10 Day Zimbabwe and Chobe NP Tour

On arrival at the Harare International Airport you will be met and get transferred to the Jacana Gardens Lodge for the night. Depending on the time of arrival you may do a city tour (optional), visit the Harare gardens, art galleries, farm produce markets, the townships some other places.

Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near the town of Masvingo. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country's Late Iron Age and is believed to have served as a royal palace for the local monarch. Construction on the monument began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century. The stone city spans an area of 722 hectares (1,780 acres) which, at its peak, could have housed up to 18,000 people. Great Zimbabwe has since been adopted as a national monument by the Zimbabwean government, and the modern independent state was named for it. The word great distinguishes the site from the many hundreds of small ruins, now known as "zimbabwes", spread across the Zimbabwe Highveld. There are over 200 such sites in southern Africa and Great Zimbabwe is the largest of these. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Matobo NP has a wide diversity of fauna: 175 bird, 88 mammal, 39 snake and 16 fish species Game include white rhinos, sable antelopes, impala and leopards. The park contains the world's densest population of the latter, due to the abundance of hyrax, which make up 50% of their diet. The game park in the west has been restocked with white and black rhinos, the former from South Africa and the latter from the Zambezi Valley. It has been designated as an Intensive Protection Zone for the two species. Matobo National Park contains the highest concentration of black eagles. The Matobo Hills are composed entirely of granite, making up the Matopos Batholith. The granite weathers into fantastic shapes, such as the balancing rocks known as Mother and Child Kopje. A visit not to be missed as the area is also full of history; most of the negotiations and agreements on the colonization of Zimbabwe were done here and even Cecil John Rhodes` remains are also laid to rest here.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Hwange National Park, three hours of driving and you will be in Hwange in time for lunch. You will join the afternoon game drive in the Hwange Safari lodge estate which borders the main park - there are no fences between the parks. The afternoon are best for predators as they will be active and hunting. The elephants of Hwange are world famous and the Park's elephant population is one of the largest in the world. The park is home to over 65 000 elephants who in the dry season dominate all the water points in the afternoons. Other animals that can be seen in the park are lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, impala, kudu, sable, eland, waterbuck, zebra, giraffe, baboon, warthog and a lot more. You will be back at the Hotel at around 19:30 in time for dinner.

Hwange provides a safari experience to rival the great parks of East Africa - the Serengeti and Masai Mara - but without the crowds. You will have another fun filled day in the park – now looking for your favorite animal or bird and even ignoring the other now common species. On a good day you may even return to the lodge earlier as you will have seen all there is to be seen.

After breakfast you will be transferred to Victoria Falls, two hours of driving in tarred roads. After check in you will be taken on a guided tour of the water fall - this is a three hour tour that will showcase the big baobab trees of the Zambezi National Park, the Victoria Falls rain-forest and the artifacts market. You will be picked up for the sunset cruise on the Zambezi River at 16:00. This includes refreshments - drinks and snacks and you will be back at the hotel at around 19:00

This is your free day for you that you may spend relaxing at the hotel swimming pool, shopping or join some optional tours which may include the following; • Helicopter flight over the Victoria Falls • Canoeing on the upper Zambezi • Bungee jumping • Visit the Victoria Falls from the Zambia side • Walk with lions and a lot more Dinner at the Boma Restaurant

We depart from your Victoria Falls Hotel for the Chobe National park. This is a one hour drive that should see us at the Botswana border at about 08:30. After some border formalities and briefing on pertinent facts such as safety and some regional information we heard for the Chobe river jetty. You will start the safari with a three hour boat cruise on the Chobe river at 09:00. The river cruise is considered one of the highlights of the trip, as one gets the opportunity to get up close and personal with fantastic birdlife, hippos, crocodiles, and of course scores of elephant and buffalo that make their way down to the river.. The boat cruise ends at 12:30 and a sumptuous buffet lunch follows at the Chobe Safari Lodge (or similar). An afternoon game drive follows and this is the best time to see Chobe’s large herbivores making their way to and from the river to drink. And this drive will take us to the camp shortly before sunset for drinks around the camp fire and dinner.

Rise and shine, early wake-up with a cup of hot and refreshing tea and/or coffee. After a quick continental breakfast we pack up, break camp and leave the camp on the last game drive. This time of the day is best for finding the big cats and other nocturnals as they are still active and hunting and; with a bit of lucky we may even find them on their previous nights` kills as we drive towards the exit gate. You will be dropped at the Chobe Safari Lodge at around 10:00.This is where you will spend the rest of the day relaxing or shopping and you may join the afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe National Park

You will be transferred to the Victoria Falls Airport and departure times will depend on your flight schedule