Day 1: Arrive Victoria Falls
Met on arrival and taken to Victoria Falls River Lodge. The afternoon stays loose: settle in, then a sunset cruise on the Zambezi above the lip of the Falls if the light is worth it.
Private Tour 9 days New
Luxury Waterfalls & Walking Safaris
Waterfalls, walking safaris and granite dawns
Hwange National Park, Matobo Hills, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe · 9 days · From $8,200 per person · Booked direct with Josh Elliott, owner-operator
Duration9 Days
Regions3
Max guests8
Activity levelModerate
Priced per personFrom $8,200
Best monthsMay to October (walking season)
Overview
Built for people who would rather be on foot than in a vehicle.
Two nights at Victoria Falls River Lodge to open, on the bank of the Zambezi inside the national park rather than in town, with the rainforest walk along the rim.
Then four nights at Wilderness Linkwasha in Hwange, which is the walking heart of this trip. Linkwasha sits on the Ngamo Plains with some of the best guiding in the country, and four nights buys you the mornings on foot that a shorter stay never quite delivers.
The granite finishes it. Two nights at Matobo Hills Lodge, ours, where the walking is different again: tracking white rhino on foot with a ranger, and climbing to San paintings that have been on the cave wall for thousands of years. A private morning at the UNESCO-listed Khami Ruins outside Bulawayo on the way through.
Private throughout, maximum eight guests.
When to go: May to October. Walking is at its best from June, once the grass is down.
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 Waterfalls & Walking SafarisThe route, day by day
Itinerary
Day by day.
VICTORIA FALLS
Day 2: Victoria Falls
The rainforest walk along the rim, timed for the light and the spray, with a guide who can read the geology as well as the view. The afternoon is yours.
HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
Day 3: On to Hwange National Park
Into Hwange and Wilderness Linkwasha, with time for an afternoon game drive before dark. The waterhole in front of camp usually does the rest.
Day 4: Hwange National Park
A full day in the park. Out early while it is cool, back through the heat of the middle of the day, out again into the evening.
Day 5: Hwange National Park
A second full day, which is where the difference shows. Hwange holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa and in the dry months they come to the pans in numbers that are hard to describe.
Day 6: Hwange National Park
Walking with an armed guide this morning, which changes the scale of everything: tracks, dung, birds, the bush without an engine in it. Hide time in the afternoon if you would rather sit still.
MATOBO HILLS
Day 7: On to Matobo Hills
South into the Matobo Hills and Matobo Hills Lodge. Settle in, then sundowners from the granite with the whole valley below you.
Day 8: Matobo Hills
On foot at first light, tracking white rhino with a ranger. Later, San paintings read off a cave wall by a guide who grew up in these hills.
Day 9: 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.
Victoria Falls · ZimbabweVictoria Falls River LodgeDetails in your proposalHwange · ZimbabweWilderness LinkwashaDetails in your proposalMatobo Hills · ZimbabweMatobo Hills LodgeView the lodge →Things to know
Cancellation policy
25% charge (deposit): 90+ days out.
50% charge: 61 to 90 days.
75% charge: 31 to 60 days.
A 25% deposit confirms your itinerary.
Booking basics
Requested and confirmed within one working day.
Prices per person, based on two travelling together.
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
- Meals and activities as per lodge package
- Private/arranged transfers where specified
- ZimTravellers itinerary support
- Matobo/Khami guided component where included.
- Direct WhatsApp line to Josh before, during and after the tour
Not included
- International flights unless stated
- Visas
- Travel insurance
- Premium drinks unless included by lodge
- Optional activities
- Gratuities
- Items of a personal nature.
Practical
Best timeMay to October (walking season)
PaceModerate
StartsVictoria Falls
EndsBulawayo
Group sizePrivate (max 8 guests)
