ULTIMATE ZIMBABWE

Touch down in Victoria Falls Airport. You’ll be met and transferred to your exclusive tented camp within the Zambezi National Park. The property sits within easy reach of Victoria Falls town, but far enough from the hustle and bustle to ensure a relaxing stay. The surrounding jungle supports a thriving population of wildlife, and with the camp’s professional guides you can head out in search of buffalo, elephant and colourful birds.

Of course, the main attraction has to be the falls themselves. Known to the locals as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’, or ‘The Smoke That Thunders’, the Victoria Falls is a masterpiece of nature with its mile-long string of cascades . Explorer David Livingstone first set eyes on the falls in 1885, and named it after the British monarch Queen Victoria.

Stay: Two nights in a luxury tent at Mpala Jena – full board

Today you set off to explore the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe. Hwange is diverse in both habitat and wildlife, and boasts one of the densest concentrations of game in Africa, which includes staggering numbers of Cape buffalo and elephant. Game drives led by knowledgeable guides will also show you big cats like leopards, African wildcats and lions, as well as diverse species like mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, bat-eared foxes, vervet monkeys, baboons, aardwolf, and spotted hyena. But you don’t have to go far for wildlife encounters – your camp overlooks a natural waterhole where herds of game congregate to drink.

Stay: Three nights in a double tent at Somalisa – full board

The seventh day of your holiday features another light aircraft flight, this time to Mana Pools where a guide from Little Ruckomechi will transfer you to the camp on the banks of the Zambezi River. Located in a private concession area and with only three luxurious canvas tents, you can expect a truly intimate and personal safari experience.

Lying at the heart of the Zambezi Valley, Mana Pools National Park is a secluded, beautiful place featuring floodplains, verdant forests and stunning views of the Great Rift Valley mountains. The park gets its name from four pools – remnants of dried up channels of the Zambezi River – that attract a wide variety of wildlife.

You can expect excellent populations of buffalo and elephant, while predators such as lion, wild dog, leopard and cheetah are often sighted. Keen birdwatchers will find a rich variety of birdlife, with local species like collared palm-thrush, racket-tailed roller and black-throated wattle-eyes to look out for. Enjoy safari activities in open 4×4 vehicles, on motorised pontoon boats, on foot, in hides and canoes.

Stay: Three nights in a double tent at Little Ruckomechi – full board