dry grass and acacia savannah. You’re likely to spot the elephants and lions have been known to come close too.

This camp is for the wildlife enthusiast. The adventurer who wants it as real as it gets and real it is out here. It’s all about the raw Zimbabwean wilderness along the Kennedy Vlei Line. The seasonal Somalisa pans in a pristine private concession. A game rich area where the highlight is a guided walking safari. That says it all.