Zimbabwe Holidays Victoria Falls Safari Tours Hwange Matobo Mana Pools

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Botswana

Eswatini

Lesotho

Malawi

Mozambique

Namibia

Zambia

Zimbabwe + Victoria Falls

FIND OUT MORE

When to go

Our hotels

Travel guide

Change Currency:

WHY CHOOSE US?

100% financial protection
Specialist knowledge
Tailor-made for you
Keen pricing & exclusive deals
24/7 emergency contact
Established for over 20 years

You are here: Home » Zimbabwe + Victoria Falls »

Zimbabwe Self Drive Safari Holidays: Zimbabwe Ruins + Matopos + Victoria Falls + Chobe, Botswana

Exploring Great Zimbabwe (self drive) + Botswana
ZCA14B

14 NIGHTS

FROM $4,787

Per person sharing

Flights + car hire quoted separately

Zimbabwe Self Drive Safari Holidays Ruins Matopos Victoria Falls Chobe Botswana

Our tailor-made Zimbabwe self drive safari holidays can include the Great Zimbabwe Ruins at Masvingo (formerly Fort Victoria), the stunning granitic Matopos Hills near Bulawayo, a Big Five safari in Hwange National Park & a visit to the mighty Victoria Falls. End your holiday transferring across the border for some river-based game viewing on the banks of the Chobe River in Botswana, renowned for its large herds of elephants & buffalo.

▲

• Zimbabwe Self Drive Safari Holidays	• Bulawayo	• Matopos Hills	• Great Zimbabwe Ruins
• Hwange Game Reserve	• Big Five Game Viewing	• Victoria Falls	• Zambezi Cruise
• Chobe Game Reserve	• Botswana Safari

▲

• Zimbabwe Self Drive Safari Holidays	• Bulawayo	• Matopos Hills
• Great Zimbabwe Ruins	• Hwange Game Reserve	• Big Five Game Viewing
• Victoria Falls	• Zambezi Cruise	• Chobe Game Reserve
• Botswana Safari

Day 1

Arrive at Bulawayo Airport, collect your hire car and drive 1-hour to the dramatic Matopos National Park.

The spectacular Matobo (meaning 'bald head') Hills are a range of granitic domes, spires and balancing rock formations, that have been hewn out of the solid granite plateau through millions of years of erosion. Mzilikazi, the great Ndebele king who named this place, is buried here. It is also the home of the legendary Umlimo Rain Goddess.

Explore on foot these magnificent granite hills that are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here you can visit the final resting place of the diamond mining magnate and arch-imperialist, Cecil John Rhodes, whose grave at the summit of Malindidzimu – ‘the hill of benevolent spirits’ (or World's View) – is carved out of solid granite and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of boulders. You can also visit one of the more accessible ancient San Bushman cave paintings.

Days 2 To 3

At leisure to explore more of the magnificent granite hills of Matopos National Park.

You can enjoy optional guided walks, game drives, rhino tracking and cycling, or visit a local village (pay locally). You may see black rhino and plains game, but this area is particularly famous for its dense concentration of birds of prey, including black eagles.

Day 4

This morning leave Matopos and drive 4.5-hours to Masvingo (formerly know as Fort Victoria) - the gateway to the famous Great Zimbabwe Ruins, the remnants of a great African civilization.

Dating from around the 11th century, these iron-age ruins have been the source of much speculation over the years. Built entirely from stone, without any mortar, the site covers over 1,800 acres (7 square km). Some of the walls are up to 5 metres high and are still standing after so many centuries. Eight carved birds were also found here, an image of which can be seen on the Zimbabwean flag.

Day 5

Today we suggest an optional guided tour of the historic Great Zimbabwe Ruins.

This huge fortress once housed over 25,000 citizens and engaged in silver and gold mining, as well as trading as far afield as China. View the Acropolis, the Great Enclosure and the Conical Tower, as well as many other structures in these impressive ruins that are the largest and oldest in Southern Africa, and are second only to the Egyptian pyramids in Africa.

Day 6

Leave Great Zimbabwe this morning and drive 4-hours to Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe with large tree-lined streets and beautiful parks - a legacy of Cecil John Rhodes, the imperialist who claimed Rhodesia for the British empire.

Here you can enjoy an optional city tour or visit the historic Bulawayo Club.

Day 7

Today drive 4-hours from Bulawayo to your safari lodge in Hwange National Park, the largest game park in Zimbabwe.

Check in, settle in and relax in this remote wildlife area before enjoying a thrilling safari drive in an open top game viewing vehicle accompanied by a lodge ranger. With over 100 different species of mammals, including huge herds of elephants and many predators, a marvellous wildlife experience is guaranteed. The bird life is also outstanding.

Days 8 To 9

Today is devoted to self-drive game viewing in Hwange National Park, which is the size of Belgium.

Rise early to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day, as you explore Hwange National Park. Covering an area of over 5,600 square miles (14,600 square kilometres) and in close proximity to the arid Kalahari desert, this remote wildlife sanctuary is renowned for its enormous population of elephants, as well as vast herds of buffalo, zebra and giraffe. It is home to many predators including lions, hyena and endangered wild dogs which are thriving in the region.

In the evening enjoy a spectacular African sunset and relax around an open fire, before dining under the stars.

Note: Optional lodge open-top game drives are available on request.

Day 10

This morning leave Hwange National Park and drive 2.5 to 4.5-hours (depending on the location of your lodge) to your hotel near Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River.

Located in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), where the borders of five African countries converge, the sheer scale of this vast international conservation project is difficult to comprehend. It encompasses a bewildering range of experiences, ranging from the mighty Victoria Falls to the lifeforce of the region, the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers.

Check in, settle in and relax whilst you catch your first glimpses of the magnificent Smoke That Thunders first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. The flow of water over the Victoria Falls is greatest from February to June following the summer rains, but they are a magnificent sight at any time of year.

Day 11

Today we recommend exploring on foot the mighty Victoria Falls and its rainforest.

Afterwards you may wish to visit Elephants Walk, a small crafts complex across the road from The Kingdom hotel, where you can see talented local artists and sculptors at work and support them by buying one of their items. Alternatively you can participate in various optional activities, such as a helicopter flight over the falls or an elephant interaction.

In the late afternoon enjoy an included cruise on the Zambezi River where you may see hippos, crocodiles and abundant birdlife.

Note: We suggest you take your own raincoat for walking in the rainforest, as those on hire are well used.

Day 12

After dropping off your hire car in Victoria Falls, this morning take a shared 2-hour transfer to the Botswana border at Kazangula. After completing immigration formalities, connect with your onward transfer to your lodge situated near the Chobe River.

Chobe National Park is Botswana’s premier wildlife reserve and is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, where four African countries meet – Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Chobe River is the life-giving force of this region and provides a border between Botswana on the southern banks and Namibia on the northern banks. The river has extensive grassy floodplains on either side, which disappear under the annual floodwaters, making boats the best way of getting around.

After checking in to your lodge, enjoy a boat ride on the Chobe River, which is home to some of Botswana’s most spectacular wildlife, as well as abundant bird life. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast game sanctuary and hopefully you will see elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and other river-based wildlife today. Afterwards dine in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide.

Note: Most transfer vehicles do not cross the border, so you may be dropped off on one side of immigration control and collected on the other side by a different vehicle. As a precautionary measure against foot and mouth disease, at the Botswanan border you may be required to have any footwear you plan to wear in Botswana treated by officials, so please carry at least one pair of shoes in your hand luggage for this treatment.

Day 13

Rise at dawn to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day and enjoy a thrilling shared open-top game viewing drive with a lodge ranger.

Chobe National Park is home to vast herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as numerous other species which roam in profusion and diversity. During the dry season, vast elephant herds migrate from both south and north to congregate in their thousands along the Chobe River – the largest concentration of elephants in the whole of Africa. This migration of wildlife is possibly due to the creation of protected wildlife corridors, which allow the elephants to travel between the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Park (KAZA) countries safely. Also hope to see lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons and many other interesting animals before returning to your lodge.

Bird life along the river is also plentiful and you can hope to see a Fish eagle, Tawny eagle, African openbill stork, Marabou stork, Sacred ibis, Pied kingfisher, Cattle egret, Great egret, Spur-winged goose and much more, including Botswana's national bird - the glorious Lilac-breasted roller.

In the afternoon, enjoy another game drive or boat ride on the Chobe River.

Day 14

Today enjoy more game viewing in Chobe National Park.

Activities on offer vary by lodge but usually focus on game drives in the national park and boat rides on the Chobe River, which gives you a different wildlife perspective. Seasonal tiger fishing is offered by many lodges.

You can also book an optional excursion to a Namibian village across the river to see their culture and way of life - with immigration formalities at Kazangula and in Namibia. Each African culture within KAZA has its own particular traditions with regards to song, dance and dress. However the one thing they all have in common is their staple diet of a maize meal porridge. In Botswana this is called 'sadza' but in Namibia it is known as 'inkoko' or 'pap'.

After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way – including the spectacular Southern Cross.

Day 15

Transfer to Kasane Airport for your flight home.

ENQUIRE NOW »

<< Return to Zimbabwe + Victoria Falls holidays