← All things to do

Things to Do

Safaris & Wildlife

Big elephant herds, walking safaris with expert guides and quiet, uncrowded wilderness.

Mana Pools · Photo: Babakathy · CC0 1.0

Why Zimbabwe

Wild, unhurried and close to nature

Zimbabwe's national parks cover huge areas of woodland, floodplain and granite hills, with far fewer vehicles than Africa's busiest parks. Its professional guides train for years before they can lead walks on foot, so a safari here is as much about tracks, birds and stories as about ticking off animals.

Most visitors combine two or three parks, or add a safari to Victoria Falls or Lake Kariba.

Hwange National Park · Photo: Fabio Achilli · CC BY 2.0Gonarezhou · Photo: Babakathy · CC0 1.0

Ways to explore

Safari experiences

Hwange National Park · Photo: Fabio Achilli · CC BY 2.0

Game drives

Early-morning and late-afternoon drives in an open vehicle, when animals are most active. The easiest way to cover ground and see a lot.

Walking safaris

On foot with an armed, licensed guide: tracks, birds and plants, and animals met on their terms.

Horseback safaris

Riding among plains game, a quiet way to get close. Most rides have experience and weight limits. Horseback rides

Birding

Hundreds of species, from fish eagles on the rivers to carmine bee-eaters nesting in sandbanks. The rainy months bring migrant birds and breeding colours.

Victoria Falls · Photo: lumoplank · CC0 1.0

River cruises

Sunset cruises on the upper Zambezi above Victoria Falls, and boat trips on Lake Kariba, with hippos, crocodiles and elephants at the water's edge.

Wildlife

The Big Five

All five live in Zimbabwe. Sightings are never guaranteed: patience, a good guide and the right season make the difference.

  1. A male lion resting beside a termite mound in Hwange National Park
    Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe · Photo: Laura (cardamom) · CC BY 2.0

    Lion

    Prides roam Hwange, Mana Pools and Gonarezhou. Most active at dawn, dusk and after dark.

  2. A leopard walking through grass
    Kruger National Park, South Africa · Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Leopard

    Found in most parks but secretive. The rocky Matobo Hills are known for them.

  3. An elephant at a waterhole with zebras in Hwange National Park
    Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe · Photo: Faypearse · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Elephant

    Hwange and Gonarezhou are home to some of Africa's largest elephant populations.

  4. A buffalo bull standing in grass with a cattle egret
    Chobe National Park, Botswana · Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Buffalo

    Big herds gather near water in the dry season, especially in Hwange and Mana Pools.

  5. A white rhino in Matobo National Park
    Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe · Photo: Susan Adams · CC BY-SA 2.0

    Rhino

    Black and white rhinos are rare and closely guarded. Matobo is the best-known place to track them.

Also look for

  • African painted dogs near Hwange National Park
    near Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe · Photo: Paul Balfe · CC BY 2.0
    Painted dogsEndangered wild dogs that range widely through Hwange, Mana Pools and Gonarezhou.
  • A hippo surfacing in the Zambezi River
    Zambezi River, Zimbabwe · Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0
    Hippos & crocodilesCommon along the Zambezi and on Lake Kariba.
  • CheetahRare, and seen now and then in the open areas of the larger parks.
  • Giraffe, zebra & sableOften seen together around water, with kudu and many other antelope.
Matobo Hills · Photo: Susan Adams · CC BY-SA 2.0

Conservation

Protecting wild places

Zimbabwe's wildlife is protected by parks, rangers, conservation projects and the communities living alongside them. Park fees paid by visitors help fund that work.

Lake Kariba · Photo: SuSanA Secretariat · CC BY 2.0

Give something back

Volunteering with wildlife

Conservation volunteer programmes can involve wildlife monitoring and research, supporting anti-poaching teams, habitat work, and community projects such as conservation education in schools. Placements usually last from one to several weeks, and most charge a fee that covers food, lodging and the project's costs.

Choosing a programme well

  • Avoid anything that offers cub petting, walking with lions or hand-rearing wild animals for visitors. These are widely linked to captive breeding, not conservation.
  • Ask what your work will achieve, who leads the project and how your fee is spent.
  • Look for projects that work with national parks, researchers or local communities.
  • Ask the programme which visa or permit you need before you travel.

When to go

Dry season · about July to October
Usually the best game viewing: the bush thins out and animals stay close to water. September and October are hot.
Rainy season · about November to March
Green landscapes, newborn animals and migrant birds. Some camps in Mana Pools and Gonarezhou close for part of the rains.
More on when to go

Watching wildlife responsibly

  • Keep a respectful distance, stay quiet and never feed animals.
  • Stay in the vehicle unless your guide says it is safe, and keep to marked roads.
  • Follow park rules and gate times.
  • Never buy ivory, horn, skins or other wildlife products.

Where to go

Zimbabwe's safari parks

Plan and book directly

Safari operators

Game drives, walking and mobile safaris, rhino tracking and conservation experiences in Zimbabwe's national parks and wildlife areas. Save the ones you like to My Trip, then contact each operator directly.

Victoria Falls

Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park

Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba

Gonarezhou

Harare

Bulawayo

Bulawayo

Gweru & the Midlands

Also see water & river trips, horseback rides and all things to do.