Fly-in
Victoria Falls, Hwange & Mana Pools
8 days · 7 nights. The shorter fly-in version, with Camp Zambezi on the budget grade.
From US$4,557View
Overview
Six of the eleven nights are under canvas and three are on the water. This is the camping trip in the range, and the one people come back talking about.
It opens gently in Harare, then drops down the Zambezi Escarpment — one of the great drives in the country, where the plateau falls thousands of feet into the floor of the Rift Valley — to a bush camp on the riverbank at Mana Pools. Three nights of walking with an armed professional guide, canoeing in 18-foot Canadian canoes, and game drives in open Land Cruisers, sleeping in a camp with no electricity and no plumbing.
Then the water changes character entirely. Three nights aboard a houseboat on Lake Kariba, sailing the Matusadonha shoreline and spending a full day in the Sanyati Gorge, where the Sanyati River cuts through cliffs and drowned forest — a genuinely strange and biologically rich place, and one of the best birding spots in southern Africa.
A charter flight west takes you over the escarpment and the mopane to Hwange, two nights in a luxury tented camp on the Dete Vlei, and then the road north to Victoria Falls to finish.
At a glance
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Six nights under canvasThree at Mana Pools, two at Hwange, plus the houseboat.
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Canoe the ZambeziCanadian-style canoes with a professional guide, included.
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A houseboat to yourselvesEight en-suite cabins, a pool, two tender boats and a telescope.
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One charter flightKariba to Hwange, an aerial safari over the escarpment.
Day by day
Day 1
Harare
Met at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and driven into the capital. Cresta Lodge sits on the edge of the Mukuvisi Woodlands among indigenous msasa trees, with nature trails from the door — a soft landing before the bush.
Cresta Lodge Harare · dinner, bed & breakfast
Days 2, 3 & 4
Mana Pools — Camp Zambezi
An early departure north through the farming town of Chinhoyi — a short detour will take you to the Chinhoyi Caves and their cobalt-blue underground pool — then down the Zambezi Escarpment into the Rift Valley, arriving in time for lunch.
Three nights on the riverbank. Game drives in open 4×4 Land Cruisers, walking with an armed professional guide, and canoeing in 5.5 metre Canadian-style canoes. Tiger fishing is good towards the end of the dry season in September and October, though you will need to bring your own tackle.
Sundowners by the campfire as the sun goes down over the escarpment.
Camp Zambezi · all meals, local drinks and activities
Days 5, 6 & 7
Lake Kariba and the Sanyati Gorge
Out of Mana Pools and east to Kariba harbour to board the houseboat, then sail across to the Matusadonha shoreline for birding and shoreline game viewing.
A full day is set aside for the Sanyati Gorge, on the south-eastern shore inside Matusadonha National Park, where the river cuts through steep escarpment and towering cliffs. The combination of cliffs, quiet channels, overhanging foliage and weed beds makes it a sanctuary for both wildlife and specialist bird populations.
Two tender boats run game viewing, fishing and sundowner cruises. Fully catered, beverages included.
Mana Kariba Houseboat · fully inclusive
Days 8 & 9
Hwange National Park
Breakfast on the lake, then back to the mooring and across to Kariba airport for the charter flight west. It is an aerial safari in itself — the rugged Zambezi Escarpment, vast mopane woodland and winding river systems below.
Two nights at a luxury tented camp tucked into teak forest on a private concession overlooking the dry Dete Vlei riverbed, with a waterhole directly in front of camp. Night drives are permitted here because the camp is outside the park boundary. Also included: guided walks, 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 into the mopane and the Zambezi basin.
Two nights at Insika Lodge with 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 camping actually means here
Camp Zambezi is a true bush camp — no electricity, no permanent structures, no plumbing. It can be put up or taken down in a matter of hours and leaves no trace behind.
That is the honest description, and it is also the appeal. What it does not mean is roughing it:
- Proper beds, with linen and duvets, in large walk-in tents
- En-suite toilet in each tent for night use
- Hot showers and a long drop for daytime, with plenty of hot water
- Hot water brought to the wash basin outside your tent each morning
- Laundry done on site, and filtered water throughout
Bring a torch or a head lamp. Lighting is by hurricane lamp, and dinner is by candelabra — which is lovely, and not much help finding your tent.
What’s included
Included
- A local professional guide and vehicle throughout
- The charter flight from Kariba to Hwange
- 11 nights’ accommodation as listed
- All meals and activities as stated in the itinerary
- Canoe equipment and professional guide services at Mana Pools
- Local drinks at Mana Pools and Hwange, and all beverages on the houseboat
- Park fees and laundry at Hwange, laundry at Mana Pools
Not included
- International flights
- Visas and visa fees — Zimbabwe single entry is issued online
- Premium and imported wines and spirits
- Fishing tackle at Mana Pools — bring your own
- Beverages at The Lookout and the Boma dinner
- Items of a personal nature and gratuities
- Travel and medical insurance
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$5,868 | US$436 |
| High season · June to October | US$6,148 | US$520 |
The single supplement is charged once for the whole trip. Note that Mana Pools is at its best from April to October, when the inland pans dry out and game concentrates on the river. All rates are subject to availability and may change without notice. Terms and conditions apply.
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