Zimbabwe and Botswana: Chobe, Hwange & the Wildlife of Victoria Falls
8 days, Victoria Falls to Kasane
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Hwange: A Wildlife Welcome
Much like the majestic wildlife on the Discovery Channel, Hwange National Park offers a profound view of some of these incredible creatures and nature's ever-changing beauty. We invite you to experience the wild heart of Africa in Hwange and discover your own connection to its serene landscapes.
Travellers must arrive no later than 1PM for their included arrival transfer to Hwange. After meeting fellow travellers during the welcome meeting, tuck into a delicious dinner at the hotel. Now is the time to recharge, refresh and prepare yourself for the adrenaline rushes on the horizon.
Arrival Transfer
Sit back and scan the scenery from the comfort of your complimentary arrival transfer.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Meals included:
DinnerDay 2Hwange: The Circle of Life from the Ground Up
From high up in the vehicle, you gain an additional perspective on the circle of life in Africa. You start to notice the small dung beetles waddling their way through the dirt, their role in the ecosystem just as crucial as the lion, the giraffe, and the elephant. Begin your morning on a guided safari drive to discover Africa's creatures, and after a bush lunch head back out there to observe some wildlife.
Enjoy morning and afternoon safari drives on the concession land near the lodge in Hwange. Sit down outside for a private bush lunch and head back out there to observe some more wildlife.
Hwange Safari Lodge Morning Drive
Join experienced guides in traditional open safari vehicles. On your morning wildlife safari drive you will pause for tea, coffee and biscuits while you enjoy the serene environment. Sit back and scan the scenery of the calm morning in search of wildlife and Africa's Big Five in Zimbabwe's largest wildlife reserve.
Hwange Lodge Concession Afternoon Safari Drive
Join experienced guides in traditional open safari vehicles. On your afternoon wildlife safari drive pause to enjoy a sundowner drink and some snacks while you enjoy your surroundings.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Hwange National Park: And the Beauty of Golden Hour
Hwange National Park is renowned for its immense elephant population. Witnessing these majestic creatures in person is an unforgettable experience. Try to observe them from the safari vehicles as they drink at the watering hole and go about their daily routines.
An early morning safari drive awaits before a slower morning to enjoy the hotter part of the day at our lodge. A refreshing trip to the pool should be in order. After high tea for lunch back at the lodge, head out onto the private concession to search for wildlife on another safari drive.
Morning Walking Safari in Hwange National Park
There are many ways to experience a wildlife safari, but doing it on foot is one of the most exciting ways to immerse yourself in your surroundings. Follow an expert guide into the bush in the early morning and keep your eyes peeled for lions, elephants, and buffalo. The golden morning light also offers amazing opportunities for landscape photography.
Afternoon Wildlife Safari Drive
Immerse yourself in Chobe National Park in an open-backed, open-seated safari vehicle, and experience the stunning wilderness of the game-rich park in the care of a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Explore with your eyes as the tour drives along routes that overlook the beautiful Chobe River and keep an eye out for the remarkable variety of animals that are drawn to this permanent water source.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Victoria Falls: The Curtain Closes
In most cultures across the globe, waterfalls symbolize peace and serenity. They demonstrate at once power, and tranquility. Waterfalls are nature's reminder that things are in an ever constant state of movement and change. See the beauty for yourself upon arrival at Victoria Falls. Feel the mist, listen to the thunder of the water, and feel the power of these falls shuddering past the rocks.
Travel back to Victoria Falls and enjoy free time in the afternoon to explore the area. Choose to prebook the Victoria Falls Helicopter Ride for a view from above. Or choose to book the Riversong Sunset Cruise. In the evening attend Simunye: The Spirit of Africa Show and have dinner afterwards as a group.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Take advantage of free time in Victoria Falls to partake in the optional helicopter ride over the falls.
Simunye Theatrical Show
Enjoy a lively theatre performance directed by the acclaimed handspring Puppeteer Mongiwekhaya, showcasing local professional artists in an intimate, open-air venue. This captivating fusion of dance, puppetry, music, and visuals delivers a powerful message of love and community and the universal spirit of togetherness.
Optional Activities - Day 4 HideShow
Victoria Falls Helicopter Ride - 15 Mins
You don't want to miss the opportunity to see Victoria Falls from above. Watch the Zambezi River make its way toward the gorge and form the largest waterfall in the world. During your 15-minute ride, you will have time to take in the incredible views over the falls, Livingstone Island, and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park while snapping as many pictures as you like. You may be lucky enough to see some giraffes and elephants in the surrounding landscape and even catch a rainbow over the falls. Includes pick-up and drop-off from hotel and a 12-15min flight.
Please note there is a cost for an additional park fee paid for on-site at time of the activity.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Victoria Falls: Your OMG Day
Mosi-oa-Tunya, originally known as Victoria Falls, translates to "the smoke that thunders." These words alone evoke the sensation of cold mist on your face and the resounding roar. Choose your adventure and experience the history of the falls or the loving hospitality of the local community.
First things first. Head straight into a fully guided tour of Victoria Falls. No trip would be complete without it. Then in the afternoon, the choice is yours. Journey through over 100 years of history on an exciting and informative tour of the Bridge over Victoria Falls. A team of guides takes you through the remarkable history of this iconic structure and offers an engaging look into the past, while serving up an extraordinary birds eye view of the falls. Or sit down for a traditional, Zimbabwean meal, cooked by the Lusumpuko Women’s Club, a group of women from a nearby township working to support themselves and their families through a G Adventures-supported community initiative.
Victoria Falls Tour
Head out for an unforgettable experience at Victoria Falls. Explore the rainforest and learn about the geology, history, and local legends of this world wonder. After your immersion, get up close to the falls and discover the beauty of “the smoke that thunders.” Be sure to have your camera ready!
Your OMG Day: G Adventures-supported Community Cooking Experience or Historic Bridge Tour
Option 1: Sit down to a traditional, Zimbabwean meal, cooked by the Lusumpuko Women’s Club, a group of women from a nearby township. A demonstration by the ladies will show you exactly how Zimbabweans traditionally eat their food, and you’ll be served a farm-to-table meal made with traditional, local, in-season ingredients. This meal provides much-needed income to the cooperatives’ 20 members – changing their lives and families in the process.
Option 2: Travel back 100 years as you learn about the tragic and transfixing history of Victoria Fall's most prominent landmark. Admire this engineering masterpiece, revolutionary for its time and hear about how the bridge was central to Cecil John Rhodes’ vision of a Cape to Cairo railway.
Your Foodie Moment: The Eatery Pot Dinner Experience
Dinner this evening will introduce you to traditional Zimbabwean ingredients and dishes. The meal will be various traditional stews prepared in 'potjie' pots and left to simmer. The food will be enjoyed family style along the Zambezi River.
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 6Chobe: A Window to Africa's past
Step back in time to a scene straight from a hundred years ago-a turn of the century explorers camp setup. Sip a gin and tonic around the fire listening to a story of those who explored this very spot before you were alive. Sleep in the bush with the call of lions in the distance and the sound of your breath keeping time.
Like the true adventurer you are, cross the border from Zimbabwe to Botswana, entering Chobe National Park. Float downriver on board a small vessel and spot elephants, crocodile and hippo. Continue the safari on land en route to our exclusive bush camping experience. Your tent is up, the sun is setting, your headlamp is affixed, and the sounds of Africa surround you.
Private Vehicle
Leave Victoria Falls behind and travel to the border to cross into Botswana. Finish the transfer at the location where the group will board the river cruise through the park.
Border Crossing (Botswana to Zimbabwe or vice versa)
Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.
Chobe National Park Safari Drive
Immerse yourself in Chobe National Park in an open-backed, open-seated safari vehicle, and experience the stunning wilderness of the game-rich park in the care of a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Explore with your eyes as the tour drives along routes that overlook the beautiful Chobe River and keep an eye out for the remarkable variety of animals that are drawn to this permanent water source.
During the safari drives it is not uncommon to spot several of Africa’s “big five” in the greater Chobe area and the early morning drive lasting 3 hours is a wonderful opportunity to have some unique sightings.
Chobe River Cruise
Depart from the safari lodge jetty and launch into the Chobe River for a different perspective of one of Botswana's national parks. Search for the resident wildlife like elephants, crocodiles, and hippos. Sit back, relax, and soak in the unbelievable scenery. Lunch will be had at a floating raft restaurant.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7Chobe: National Park & River Explorer
From a morning with golden light casting a glow over Chobe National Park and its abundant wildlife to gliding along the shoreline of the Chobe River, this day allows you to be fully present in the landscapes of the park. Search for the “big five” and the many bird species that call the wetlands home. Cap off the experiences today with some time to freshen up at the lodge and an included group dinner at camp this evening.
Rise early for a morning wildlife safari drive in Chobe National Park and board the Chobe Explorer for a memorable ride along the Chobe River searching for bird species and lounging on the top deck for prime wildlife viewing. There will be a group dinner at camp in the evening.
Chobe National Park Morning Safari Drive
Immerse yourself in Chobe National Park in an open-backed, open-seated safari vehicle, and experience the stunning wilderness of the game-rich park in the care of a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Explore with your eyes as the tour drives along routes that overlook the beautiful Chobe River and keep an eye out for the remarkable variety of animals that are drawn to this permanent water source.
During the safari drives it is not uncommon to spot several of Africa’s “big five” in the greater Chobe area and the early morning drive lasting 3 hours is a wonderful opportunity to have some unique sightings.
Chobe Explorer Activity on Chobe River
Experience the Flame Of Africa aboard the Chobe Explorer. This was built so travellers could relax, slow down and soak up the beauty of the incredible wetland that is the Chobe. It's basically a floating safari lodge. Follow the shoreline of the Chobe River in search of bird species. Enjoy an included lunch at the restaurant on board and then lounge on the top deck under some shade for elevate wildlife viewing and perhaps an afternoon siesta as the water lulls you to sleep.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 8Chobe National Park/Kasane
Your adventure comes to an end at the airport in Kasane today. You can depart any time after 2pm.
Enjoy one final morning safari drive on the route from Chobe to the airport in Kasane. Flights should depart after 2pm.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and enjoy the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle between Chobe and Kasane. There will be a safari drive along the route to the airport.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.