Classic Zimbabwe Tour from South Africa

Depart Johannesburg and travel to Makhado, set at the foot of the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Enjoy a unique eco-experience amidst stunning scenic beauty and biodiversity in a malaria-free area. Overnight at a lodge located in the Morning Sun Nature Reserve, surrounded by impressive rocky outcrops on the site of an abandoned Venda settlement. Overnight at Mashovela Lodge or similar. Dinner included. 

An early morning departure will take you on a scenic route through Musina and Maramani Nature Reserves to the Beit Bridge Border Post. Here we will cross the border into Zimbabwe. Our journey continues in a northerly direction until we reach our destination in the early afternoon. The majestic Lodge at the Ancient City sits spectacularly on a granite ridge, within the shadows of the iconic Great Zimbabwe National Monument, offering its guests a royal level of comfort and hospitality upon which the ancestors would surely have nodded in approval.

Overnight at Lodge at the Ancient City or similar. Breakfast and dinner included. 

Your day begins with a tour of the Great Zimbabwe Monument, a World Heritage Site. The Great Zimbabwe Monument is believed to have been fashioned between 1250 and 1450 AD, from regular rectangular granite blocks skillfully placed one upon the other without the use of tools, and gives us an idea of stone masonry few if any could emulate today. This World Heritage Site is a unique historical, cultural and archaeological landmark with many unusual artifacts, including the Zimbabwe bird (a national emblem and the subject of its own myths and legends), to be found there.

Overnight at Lodge at the Ancient City or similar. Breakfast and dinner included. 

After breakfast we travel to Bulawayo, the City of Kings and Zimbabwe’s second largest city. The city is steeped in the colonial history of the country, particularly that of the Ndebele people and has wide tree lined streets surrounded by beautiful parks, a legacy of Cecil John Rhodes. Overnight at Cresta Churchill Hotel or similar. Breakfast and dinner included. 

This morning you will set off to explore the Matobo Hills, a range of domes, spires and balancing rock formations which have been hewn out of the solid granite plateau through millions of years of erosion and weathering. Matobo National Park is also the burial place of Cecil John Rhodes and Mzilikazi, the great Ndebele King. The Park, a World Heritage Site, is home to a broad variety of wild game and bird species. Overnight at Cresta Churchill Hotel or similar. Breakfast and dinner included. 

Depart Bulawayo and travel in a north westerly direction to Hwange National Park, world-renowned or its daunting size of 14,650 square kilometers, and for the wide variety of game that call the National Park home; buffalo, zebra, giraffe, all the big cats, hyena, wild dog, rhino and the world's largest concentration of elephants. The nearby waterhole provides a great view of game as they come for a drink at the end of the day. Enjoy one game drive in open safari vehicles per day or a visit to the Painted Dog Sanctuary.

Overnight at Hwange Safari Lodge or similar.Breakfast and dinner included. 

After a memorable stay in Hwange National Park, we are now en-route to Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. We will set off on a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, in search of hippo, crocodile and elephant in their home environment. While visiting this world wonder we will experience the majestic Victoria Falls by taking part in a guided tour including views of the eastern cataract, the Main Falls and the Boiling Pot. Overnight at The Kingdom Hotel or similar. Breakfast and dinner included. 

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Victoria Falls Airport, where the tour ends. Breakfast included.