Great Zimbabwe Explorer 12 days
Great Zimbabwe Explorer 12 days

Price from: R 8650
Activity Package : R4150 (see Excluded tab below)
Tour Summary : Zimbabwe is an extremely beautiful country and so much of it is still untouched , enjoy a canoe safari in the Lower Zambezi river keeping a careful watch for hippos and glide past elephants bathing in the shallows, welcome to the proper Africa. A Kariba sunset will stay with you forever. Then head to the Eastern Highlands and the Chimanimani National Park with spectacular scenery and hiking, the visit the Great Zimbabwe Ruins going back to the 11th Century from the Iron Age with stone walls 5 metres high. Matopos National Park is an area of huge granite boulders, only when you witness this beauty will you understand why Cecil John Rhodes chose to be buried here.
Highlights: Elephant back riding, canoeing the Lower Zambezi River, Kariba, Chinhoyi Caves, Chimanimani National Park, Chirinda Forest, Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Matopos National Park and Baobabs of the Limpopo
We begin our journey by crossing over the historical railway bridge that links Zimbabwe and Zambia at the Victoria Falls. This bridge was completed in 1905 and was placed, at the request of Cecil John Rhodes, so that the spray from the falls could embrace the railway carriages as they crossed from one side to the other. Once in Zambia there will be a short stop to collect any additional passengers and then we have a long drive to reach the camp for the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 2 Lower Zambezi National Park Canoe Trip
Today we will be beginning our canoe adventure in to the Lower Zambezi National Park. Starting early in the morning we will be taking the minimum of equipment necessary and ‘bush camping’ on an island this evening, surrounded by wildlife, including the hippo. This is a unique experience as we will be a long, long way from any form of civilisation!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 Lower Zambezi National Park
This is the second day spent on the mighty Zambezi River. As we are travelling downstream with the current the physical effort required to negotiate the river is not extreme and many happy hours can be spent simply drifting and enjoying the beautiful scenery, birdlife and company. At certain times of the year it may not be possible to canoe on the river due to extreme temperatures or water levels. In this instance the 2 days normally spent on the river will be swapped for a 2-night houseboat excursion on Lake Kariba.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 Kariba
We finish our canoe trip in the morning and make our way to Kariba where you will have the time to relax next to this famous lake. In the evening there is the chance to enjoy and optional sunset cruise. Kariba is the largest artificial lake in the world. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba dam. Optional Activity: Sunset cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 Zimbabwe – Chinhoyi Caves
We will pass through the Chirundu Border (sometimes a time consuming process) and re-enter Zimbabwe. From Chirundu it is not a long trip to Chinhoyi. Probably best known for cave diving, the Chinhoyi caves system is the largest publicly accessible cave system in Zimbabwe and reputably a ‘mysterious’ area.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Harare and Chimanimani National Park
After visiting the caves it is a short drive from Chinhoyi to Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, where we will stop for some shopping, lunch and exploration. Although Harare has not had a lot of positive press in the last 10 years, many will be surprised at just how safe and accessible this small, modern capital is. After lunch we will be travelling to the Eastern Highlands and the Chimanimani National Park. The Mountain range that separates Zimbabwe and Mozambique is the site of some simply spectacular hiking and scenery and with time permitting we will take a short walk to the well-known Bridal Veil Falls in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 Chirinda Forest
It is possible to spend another full day hiking in the Chimanimani, or take a day trip to Zimbabwe’s only rain forest on the Mozambique Border. Chirinda is the southernmost rain forest in Africa and home to some spectacular large mahogany trees. A short hike to ‘the big tree’ is a lovely outing and a fantastic spot for a picnic lunch.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 Great Zimbabwe Ruins
No visit to Zimbabwe could possibly be complete without visiting the world-famous Great Zimbabwe ruins. Dating from around the 11th century these iron-age ruins have been the source of much speculation and disagreement over the years. Built without any mortar some of the walls are up to 5 metres high and still standing after so many centuries. This site was also home to 8 carved Zimbabwe birds, the image of which is found on the Zimbabwean National Flag.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 /10 Matobo - Matopos National Park
It is a long drive to reach Matopos. The next day we enjoy a full day Game drive with a local operator into the Matopos NP. We depart Bulawayo and head towards the Matobo Hills where we view the Bushman Paintings, rock formations and scenery in the National Park. We briefly leave the National Park pay a visit to the African Villages where we have the opportunity to meet the local community. We re-enter the Game Park section of the National Park, where we track Rhino on foot with our guides, as well as looking for other game.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 South Africa – Bulawayo to Messina
After a short visit to the Bulawayo Historical Museum we start the drive back to South Africa. We cross the border at Buitbridge, which can sometimes take a long time, and return to South Africa where we will camp at the border town of Messina.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 Johannesburg
Today we leave early for the journey South along the Great North Road for our final destination in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. We will gradually move up from the Bushveld and Baobabs of the Limpopo Province through citrus and maize fields to the heavily populated and industrialised Highveld and Gauteng Province, the powerhouse of Africa. We will travel through Pretoria, one of South Africa’s capital cities, before arriving in Johannesburg in the late afternoon. Although this final night is not included in the tour most people choose to get together for a final meal out at one of Johannesburg’s many excellent restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Included
Accommodation: Two man large dome tents with plenty of extra room for your bags, plus a foam mattress to ensure your comfort.
Max Group Size: no more than 22 passengers
Transport in specialised vehicle
The service of two qualified guides
Meals, accommodation and activities as specified in the itinerary
Most National Park Fees
Excluded
Activity Package : R4150
Overnight canoe trip - Lower Zambezi
Chinhoyi Caves visit
Full day Game Drive in Matopos National Park
Bulawayo Historical Museum
All drinks (except coffee and tea with meals)
Meals not specified below
Optional game walk inside Kruger national park
Departures
Starts: Victoria Falls Finishes: Johannesburg
Departs: 08-Feb-2012 Returns: 19-Feb-2012Departs: 07-Mar-2012 Returns: 18-Mar-2012
Departs: 04-Apr-2012 Returns: 15-Apr-2012
Departs: 02-May-2012 Returns: 13-May-2012
Departs: 30-May-2012 Returns: 10-Jun-2012
Departs: 27-Jun-2012 Returns: 08-Jul-2012
Departs: 25-Jul-2012 Returns: 05-Aug-2012
Departs: 22-Aug-2012 Returns: 02-Sep-2012
Departs: 19-Sep-2012 Returns: 30-Sep-2012
Departs: 17-Oct-2012 Returns: 28-Oct-2012
Departs: 14-Nov-2012 Returns: 25-Nov-2012
Departs: 12-Dec-2012 Returns: 23-Dec-2012
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