- Best overall: Hwange National Park safari — unmatched elephant numbers, year-round wildlife
- Best walking: Mana Pools — Africa's finest walking safari destination
- Best adventure: Victoria Falls — helicopter flights, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping
- Best value: Lodge-based Hwange safaris from US$650 per person per night
- Best for rhino: Matobo Hills — track white rhino on foot, no other place like it
- Best remote: Gonarezhou — wild, uncrowded, the forgotten wilderness of Zimbabwe
- Best photography: Mana Pools in October — elephant walking, canoeing, the Zambezi
- Best combination: Zimbabwe + Botswana Chobe — Victoria Falls to Chobe in 90 minutes
Zimbabwe is the connoisseur's safari country. It does not have the sheer visitor numbers of Kenya or the marketing reach of South Africa, and that is precisely its strength: this is a land of world-champion guides, genuine walking wilderness, and some of the best-value luxury on the continent. Hwange National Park — the elephant kingdom — holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, tens of thousands of animals that gather around the pumped waterholes in the dry season in herds that stretch to the horizon. Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the banks of the Zambezi, is the finest walking-and-canoeing safari destination in Africa, where you track elephant and wild dog on foot alongside guides who are among the most respected in the profession.
We have assembled, compared and ranked the ten best Zimbabwe safari packages available for 2026 and 2027 — private, luxury, all-inclusive, affordable, Hwange, Mana Pools, Victoria Falls and Gonarezhou packages. Each is a real, bookable itinerary. For the full country picture, see our Zimbabwe safari tours guide; for timing, our best time to visit Zimbabwe guide; for the finest camps in detail, our best Zimbabwe safari lodges guide; and for the two great parks specifically, our Hwange safari packages and Mana Pools safari packages guides are where to go next.
How We Ranked These Packages
Each package was assessed across five criteria: wildlife access (concession exclusivity, camp positioning and the range of activities — game drives, walking safaris, canoeing, boat safaris and night drives), accommodation standard (camp character, location, exclusivity and guiding depth), inclusions (how genuinely all-inclusive the rate is — activities, meals, drinks, park fees, conservation levies and internal flights), experience match (whether the package suits elephant-seekers, walkers, photographers, families, adventurers or value travellers) and value (what you receive at the price point — and here Zimbabwe excels). Rankings reflect the best overall score per traveller type, not simply the most expensive camp.
1. Hwange National Park Safari — 5 Days
Best for: The greatest elephant spectacle in Africa — game drives through Zimbabwe's flagship park at the dry-season waterholes.
Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest national park and one of the finest wildlife areas in Africa. It holds a colossal elephant population — in the dry season the pumped waterholes draw herd after herd, and the sight of hundreds of elephant arriving at dusk, trunk to tail, is unlike anything else on the continent. But Hwange is far more than elephant: lion prides dominate the open Kalahari-sand plains, leopard haunt the teak woodland, buffalo move in herds thousands strong, and the park's painted wolf packs are among the most studied in Africa. The diversity of habitat — from grassland vleis to mopane and teak forest — supports over 100 mammal species and more than 400 bird species.
Five days lets you settle into a camp in one of Hwange's exclusive private concessions — where off-road driving, night drives and walking safaris are all permitted — and experience the park at its best, moving between the great waterhole platforms and the game-rich plains. It is the ideal introduction to Zimbabwe, the heart of any Zimbabwe safari holiday, and extraordinary value compared with equivalent experiences elsewhere in southern Africa. For Hwange in full detail, see our Hwange safari packages guide. Full itinerary on our Hwange Elephant Kingdom page.
Price from US$3,200 per person sharing (5 days / 4 nights, private concession camp, all meals, all activities, park and conservation fees, road or light-aircraft transfers). Luxury concession options from US$5,500pp. Best season: July–October for the peak waterhole concentrations. Ideal for: First-time Zimbabwe visitors, elephant enthusiasts, couples, value-conscious luxury travellers.
2. Mana Pools Walking & Canoe Safari — 5 Days
Best for: The finest walking safari in Africa — tracking elephant and wild dog on foot, and canoeing the Zambezi.
Mana Pools is the jewel of Zimbabwe's wilderness and, for many seasoned safari-goers, the single greatest safari destination in Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage Site on the southern bank of the Zambezi, it is a cathedral of towering albida (winterthorn) trees, open floodplains and permanent pools where elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion and wild dog gather in extraordinary numbers through the dry season. What makes Mana Pools unique is the licence to explore it on foot: this is where the legendary walking guides of Zimbabwe lead you, unhurried and unarmed by convention, toward the great bull elephants that famously stand on their hind legs to reach the albida pods.
Five days combines morning and afternoon walking safaris — tracking elephant, following the painted wolf packs, approaching plains game on foot — with canoe safaris on the Zambezi, drifting past pods of hippo, basking crocodiles and elephant crossing between the islands. Few experiences in African travel are as immersive or as humbling. For Mana Pools in full detail, see our Mana Pools safari packages guide. Full itinerary on our Mana Pools Walking & Canoe Safari page.
Price from US$3,950 per person sharing (5 days / 4 nights, riverside tented camp, all meals, walking and canoe activities, park fees, transfers). Premium Mana Pools camps from US$7,000pp. Best season: June–October, with September–October the peak for elephant and predators. Ideal for: Walking enthusiasts, photographers, repeat safari-goers, adventurous travellers.
3. Victoria Falls & Hwange Classic — 7 Days
Best for: The complete Zimbabwe experience — one of the world's great waterfalls and the elephant kingdom in one trip.
For most first-time visitors, the Victoria Falls and Hwange circuit is the ideal Zimbabwe safari. It pairs the two signature experiences of the country — the thunder, mist and adventure of Victoria Falls with the vast, elephant-rich wilderness of Hwange National Park — in a single seven-day journey. A short road or light-aircraft transfer links the two, and the contrast between the roaring spectacle of the Falls and the profound stillness of Hwange's waterholes could not be greater.
The circuit is the blueprint of the classic Zimbabwe safari holiday: two or three nights at Victoria Falls (the Falls themselves, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, optional helicopter flights, white-water rafting and the historic Victoria Falls Hotel) followed by three or four nights in a Hwange concession camp (game drives, night drives, walking safaris and the great waterhole spectacle). It suits couples, families, first-time Zimbabwe visitors and anyone who wants the best of the country without choosing between its two greatest highlights. Full itinerary on our Hwange & Victoria Falls Classic Safari page.
Price from US$4,400 per person sharing (7 days / 6 nights, Victoria Falls hotel plus Hwange concession camp, all meals on safari, game drives, sunset cruise, transfers). Best season: July–October for Hwange game; April–May for the Falls at full flood. Ideal for: First-time Zimbabwe visitors, couples, families, milestone trips.
4. Zimbabwe Luxury Wilderness Safari — 8 Days
Best for: The pinnacle of Zimbabwe luxury — the finest private camps in Hwange and Mana Pools by light aircraft.
At the top of the Zimbabwe market sits a tier of camps that offers something increasingly rare: genuine wilderness luxury without the stratospheric prices of Botswana. In Hwange, camps such as Linkwasha and Little Makalolo occupy private concessions overlooking their own waterholes, with exceptional guiding and exclusive access. In Mana Pools, intimate riverside camps place you in the heart of the albida forest with the Zambezi at your feet and world-champion walking guides at your side. This is luxury measured not in gold taps but in access, exclusivity and the sheer quality of the wildlife experience.
An eight-day luxury wilderness safari strings two or three of these camps together by light aircraft, moving between Hwange's elephant plains and Mana Pools' walking wilderness without ever enduring a long drive. Night drives, walking safaris and canoe excursions — activities the national parks restrict but the private concessions permit — are all part of the experience. For the properties in depth, see our best Zimbabwe safari lodges guide. Full itinerary on our Zimbabwe Wilderness: Mana Pools & Victoria Falls page.
Price from US$7,500 per person sharing (8 days / 7 nights, premium private camps, all meals and drinks, all activities, park and concession fees, all internal light-aircraft transfers). Best season: July–October for the peak dry-season game. Ideal for: Luxury travellers, honeymooners, returning visitors, special occasions.
5. Kariba Houseboat & Matusadona Safari
Best for: The specialist Zimbabwe — a Lake Kariba houseboat and the wild shores of Matusadona National Park.
For travellers who have done Hwange and want to see a completely different side of Zimbabwe, Lake Kariba is the revelation. The largest man-made lake in the world by volume, Kariba is a vast inland sea of drowned forest, where petrified mopane trees rise from the water like sculptures and spectacular sunsets set the sky on fire. The classic way to experience it is by houseboat — a floating lodge that drifts between the bays and islands, where you fish for tiger fish, watch elephant come down to drink on the shoreline, and fall asleep to the sound of hippo in the shallows.
Matusadona National Park, on Kariba's southern shore, adds a genuine wilderness game experience to the lake. Once one of Africa's great lion and black rhino strongholds, Matusadona is being restored to its former glory and offers game drives, walking safaris and boat-based wildlife viewing along a shoreline where buffalo and elephant are a daily sight. The combination of houseboat relaxation and wild bush safari is one of the most distinctive experiences in southern Africa. Price from US$3,800 per person sharing (houseboat plus Matusadona camp, 5–6 days, all meals, game activities, boat safaris, park fees). Best season: May–October for game along the shoreline. Ideal for: Repeat safari-goers, couples, anglers, those seeking something different.
6. Matobo Hills & Hwange Safari — 6 Days
Best for: Rhino on foot and elephant herds — the ancient granite of Matobo paired with Hwange's wildlife.
The Matobo Hills are one of Zimbabwe's most extraordinary and least-expected safari experiences. An ancient landscape of balancing granite boulders, whaleback domes and wooded valleys, the Matobo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is one of the only places in Africa where you can track white rhino on foot in the wild — approaching these great animals quietly, on their own terms, guided by expert trackers. The hills are also rich in San rock art (some of the finest in southern Africa), hold the highest concentration of leopard and black eagle on the continent, and contain the grave of Cecil John Rhodes at World's View.
Six days pairs the Matobo's rhino tracking, rock art and cultural depth with Hwange's great elephant and predator wildlife — a combination that captures both the natural and the human history of Zimbabwe. The journey typically begins near Bulawayo (the gateway to the Matobo) before transferring to a Hwange concession camp for the classic game experience. It is one of the most rewarding and varied Zimbabwe safari packages, and uniquely delivers an on-foot rhino encounter found almost nowhere else. Price from US$3,600 per person sharing (6 days / 5 nights, Matobo lodge plus Hwange camp, all meals, rhino tracking, game drives, park fees, transfers). Best season: May–October. Ideal for: Rhino enthusiasts, culture-and-history travellers, photographers, repeat visitors.
7. All-Inclusive Zimbabwe Family Safari
Best for: Families — a safe, comfortable and unforgettable introduction to Zimbabwe's greatest wildlife, built around children's pace and curiosity.
Zimbabwe is an outstanding family safari destination, particularly for families with older children ready for genuine wilderness. The wildlife is abundant and easily seen — game drives in Hwange rarely require long searches before elephants, giraffe, lion or buffalo appear — and many camps offer family-room configurations, child-focused guiding that turns every sighting into a learning moment, swimming pools and flexible meal times. Victoria Falls adds a dimension children adore: the thunder and spray of the Falls, a sunset cruise with hippo and elephant, and a wealth of gentle adventure activities from the family-friendly to the adrenaline-fuelled.
An all-inclusive family package is built around comfort, pace and predictability: a private vehicle so you set your own schedule, camps chosen for space and facilities, game-drive timings adjusted for younger stamina, and a single all-in price with no surprises. Zimbabwe's superb guiding and excellent value make it one of the best-priced quality family safari options in southern Africa. See our Zimbabwe safari tours guide for how to build the right trip. Price from around US$2,900 per person sharing (mid-range lodges, 6–7 nights, all meals, all activities, park fees; child rates and family rooms on request). Best season: July–October and the December–January school holidays. Ideal for: Families with children 8 years and older, multi-generation groups.
8. Gonarezhou Wild Safari — 5 Days
Best for: The frontier wilderness — Zimbabwe's remote, uncrowded south, where elephant and red cliffs define the land.
Gonarezhou — 'the place of elephants' — is Zimbabwe's second-largest national park and its last great frontier. In the wild south-east, bordering Mozambique and South Africa as part of the vast Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, Gonarezhou is a landscape of staggering drama: the red sandstone Chilojo Cliffs glowing at sunset above the Runde River, ancient baobabs standing sentinel over the plains, and genuine wilderness almost untouched by mass tourism. The elephant here were once among the most persecuted in Africa and have long memories, which only adds to the raw, authentic sense of being somewhere truly wild.
Five days in Gonarezhou is a safari for those who want solitude and authenticity over polish — game drives and walks through a park where you may not see another vehicle all day, the chance to camp beneath the Chilojo Cliffs, and wildlife that includes elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, nyala and the rare roan and sable antelope. It is Zimbabwe at its most unspoiled, and a revelation for repeat safari-goers seeking something beyond the well-trodden routes. Price from US$3,400 per person sharing (5 days / 4 nights, tented camp or lodge, all meals, game drives and walks, park fees, transfers). Best season: May–October for game and access. Ideal for: Repeat safari-goers, wilderness purists, photographers, adventurous travellers.
9. Zimbabwe Photographic Safari — Mana Pools
Best for: Photographers — Mana Pools' legendary light, walking access and the famous elephant of the albida forest.
Mana Pools is, for many wildlife photographers, the most rewarding location in Africa. The combination of towering albida trees, dappled light filtering through the canopy, and the park's licence to work on foot creates images impossible to capture anywhere else: the great bull elephants standing on their hind legs to reach the pods, the painted wolf packs hunting through the forest, the dust and backlight of the floodplain at dawn. The low, golden Zambezi-valley light and the ability to position yourself precisely — on foot, at eye level — makes Mana Pools a master class in wildlife photography.
A photographic safari here is built around the light and the access: small exclusive groups or private guiding, world-champion walking guides who understand composition and behaviour, camps positioned in the heart of the albida forest, and the flexibility to spend hours with a single subject. October, though hot, is the peak month — the pools shrink, the game concentrates, and the photographic opportunities are extraordinary. Canoe safaris add a second dimension, bringing you to water level with hippo, crocodile and crossing elephant. For the park in depth, see our Mana Pools safari packages guide. Price on request (private guiding; premium Mana Pools camps from US$7,500pp for 5 nights). Best season: September–October for concentration and light. Ideal for: Wildlife photographers at any level, serious enthusiasts, walking devotees.
10. Ultimate Zimbabwe: Hwange, Mana Pools, Victoria Falls & Gonarezhou
Best for: The definitive Zimbabwe safari — every great wilderness, every great experience, nothing left out.
The complete Zimbabwe circuit takes in the country's four great wilderness regions — Hwange (the elephant kingdom, with its waterholes and predators), Mana Pools (the finest walking and canoeing wilderness in Africa), Victoria Falls (one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the adventure capital) and Gonarezhou (the wild, uncrowded frontier of the south) — each of which offers something the others cannot.
Ten to twelve days gives you time to move between all four regions without rushing, carried by light aircraft between them and by 4x4 and on foot within them. The contrast is extraordinary: from the thunder and spray of the Falls to the great waterhole gatherings of Hwange, to walking among elephant in the albida forest of Mana Pools, to the red-cliff solitude of Gonarezhou, it is as if you are visiting four entirely different countries within one. It is the safari vacation for those who want to understand Zimbabwe completely — and those who want to leave knowing they have seen the country at its most diverse. Price on request (road, fly-in or hybrid; mid-range to ultra-luxury). Best season: July–October for all regions at peak. Ideal for: Serious safari travellers, returning visitors, those wanting the complete Zimbabwe picture.
Zimbabwe Safari Package Prices — 2026-2027
Zimbabwe offers some of the finest value in African safari travel, spanning every budget tier from accessible lodge-based trips to premium private-concession camps. Here is what to expect per person per night, all-inclusive, in 2026/2027. Planning a Zimbabwe safari holiday for two? Use these benchmarks to set your budget before our team builds the right combination of camps and experiences. For the full breakdown, see our Zimbabwe safari tours guide:
| Package Tier | Duration | Price Range (per person, per night) | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge-Based Hwange | 5–7 nights | $300 – $550 | Lodge accommodation, all meals, game drives, park and conservation fees |
| Private Concession | 5–7 nights | $550 – $900 | Accommodation, meals, game drives, night drives, walking safaris, concession fees |
| Premium Mana Pools | 4–6 nights | $900 – $1,800 | All above plus canoe safaris, all drinks, expert walking guides, internal flights |
| Ultra-Luxury Fly-In | 5–7 nights | $1,800 – $3,500+ | All above plus exclusive camps, exceptional guiding, all premium drinks, all flights |
A classic seven-night Zimbabwe safari holiday for two, all-inclusive, typically ranges from US$6,500 to US$12,000 at the private-concession tier; US$12,000 to US$22,000 at the premium Mana Pools level; and US$28,000 or more for an ultra-luxury fly-in combining the finest camps. Zimbabwe consistently delivers more wildlife and better guiding per dollar than almost anywhere in southern Africa — always ask for a fully all-inclusive quote that bundles park fees, conservation levies and internal flights. Because we book direct with the camps, you pay no resale markup.
Why Book With Beyond Africa?
We have been placing guests across Zimbabwe — Hwange, Mana Pools, Victoria Falls, the Matobo Hills, Lake Kariba and Gonarezhou — for many years. We know which camps sit in the best positions for the dry-season game, which private concessions deliver the most exclusive wildlife viewing, which of Zimbabwe's world-champion guides are the finest in each region, and which combination of camps and areas delivers the most for a given budget. When you book through us, the entire Zimbabwe journey — internal flights, walking safaris, canoe excursions, camp combinations and Victoria Falls or Botswana extensions — is arranged as a single coherent experience. A Zimbabwe safari vacation is one of the most rewarding journeys you will ever make: we want it to be faultless. Talk to us about your Zimbabwe safari for 2026 or 2027.
