Zimbabwe & Botswana Holiday 2024/2025

Day 1 –  Fly to South Africa Johannesburg then fly to Harare.

Arrival into Johannesburg flight to Harare 

You will take short 90 minutes flight to Harare. it depends on flight connection. You may need to stay overnight in Johannesburg. 

Welcome to Zimbabwe country with awe inspiring sites. You will be welcomed & greeted by your guide or The Earth Trip representative in the waiting area of Harare Robert Mugabe Airport. You will travel to your hotel. Travel time approximately 30 minutes depend on the traffic.   

Rest of the day at leisure.

Location: – Harare     Hotel: Bronte Hotel      Room: Superior     Board: Breakfast & Dinner 

The Bronte Hotel is an oasis of tranquillity, renowned for its beautiful gardens and collection of fine Shona Sculptures. Centrally located in the Avenues, within walking distance of downtown Harare

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 2 – Harare → Lake Kariba 

In the morning after early breakfast, you will travel to Lake Kariba. Travel time approximately 4 -5 hours. You will spend next two nights in Lake Kariba. 

Lake Kariba – Zimbabwe is the world’s largest man-made lake and reservoir by volume. It lies approximately 1 300 kilometres upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The lake was filled following the completion of the Kariba Dam wall at its north-eastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River. Fish eagles, cormorants and other water birds patrol the shorelines, as do large numbers of elephants and other big game species. The town of Kariba was built for construction workers on the lake’s dam in the late 1950’s.

Operation Noah was a subsequent rescue operation whereby local wildlife was moved away from the rising waters with over 6 000 animals relocated to Matusadona National Park and the area around Lake Kariba. Today the Kariba Dam hydroelectric power station provides electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Afternoon tour of the Kariba Dam wall and Kariba town. Lake Kariba is a destination that holds a myriad of fascinations. An engineering feat, the lake was built in the 1950s out of necessity for hydroelectric energy for Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Kariba dam wall was built to harness the power of the mighty Zambezi River.

Get better acquainted with the local people while learning more about the engineering of Lake Kariba and its dam wall with a visit to the dedicated museum and Santa Barbara Chapel during a half-day Kariba town tour. The chapel was built in memory of the workers that died during the construction of the dam. The museum boasts a panoramic view of the impressive Kariba dam wall, an awe-inspiring site during your cultural excursion.

Led by a private guide, you will also hear more about Operation Noah. This was when more than 6 000 animals, including iconic species like lions, elephants and rhinos, were safely relocated to Matusadona National Park after they were threatened by the rising waters when the dam was built.

Location: – Lake Kariba    Hotel: Kariba Safari Lodge  Room: Standard     Board: Full Board

Situated on a mountain side with panoramic views over the vast waters of Lake Kariba, this safari lodge encompasses a very special and unique Zimbabwean experience. Set amidst 33 acres of forest hillside with a beach area below, Kariba Safari Lodge offers encounters with uncharted wild waters, fringed in luxury

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 3 –  Lake Kariba 

Today you will explore Matusadona National Park on foot. This walking safari provides an excellent opportunity to study nature at a “grassroots level” with insects, plants, trees, birds, and spoor as well as close encounters with wildlife. 

In the afternoon you will enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Kariba, have your cameras ready for hippos and crocodiles.

Location: – Lake Kariba    Hotel: Kariba Safari Lodge  Room: Standard     Board: Full Board

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 4 –  Lake Kariba → Harare

After breakfast you will travel to capital Harare for one night. 

Afternoon Harare City Tour. Zimbabwe’s capital city is the country’s most cosmopolitan and contemporary destination, dotted with restaurants and bars, shops and markets. Its proud historical and cultural heritage is reflected in several well-preserved old buildings and informative museums, while its many parks and gardens provide a pleasant contrast to the bustling urban sectors. Located within easy reach of the city centre are the Mukuvisi Woodlands, comprising over 250 hectares of rich natural wilderness, while the magnificent Kopje – a rocky hill to the southwest of Harare – offers great views over the city. Other city highlights include the fascinating National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the abundant Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, the Chapungu Sculpture Park, and the gorgeous National Botanic Garden, filled with a variety of rare African plants as well as exotic plants from around the world.

Location: – Harare     Hotel: Bronte Hotel      Room: Superior     Board: Breakfast & Dinner 

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 5 –  Harare → Masvingo 

In the morning you will travel to the greatest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. The Great Zimbabwe ruins (UNESCO) are impressive, built over hundreds of years between the 11th and 14th centuries. The site is massive, covering almost 1800 acres, and includes some incredible architectural details in the staircases, interlocking walls, granite boulders and mortar-less walls. The site also includes a small museum with houses, artifacts, displays of building techniques and a history of the site. The modern state takes its present name, Zimbabwe, from this national monument. The beautiful setting also has resident impala and eland.

Lunch at the lodge, late afternoon you will do tour of the ruins.

Great Zimbabwe Ruins – Once Zimbabwe’s capital, the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe is the biggest and most significant stone archaeological complex in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also one of its oldest – thought to date back to the 11th century and second only to South Africa’s Mapungwe. Composed entirely of rectangular granite blocks stacked on top of one another without the use of mortar, the walls and towers of the city measure up to 12 metres in places, and it is unsurprising that Great Zimbabwe was designated a World Heritage Site in 1986. Visitors can look forward to wandering through these ancient stone structures and immersing themselves in the history of this important heritage site.

Location: – Masvingo Hotel: Lodge at the Ancient City  Room: Standard     Board: Full Board 

Take a few steps back in time to the era of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe when you enter the Lodge at the Ancient City. The Lodge evokes the splendour and mystery of the Great Zimbabwe Monument – the famous remains of the city that once housed a thriving African civilisation.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 6 – Masvingo → Matobo Hills 

In the morning, you will be transferred to Matobo National Park for your 2 Nights at Matobo Hills Lodge on Fully Inclusive. Lunch at Lodge.

In the afternoon you will do a village tour. A trip to visit the local inhabitants of the Silozwe Valley in the Matobo Hills is a cultural treasure for those who wish to learn more about traditional African culture.

Once in the picturesque village, you will be greeted by the friendly head man and treated to traditional African dancing by the talented locals who are proud to give you a tour of the village and their traditionally made homesteads and huts.

Location: – Matobo  Hotel: Matobo Hills         Room: Standard     Board: Full Board 

Matobo Hills Lodge is situated within a private wildlife reserve bordering Matobo National Park (50km from Bulawayo). Matopos hills is an area of exquisite beauty, the lodge’s accommodation units are built upon a granite outcrop with sweeping panoramic views over the surrounding hills.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 7 – Matobo Hills 

After breakfast you will do the Matobo Tour, Matobo park is 423 square kilometres and has approximately 3,000 San (bushman) art paintings, some more than 15,000 years old. Today’s excitement starts with a morning hike to see some of these impressive, ancient San paintings 

The Matobo Hills National Park has some of the most magnificent prehistoric caves and bushman artwork to be found anywhere in the world and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The paintings are between 1500 and 13000 years old and range from delicate wildlife sketches such as giraffe, lions, rhino and even fireflies, to gritty re-enactments of hunting and the fantastical abstract world of ancient bushman beliefs and religious totems.

Afterwards you will visit the grave of Cecil John Rhodes. Zimbabwe, known as Rhodesia, up until 1979, was named after Rhodes. The famous British colonialist, Cecil John Rhodes is buried in the Matobo hills. Rhodes’s grave sits atop a granite hill known to local inhabitants as “Malindidzimu,” a Khalanga word which translates to “the hill of benevolent spirits”.

From the grave, there is an awe-inspiring 360° view in every direction of the Matobo Hills. Rhodes spent many an afternoon pondering life’s great questions at this exact spot which he called “A view of the world.” He is controversial figure in UK and in southern Africa. 

Click the links below

 Guardian

BBC 

In the afternoon, we enjoy a game drive and search on foot for resident black and white rhinos with your knowledgeable Professional guide 

Matobo Hills National Park is world-renowned for its large population of leopards and one of the last wild and free-roaming populations of rhinos found anywhere in Africa. A Rhino Safari on foot with a professional guide in the shadows of the Matobo Hills is one of the most iconic safaris in Africa. Feel your heart pound as you get close to one of the world’s most handsome and endangered animals, all whilst in the company of a trained professional guide.

Location: – Matobo  Hotel: Matobo Hills         Room: Standard     Board: Full Board 

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 8 –

 Matobo Hills → Hwange National Park

After breakfast you will be transferred to Iganyana Tented Camp, located in the Hwange National Park for your 2 Nights on fully inclusive, upon arrival you will have lunch and afternoon game drive.

Hwange ranks among the top national parks in Africa in terms of size, diversity and quantity of game. Big game includes lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo as well as some of Africa’s largest elephant herds. In the expert hands of our guides, you’ll find yourself heading out through the acacia-fringed grassy vleis and through the teak forests in search of Hwange’s Big Five. Game drives are the best way to see the variety of wildlife and scenery of the park and they almost always yield unexpected sightings. Often, sitting quietly and watching an impala ram guard his harem against marauding bachelors can be just as fascinating as coming across a pride of lions lazing under the broad canopy of an acacia tree.

Location: – Hwange   Hotel: Iganyana Tented Camp          Room: Standard     Board: Full Board 

Iganyana Tented Camp is situated on an exclusive wildlife concession bordering the famous Hwange National Park. The Camp has 15 comfortable, spacious en-suite tented rooms. Each tent enjoys an African view over an ancient riverbed, now called the Dete Vlei.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 9 –  Hwange National Park

Morning and afternoon game drive in Hwange National Park 

Location: – Hwange   Hotel: Iganyana Tented Camp          Room: Standard     Board: Full Board 

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 10 – Hwange National Park →Victoria Falls

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 11

Nelspruit →Victoria Falls (Livingstone) 

You will be transferred to Nelspruit Airport for your flight to Victoria Falls. Travel time to airport about 30 minutes. 

Welcome to Zimbabwe known as World of wonders. You will be met by your guide and transfer to your hotel in Zambian side Victoria Falls. Travel time 45 minutes. 

David Livingstone Safari Lodge for your 2 Nights check in on bed and breakfast. Late afternoon you will be picked up for Steam Train Dinner. Experience all the luxury and grandeur of a bygone era, as you’ll enjoy 5-star service, while savouring a delicious four course gourmet dinner, marvelling in the surrounding beauty of Victoria Falls at sunset.

Bushtracks Steam Train Dinner – The Bushtracks’ Express in Zimbabwe is the ultimate pre-dinner experience going back in time to the age of Steam train travel. The rejuvenated train jaunts onto the famous Victoria Falls Bridge which was built by Cecil Rhodes in 1905. He wanted a crossing “at the point where the spray from the falls would fall on the train carriages crossing the bridge.” Elegance and opulence marked the age of the steam train. Beautiful classic steam locomotives and carriages have been lovingly restored by Bushtracks’ Africa and Rovos rail. The carriages marry vintage luxury with a modern fine dining experience to recreate moments of bygone romance.

Location: – Livingstone   Hotel: David Livingstone Lodge    Room: Standard   Board: Breakfast

Blending perfectly within the lush surrounds of the Zambezi Riverbank, aha The David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa offers 5-star Victoria Falls accommodation nearby this impressive natural wonder of the world.

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 12 – Livingstone  →Victoria Falls

In the morning, you explore the falls up close and on foot. Feel the thunder, be touched by the mist and enjoy endless great views as you walk the path hovering up close to the falls with an experienced guide. A view of the Victoria Falls is something you will never forget and the best way to see them is on a guided walking tour. Discover how the Falls were formed and what local customs and traditions surround them. These tours are extremely informative and end with a visit to the local art and crafts centre.

Soon after the village tour, you will visit one of the oldest and largest of all the national museums in Zambia, managed by the National Museums Board of Zambia. It houses the most comprehensive memorabilia of Dr. Livingstone, including authentic maps and personal effects and diaries in the Livingstone section. It provides insight into the cultural heritage and history of Zambia and the region in its Archaeology gallery (human evolution and cultural development of the Zambian people), the Ethnographic and Art galleries (exhibits of the different cultures of Zambia), the History gallery (the story of the Bantu people who migrated from the north of Zambia, up to the time Zambia got its independence).

David Livingstone Museum – Aside from a comprehensive collection of David Livingstone memorabilia the museum has interesting displays on the Stone Age people who first lived in this area and an African cultural section. The excellent Livingstone Museum is the oldest, largest, and best museum in the country. It’s divided into sections covering archaeology, history, ethnography, and natural history. Highlights include its collection of original David Livingstone memorabilia (including signed letters), tribal artefacts (from bark cloth to witchcraft exhibits), a life-sized model of an African village, taxidermy displays and coverage of modern-day Zambian history. A guided tour offers an interesting sight into the life and work of one of the world’s great explorers. There are also very interesting displays on the Stone Age people who first lived in this area and an African cultural section that includes traditional living, medicines, and witchcraft. Tours last for 2 hours and may be booked in the morning or the afternoon. Departure is at the clients’ convenience but pick up is usually 8.00a, or 3.00pm. Tours include the services of a guide and bottled water.

Afterwards you will do city of Livingstone. Tour of Livingstone Town snother one of our popular Livingstone tours is a tour of the town itself. The town of Livingstone was moved from its original site at the Old Drift in 1905, due to malarial outbreaks, and moved to its healthier location on Constitution hill. The town was carefully planned with wide streets lined with trees; a lot of the original architecture is still in place today. The tour can be catered to clients’ specific requests and comprises a visit to Maramba Market, which is a bustling colourful market where you will find everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to chitenge (local fabric). Or even more exciting the Salaula market, and see large displays of second-hand clothes, a great favorite of the locals.

Location: – Livingstone   Hotel: David Livingstone Lodge    Room: Standard   Board: Breakfast

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 13 – Victoria Falls

In the mid-morning, you say goodbye to Livingstone Zambia and transferred to Victoria Falls Zimbabwe for your check in at Palm River Hotel for 2 Nights on bed and breakfast.

Late afternoon you will be picked up for Sunset Cruise along the Might Zambezi River. You will have the opportunity to see a variety of games; including hippo, crocodile, and elephant, and enjoy the many different bird species.

Sundowner Cruise – The Zambezi River cruise is a superb way to relax and enjoy the beauty of the river. You may have the opportunity to see a variety of game; including hippo, crocodile, and elephant in their home environment, as well as enjoy the many different bird species. The Sunset cruise is very popular and includes finger snacks, beer, wine, local spirits, and soft drinks. There are great photo opportunities against often-spectacular African sunsets. Flocks of birds skim the waterline as the sun sets behind the African skyline.

Location: -Victoria Falls   Hotel: Palm River    Room: Deluxe   Board: Breakfast

The Palm River Hotel offers 73 rooms of unparalleled luxury situated along the banks of the iconic Zambezi River, among towering indigenous trees and only 4 kilometres from Africa’s Natural World Wonder, Victoria Falls.  The hotel introduces a new dimension of unparalleled luxury without compromising a sense of home comfort. Vast and unimpeded views of the Zambezi River are complimented by surrounding indigenous flora that encompass a tranquil, peaceful, and private sanctuary

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 14 – Victoria Falls

Soon after breakfast, you explore the falls up close and on foot. Feel the thunder, be touched by the mist, and enjoy endless great views as you walk the path hovering up close to the falls with an experienced guide.

In the afternoon, you will be taken to the sky for a bird’s eye view over magnificent Victoria Falls. The aerial view is unforgettable and is the only viewpoint where you can visually take in all of Victoria Falls.

At 1900hrs you will be picked for the Boma is a legendary dining and entertainment experience that offers an unforgettable fusion of mouth-watering local cuisine, energetic dance performances, interactive drumming, and traditional storytelling. The four-course meal includes a delicious platter of starters, soup from the campfire, a braai (barbecue) buffet, followed by a selection of desserts.

Guided tour of the Falls (Zimbabwe) – A view of the Victoria Falls is something you will never forget and the best way to see them is on a guided tour. Discover how the Falls were formed and what local customs and traditions surround them. These tours are extremely informative and end with a visit to the local art and crafts centre.

Flight of the Angels Helicopter Experience – Let the flight tell you the story of how the vegetation disperses itself to share sunlight and water. How the river craned a path across the world and how when the sun bounces off the surface of the water leaving behind a speck of light, so it appears there are a thousand diamonds glittering on the mighty river’s back.

The Boma Restaurant – The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show is a “must do” Victoria Falls dining and entertainment experience, specializing in traditional African food, drumming, and dancing. The food is cooked and served in the style and quantity of a lavish feast, including irresistible desserts. On arrival, you are dressed in a chitenge (traditional sarong) and welcomed into a vibrant atmosphere in which the tantalizing aromas of local dishes and game meat on the braai (barbecue) fill the restaurant, which is partially open to the star-filled African sky. 

Your meal begins with a mouth-watering platter of starters whilst the buffet includes soup from the campfire, a range of salads, game meat cooked on a braai (barbecue), followed by desserts.  Vegetarian options are also available, as well as local dishes such as peanut butter spinach. You can also look forward to outstanding performances by traditional singers and dancers and enjoy an energizing interactive drumming show. A face painter, storyteller, hair braider and fortune teller also form part of this festive evening.

Location: -Victoria Falls   Hotel: Palm River    Room: Deluxe   Board: Breakfast

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 15 – Victoria Falls   → Johannesburg → Your Destination

Say goodbye to Victoria Falls. 

You will be transferred to Victoria Falls International Airport. Travel time 30 minutes. 

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Day 16 –

: Sea View   Board: Breakfast

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Days 17-20 – Vilanculos 

Full day at leisure

One of the days you will do day boat trip to Bazaruto Archipelago.

The marine national park of Bazaruto archipelago hosts the last viable population of dugongs on the East African coast, dolphins and whales are often seen. There are four species of turtles, 2,000 fish species with 80% of Indo-Pacific species occurring here. The coral reefs attract a rich diversity of tropical fish and other marine creatures, and are regarded as some of the most diverse and least disturbed in the Western Indian Ocean. Over 180 bird species, including the Crab Plover and the Olive Bee-eater that tunnels its nests into the sand dunes. Large flocks of migrant waders visit the fertile mud flats from September to April. The nomadic Greater Flamingo arrives from their mainland breeding

sites around mid-September.

Location: – Vilanculos      Hotel: Bahia Mar         Room: Sea View   Board: Breakfast

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast

Dsy 21- Vilanculos   → Johannesburg → London

Say goodbye Vilanculos. You travel to Vilanculos Airport.  

Travel time 40 minutes. 

• Board Includes:
• Breakfast