Zimbabwe: Insider’s Guide

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for southern Africa: Cherri Briggs of Explore Africa.

Trusted Travel Expert

Cherri Briggs

Cherri—who splits her time between homes in Zambia and Colorado—has spent the past 25 years combing the African continent to create unique travel experiences: canoeing the Zambezi; galloping on horseback with zebra and giraffe across the Okavango Delta; scuba diving off Mozambique; and exploring the remote corners of Ethiopia, Gabon, Madagascar, Cameroon, and the Congo Basin. She and her trusted deputy, Katie McDonough, ensure that clients—both private travelers and groups—enjoy excellent value and a smart selection of lodges and camps in Southern and East Africa. Cherri serves on the boards of several African conservation organizations, and she selects lodges that support local communities and invest in conservation. In 2013 she was appointed Honorary Consul to the USA by the Zambian government, and in 2014 she became the first non-citizen appointed to the Botswana Tourism Organization.

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Covid safety intel

Cherri recommends only those camps and lodges that have their guides and staff quarantine prior to starting work or that Covid-test regularly. Since travelers’ plans change frequently these days, it may behoove them to stay at camps that are operated by the same company (e.g., African Bush Camps, which has locations across Zimbabwe, so travelers can see the variety of wildlife that live in the bush and along the Zambezi River); this makes things easier if you have to shuffle your itinerary around. Cherri uses open-air safari vehicles and limits them to six people; she can arrange for a private vehicle for game drives. Whenever possible, trip deposits are refundable.

Camps and Lodges

Best-value accommodations
Zimbabwe as a whole is fast becoming known as the best value in the African safari world: Compared to equivalent camps in Botswana, you’ll typically pay 25 percent less in Zim (as it’s known). Cherri often combines Zimbabwe with Zambia, which is also on the more affordable end of the southern Africa spectrum. When it comes to game viewing, quality accommodations, and authentic cultural experiences, Zim is on a par in every way with its far more pricey neighbors.

In particular, Hwange Bush Camp has six very good—but basic—tented accommodations in a great part of Hwange National Park, which is the best protected and most productive wildlife park in the country. Rates are as low as $400 per person per night, and you can drive there from Victoria Falls (much more affordable than a charter flight to a more remote camp).

Safari accommodations worth the splurge

The new Mpala Jena camp is one of a few new safari lodges in Zimbabwe. Photo: Great Plains Conservation

Renowned conservationists, filmmakers, and National Geographic Explorers in Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert recently opened Mpala Jena Camp. The camp is located on the Zambezi River just upstream from Victoria Falls and reached by a game drive through the Victoria Falls National Park or by private helicopter transfer directly from the airport—the latter giving you the ultimate bird’s eye view of the cascade on your way to camp. In addition to the four guest tents, each with their own wrap-around decks and plunge pools, there is a two-bedroom suite that is perfect for families or those wanting a bit more privacy.

At Wilderness Safari’s Linkwasha Lodge, contemporary luxury tents provide the highest level of comfort and style found anywhere in the bush. The lodge is located in the company’s massive private concession inside Hwange National Park, which is home to a dense population of wildlife: from rhino to elephant to lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog. Food, wine, service, guiding—all are five-star. Sometimes Cherri surprises her travelers with private sundowners (sunset cocktails in the bush), or a full day out on safari without going back to the lodge for lunch.

If budget isn’t an issue, fly into Singita’s spectacular Pamushana Lodge, located in a 130,000-acre reserve bordering Gonerezhou National Park. Zimbabwe’s most luxurious lodge provides critical support for the conservation of this fabulous wilderness area by working closely with communities. It would take two full days to drive here from Hwange; the easiest and least expensive access to this remote area is via one of Singita’s regular scheduled charters from South Africa.

Verney’s Camp recently opened in a very remote part of Hwange, with luxury safari tents and some of Zimbabwe’s best guides.

Somalisa Camp, Zimbabwe. Photo: Somalisa Camp

Best safari options for families
Hwange’s Somalisa Camp, a classic-style safari camp with zip tents on decks, offers particularly good value for quality. The brand-new Somalisa Acacia is more contemporary and luxurious than its older sister, with big canvas chalets, but both have great staff, food, and guides. Acacia is also the more kid-oriented of the two, with two multi-bedroom family tents, an elephant drinking pool, and guides specially trained to captivate your kids. Both Somalisa lodges (possibly the only ones owned by a black African, incidentally) are in the heart of the territory where the pride once led by the famous Cecil still roams, and these stunning lions are often seen on game drives, or heard calling when hunting near camp at night. And at both properties, the tents are strung out from the public areas, so your choice of accommodations generally depends on your personal preference of convenience versus privacy. Cherri is able to reserve the most senior guides for her travelers, and she can sometimes arrange for a private vehicle at no extra cost.

Families also love private traditional tented mobile safaris with Kazuma Trails, which is run by Dave Carson—one of the most experienced of Zimbabwean guides. It’s the ultimate bonding experience to be out in a remote portion of Hwange with just a fire and a few lamps to see in the dark.

Best for thrill seekers

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls certainly qualifies as Africa’s adventure epicenter, and one of the top five in the world. If you want to burn some adrenaline, spend a few nights here. You can choose from several ways to throw yourself into the 333-foot-deep Zambezi gorge: bungee jump off the Vic Falls bridge, fly through the air on the gorge swing, or rappel off the canyon rim. For an intimate experience of the river, risk it with one of the most incredible Class V rafting experiences in the world: Batoka Gorge takes you through 22 major rapids in just a few hours, and offers a good chance of a long swim in the Zambezi at no extra cost!

Of course, it’s also possible to enjoy magnificent Victoria Falls without jumping off a cliff…. You can spend an afternoon walking the one-and-a-half-mile rim of the falls, with numerous dramatic viewpoints (bring your raincoat), or book a helicopter for the eagle’s view. The Victoria Falls Hotel is an African icon that has seen history pass through its doors since 1904. Cherri can arrange for an upgrade if space is available; both the Baines and Songwe suites have views of the magnificent Batoka Gorge, and you can hear the thunder of the falls from these rooms.

What to See and Do

Bumi Hills Safari Lodge, Zimbabwe

Don’t miss
Visit Hwange National Park (the country’s largest park, covering an area the size of Belgium) for a classic African safari: spectacular Big Five game viewing, bush walks with Zimbabwe’s world-renowned guides, sleeping under the stars, watching elephants up close from the safety of a hide.

Canoe down the Zambezi (a 90-minute flight downstream from Vic Falls) in remote and untouched Mana Pools National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is nothing more peaceful than drifting by a herd of elephants drinking from the shore, and nothing more exhilarating than negotiating your small craft through a large pod of hippos. Mana Pools has a large lion population and massive numbers of most of the Big Five, excluding rhino.

Delve into the history and culture of Zimbabwe at Matobo National Park. Clamber over rocky hills and ancient boulders to search for some of the 2,000 San “bushman” rock art paintings, or visit one of the villages of the Matabele people to have your fortune told by a traditional sangoma. From the historical tribal wars to more recent colonial incursions (Cecil Rhodes is buried here), Matobo offers good wildlife viewing plus serious cultural and historical insight. At the owner-run Camp Amalinda, the nine beautiful chalets seem to be carved out of the rock itself.

Visit Lake Kariba; scheduled charter flights now make the western part of the lake much more accessible. Stay at the historic Bumi Hills Safari Lodge, perched at a lofty height over the lake—which has recently been entirely refurbished, and where activities include fishing, game drives, and visiting local villages—or take a cruise on the private luxury houseboat Matusadona.

Hidden gem
The Jouberts (see “Safari accommodations worth the splurge,” above) have also opened a more traditional safari circuit in a very remote part of the Lower Zambezi—not to be confused with the Upper Zambezi, which is about 90 minutes away by charter plane. The private, 300,000-acre Sapi Reserve expands the protected area of the adjacent Mana Pools World Heritage area. This is a stunning, very wild area; from May through mid-November, you can spend two nights each at three camps inside the reserve, which are limited to six guests at a time.

Bragging rights
Cherri loves to arrange genuine and authentic cultural exchanges for her travelers. Whether you’d like to share a meal with a Zimbabwean family, join some school kids for a friendly soccer match, make jewelry with the village grandmothers, visit a medical clinic, or help in the local garden, she can make it happen.

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