Day 1 – 3: Arrive Mana Pools National Park
Arrive in Harare or Victoria Falls and fly to Mana Pools where you will be met by your guide and transferred to Zambezi Expeditions camp to experience the Mana Pools area.
Zambezi Expeditions showcases one of the most magnificent settings in Zimbabwe’s iconic Mana Pools
National Park. Fall asleep to the sound of the flowing river and chuckles of hippo and wake-up with the dawn chorus to a spectacular African sunrise. This paradise allows you to connect with nature
in a deep and meaningful way. sightings include cheetah, lion, leopard and variety of other species. It is also a birder’s paradise with over 300 species possibly seen.
Day 4 – 6: Southern Hwange National Park
This morning return to the airstrip for your flight to Hwange National Park where your guide will meet you for transfer to Somalisa Camp.
Somalisa Camp
Set in the heart of Hwange National Park, Somalisa Camp offers guests the perfect blend of old African charm and elegance. Nestled in a stunning location tucked away on an acacia island along the edge of an ancient seasonal flood plain, Somalisa provides guests with breathtaking views of the savannah plains across the famous Kennedy Vlei line. The décor of Somalisa echoes a bygone era. Its pool and stunning main area with a view of the pan where the game congregates in large herds offering the chance for complete relaxation, whether it be with a cup of tea or a refreshing cocktail. The use of solar lighting ensures your comfort without interfering with the environment and the area’s natural surroundings. The elegantly furnished canvas tents each with en suite bathrooms, flush toilets and romantic alfresco bush showers. Wide and well-traversed elephant paths connect your room to the lounge and dining areas located at the fore of the camp under a soaring canopy of acacias.
Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s biggest reserve, home to a profusion of wildlife, including giraffe, lion, zebra and approximately 40 000 elephants. It provides sanctuary for all the country’s endangered species, including a population of wild dogs thought to be among the most sizeable surviving groups on the continent. Terrain ranges from desert dunes and savannah lands to rocky outcrops and sparse forests, and visitors have the choice of game drives, guided walks or horseback safaris as a means of experiencing the park and its creatures.
Over the next three day activities include guided walks led by passionate guides who will share their knowledge and love of the bush with you, game drives, bird watching, and evening spot lighting. The area provides guests with the opportunity to see a variety of plains game and predators including elephant, kudu, sable, the rare and endangered roan antelope, buffalo, white rhino, lion, leopard, and hyena amongst other wildlife species. In addition, after the first rains, the Kennedy Vlei is scattered with flamboyant colors from the seasonal wildflowers that emerge during this time of year – making it one of the prettiest areas in Hwange National Park
Day 7 – 10: Chilo Gorge, Gonarezhou
On the seventh day of your adventure, depart by light aircraft to Harare International Airport. Here you will be met by your guide for transfer to Chilo Gorge in the Gonarezhou National Park for overnight accommodation.
The heart of Gonarezhou begins with the realization that this is wild country. It is one of Africa’s last remaining pristine wildernesses and we are all privileged to be a visitor here. The animals are in their most natural state at Gonarezhou; these are no lazy photographic models, hassled by a constant cavalcade of jeeps, radioing one another in their relentless pursuits. This is a country of red sandstone, thorny scrub and baobabs. Buffalo gather at watering holes, big cats prowl silently in pursuit of painted impala, hippo wallow midstream attended by squadrons of fluttering birds. The presence of elephants is everywhere; on the earth and the vegetation, as their families travel along routes passed from one matriarch to another in search of food, safety, and water. A panorama of birdlife gathers at Tembahata and Machanu Water Pans, a flying, wading tumult of color, while the wonders of Chilojo Cliffs and Chivilila Falls reveal the glories of the unique landscape
Elevated atop a cliff, Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge has fantastic views over the Save River below and Ghonarezhou National Park beyond. The lodge lies just outside the park, whose north-eastern boundary
is formed by the river. Each lodge is light and spacious, simple and elegant, yet with all the comforts of home. Even here, at the heart of Chilo, the great African wilderness is never far away. You can watch our local elephants, hippos and crocodiles cooling off in the waters of the river from the viewing deck.
Whether it’s exhilarating game drives through the park, excursions to the epic Chilojo Cliffs, or a day spent birdwatching, we have a wide range of activities to suit every guest. When the day is done and you’ve enjoyed sundowners on the Save River, filled page after page of your journal around the campfire, or spent a day with the people of Mahenye Village, sleep will come easy. You know when you wake, it will be there waiting for you, all over again.
Day 11: Departure
Wake up this morning and bid farewell to your journey as you transfer back to Harare International Airport or extend your stay.
See more of Zimbabwe in Hwange National Park and the stunning Somalisa Camp
