Camping
Zimbabwe Northern Circuit
12 days · 11 nights. Mana Pools, a Kariba houseboat, Hwange and the falls.
From US$5,868View
Overview
Most visitors see Victoria Falls and one national park. This is the trip that shows you the country those things sit in.
Twelve days from Harare to the falls, driven with one guide, through five landscapes that have almost nothing in common. The Eastern Highlands are mist, pine, trout streams and tea — you drop down the Manga Pass into the Honde Valley at 800 metres, into banana and avocado plantations and riparian forest. Great Zimbabwe is the UNESCO-listed stone city the country is named after, reached across the Birchenough Bridge, a 1935 single-arch span by Ralph Freeman, who also engineered the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the bridge at Victoria Falls.
Then the granite of the Matobo Hills and a full day tracking white rhino on foot among the cave paintings, a charter flight over the escarpment to a private concession on the Dete Vlei at Hwange, and two closing nights at Victoria Falls.
It is a lot of ground, but it is broken into two- and three-night stops rather than one-night stands, and the drives are the point rather than the price of admission.
At a glance
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Six regionsHarare, Nyanga, Masvingo, Matobo, Hwange and the falls.
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A UNESCO World Heritage SiteGreat Zimbabwe, plus San rock art in the Matobo caves.
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One charter flightBulawayo to Hwange, so you skip the long western drive.
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Rhino on footA full day in the Matobo tracking white rhino with a guide.
Day by day
Day 1
Harare
Met at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and driven into the capital — jacaranda-lined avenues in spring, and a lot more green space than most people expect. Cresta Lodge sits on the edge of the Mukuvisi Woodlands, among indigenous msasa trees, with nature trails from the door.
Cresta Lodge Harare · dinner, bed & breakfast
Days 2 & 3
Eastern Highlands — the Honde Valley
A 350 kilometre drive east out of the highveld, climbing into the cool mist and pine of the Nyanga region — trout streams and crags — then down the tarred hairpins of the Manga Pass into the sub-tropical Honde Valley floor.
Two nights in tea country, surrounded by plantations, riparian forest and the Nyamkombe River. Activities include guided birding walks, a tea factory tour, mountain hikes, Nyawamba Dam, Mermaid’s Pool, kayaking, trail biking, the pepper gardens, and fishing for yellowfish, tiger, bass and bream.
Aberfoyle Lodge · all meals and activities
Days 4 & 5
Great Zimbabwe
South along the spine of the Eastern Highlands escarpment, crossing the Birchenough Bridge over the wide sandy bed of the Save River — worth stopping for — then west across the semi-arid lowveld to Masvingo.
Two nights at the Great Zimbabwe National Monument, with a guided tour of the ruins, the San rock art, and a lodge built into the granite boulders in the same dry-stone style as the monument itself. Lake Mutirikwi is close enough for fishing and boat cruises.
Lodge at the Ancient City · all meals
Days 6 & 7
Matobo Hills
North-west through rolling grassland and traditional settlements to Bulawayo for lunch, then south into the Matobo — whaleback domes and balancing boulders, and a lodge built on a granite outcrop above the Maleme Valley.
A full day tour with lunch: white rhino tracking on foot, the cave paintings, hikes, cultural visits and a sundowner game drive as the kopjes go gold.
Matobo Hills Lodge · full board
Days 8 & 9
Hwange National Park
A mid-morning drive through Bulawayo to the airport and a charter flight to Hwange, arriving in time for lunch at a luxury tented camp on a private concession on the park’s eastern boundary, overlooking the dry Dete Vlei riverbed.
Because the camp sits outside the park boundary, night drives are permitted — leopard, genet and bushbaby — which they are not inside Hwange itself. Also on offer: guided walks, a visit to the Painted Dog Conservation centre, and cultural village tours.
Iganyana Tented Camp · all inclusive with local drinks and laundry
Days 10 & 11
Victoria Falls
A two and a half to three hour drive north, out of the Kalahari sand and acacia of Hwange into the mopane and the Zambezi basin, with your guide narrating the change as it happens.
Two nights at Insika Lodge with a full programme: a luxury Zambezi sunset cruise, a guided tour of the falls, lunch at The Lookout restaurant, dinner at the lodge, and the Boma dinner and drum show. Airport transfer included.
Insika Lodge · selected meals and activities
Day 12
Departure
Breakfast, check out, and a transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Breakfast included
What’s included
Included
- A local professional guide and vehicle throughout
- The charter flight from Bulawayo to Hwange
- 11 nights’ accommodation as listed
- All meals and activities as stated in the itinerary
- Park fees, local drinks and laundry at Hwange
- All airport transfers
Not included
- International flights
- Visas and visa fees — Zimbabwe single entry is issued online
- Drinks over meals, except where stated
- Beverages at The Lookout and the Boma dinner
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
- Items of a personal nature and gratuities
- Travel and medical insurance
- Tour leader surcharge of US$1,984, where a dedicated tour leader is requested
Rates
Per person in US dollars, for the full 11 night circuit.
| Season | Per person sharing | Single room supplement |
|---|---|---|
| Low season · November to May | US$4,851 | US$586 |
| High season · June to October | US$5,131 | US$670 |
The single supplement is charged once for the whole trip, not per night. All rates are subject to availability and may change without notice. Terms and conditions apply.
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Where you stay
| Nights | Where | Accommodation | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harare | Cresta Lodge Harare | Dinner, bed & breakfast |
| 2 | Eastern Highlands | Aberfoyle Lodge | All meals & activities |
| 2 | Great Zimbabwe | Lodge at the Ancient City | All meals & activities |
| 2 | Matobo Hills | Matobo Hills Lodge | Full board |
| 2 | Hwange National Park | Iganyana Tented Camp | Fully inclusive |
| 2 | Victoria Falls | Insika Lodge | Selected meals & activities |
Insika Lodge, Victoria Falls
Insika — pronounced in-SEE-ka — is isiNdebele for “pillar of strength”, after the column of spray the falls throw up, which on a good day is visible from 50 kilometres away.
The main lodge is a run of expansive decks facing the woodland, with a fire pit and bar deli, and it is where the trip winds down after eleven days of driving and flying.
The other long circuits
Same length, different half of the country.
Three grades
Matopos, Hwange & Victoria Falls
8 days · 7 nights. The shorter version, without Harare and the east.
From US$3,331View
Luxury
Hwange & Matusadonha
11 days · 10 nights. Two Hwange camps and four nights on Lake Kariba.
Rate on requestView