Day 1: Arrive Hwange
Fly in to Hwange and out to Somalisa, on the edge of a seasonal pan in the middle of the park. An afternoon walk to get your legs and your eye in, then elephant drinking a few metres from camp.
Private Tour 12 days New
Luxury Walking & Rivers
Eleven nights on foot, from the pans to the Zambezi
Duration12 Days
Regions4
Max guests8
Activity levelModerate
Priced per personFrom $19,700per person
Best monthsJune to October
Overview
A walking safari that stays in one country and gives each camp enough time to be worth the flight. The old version of this trip crossed two countries with a night here and a night there. This one does what the guides do: three camps chosen for walking, one for the water, and long enough at each to get somewhere. Three nights at Somalisa in Hwange to open, on a pan in the middle of the park. Open woodland, safe walking country, and elephant coming into camp to drink. Then Mana Pools, four nights split in two. Kanga sits inland on the only permanent water for miles, where walking is the main activity rather than the alternative to a game drive. Zambezi Expeditions puts you on the riverbank itself, where you walk among elephant in the morning and canoe the channels in the afternoon. Two nights at Bumi Hills on Lake Kariba next, which is where the pace deliberately drops. Boats, shoreline game and the long sunsets over the inland sea. The last walk is the best one. Two nights at Matobo Hills Lodge, ours, tracking white rhino on foot with a ranger, and San paintings read off a cave wall by a guide who grew up in these hills. Zimbabwe's professional guide licence takes years of study, an apprenticeship and a brutal practical exam, and it is the reason this country is where people come to walk. Every walking day here is led by one. Private throughout, maximum eight guests, flown between the camps. When to go: June to October, once the grass is down and the walking is at its best.
Why book direct with ZimTravellers?
Owner-plannedYou deal with Josh, directly
Generations deepFive generations in Zimbabwe
Private by defaultYour guide, your vehicle
A direct lineMessages answered by Josh himself
Luxury Walking & RiversThe route, day by day
Itinerary
Day by day.
HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
Day 2: Walking in Hwange
A full walking day in teak and acacia woodland with a licensed professional guide. Hwange is open enough to walk safely and busy enough that you are rarely walking towards nothing.
Day 3: Hwange pans and hides
Morning on foot again, then the middle of the day in a hide at eye level with whatever comes to drink. In the dry months that is elephant in numbers that are difficult to describe.
MANA POOLS
Day 4: Fly to Mana Pools, Kanga
A light aircraft north to Mana Pools and inland to Kanga, which sits on the only permanent water for miles. Walking is the main activity here, not an add-on.
Day 5: Kanga, on foot
A long walking morning in the jesse and the albida forest. Kanga Pan draws everything to one place in the dry season, so you walk to the water rather than driving between sightings.
Day 6: Down to the Zambezi
Transfer to the river and Zambezi Expeditions, on the bank of the Zambezi itself. The floodplain here is the postcard Mana: winterthorns, dust and low light, with the escarpment behind.
Day 7: Walking and canoeing the Zambezi
On foot among elephant in the morning, and a canoe on the channels in the afternoon if the level suits. Few places let you do both in a day.
LAKE KARIBA
Day 8: Fly to Lake Kariba
West to Bumi Hills, high on a ridge above Lake Kariba on the edge of Matusadona. After a week on foot this is the chapter where the pace drops and the safari moves onto the water.
Day 9: Matusadona shoreline
Shoreline game viewing by boat, walking on the Matusadona side if you still have the appetite, and the tiger fishing if you would rather not. The sunsets are the reason people come back.
MATOBO HILLS
Day 10: Fly to the Matobo Hills
South to Bulawayo and out to Matobo Hills Lodge, ours, in the granite. Settle in, then sundowners from the rock with the whole valley below you.
Day 11: White rhino on foot
The last walk of the trip and the one people remember: tracking white rhino on foot with a ranger. Later, San paintings read off a cave wall by a guide who grew up in these hills.
Day 12: Depart Bulawayo
A last slow morning in the hills, then the short transfer to Bulawayo for your flight out.
Where you will stay
Hand-picked, night by night.
Hwange · ZimbabweSomalisa CampDetails in your proposalMana Pools · ZimbabweKanga ExpeditionsDetails in your proposal
Mana Pools · ZimbabweZambezi ExpeditionsDetails in your proposalLake Kariba · ZimbabweBumi Hills Safari LodgeView the lodge →
Matobo Hills · ZimbabweMatobo Hills LodgeView the lodge →Things to know
Cancellation policy
25% charge (deposit) — 90+ days out.
50% charge — 61–90 days.
75% charge — 31–60 days.
A 25% deposit confirms your itinerary.
Booking basics
Requested and confirmed within one working day.
Per person sharing, excluding international flights. RE-COST: route changed 15 Aug 2026..
Private (max 8 guests).
Operated by ZimTravellers (own itinerary; partner lodges as listed).
Participation & safety
Physical level: Moderate.
Private and tailor-made journey cancellation
- A 25% deposit is required to confirm your itinerary and is non-refundable.
- If we receive your written cancellation more than 90 days before departure, the cancellation charge is 25% of the total booking price.
- For cancellations received 61-90 days before departure, the charge is 50%.
- For cancellations received 31-60 days before departure, the charge is 75%.
- For cancellations received 30 days or fewer before departure, or in the event of a no-show, the charge is 100%.
- Certain camps, lodges, private vehicles, permits and special arrangements may impose earlier or higher non-refundable charges. Any such condition will be itemised and disclosed before you pay your deposit and will apply only to the affected component.
- Changes requested after services have been confirmed are subject to availability, supplier charges and repricing. A reduction in the number of travellers may increase the per-person price for those who continue to travel.
How booking works
- Send your dates and party size — we confirm availability within one working day, usually sooner.
- Nothing is charged until your booking is confirmed.
What’s included
Included
- Accommodation as listed or similar
- All meals, house drinks and activities as per each camp
- Guided walking safaris throughout, led by a licensed Zimbabwe professional guide
- Light-aircraft charters between Hwange, Mana Pools, Lake Kariba and Bulawayo
- Canoeing on the Zambezi where water levels allow
- Boat safaris and shoreline game viewing on Lake Kariba
- Matobo rhino tracking on foot and a guided rock-art cave
- All national park and conservancy fees
- ZimTravellers itinerary support and a direct WhatsApp line to Josh
- Direct WhatsApp line to Josh — before, during and after the tour
Not included
- International flights
- Visas
- Travel and medical insurance
- Premium wines and spirits
- Gratuities
- Items of a personal nature
Practical
Best timeJune to October
PaceModerate
StartsHwange
EndsBulawayo
Group sizePrivate (max 8 guests)
