10 Best-value Luxury Zimbabwe Safari Camps & Lodges

By Philip Briggs

Welcome to Zimbabwe. This underrated southern African country is best known as the home of Victoria Falls, but it is also one of the world’s most thrilling safari destinations. You’re in for a real treat when it comes to Zimbabwe’s wildlife, landscapes and people. And when considering where to stay, your choices include some superb luxury lodges and tented camps.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

310 Zimbabwe Safaris

1. Ilala Lodge Hotel (Victoria Falls)

Couple having dinner on the terrace of Ilala Lodge Hotel Ilala offers stylish rooms and fine dining within earshot of the mighty Victoria Falls

The rooms at family-run Ilala Lodge Hotel come in different shapes and sizes, but luxury, style and sophistication are common throughout. The hotel is located little more than 500m/1,600ft from Victoria Falls, so the phenomenon known locally as the ‘Smoke That Thunders’ is often heard from the grounds. Excellent facilities include a swimming pool, and there’s gourmet dining and a fine selection of Cape wines at the acclaimed Cassia Restaurant. Warthog and impala can often be seen nibbling on the tree-shaded lawns.

16 Ilala Lodge Hotel Tours

2. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (Victoria Falls)

Food served on the terrace of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge with the view of the waterhole Excellent in-house wildlife viewing can be had at this smart lodge near Zambezi NP and Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is a wonderful base for exploring Victoria Falls. The lodge comes with an incredible range of accommodations and occupies beautiful grounds bordering the dense bush of Zambezi National Park. Some rooms have views that stretch to the far horizon, while others face a waterhole that draws lots of elephants and other wildlife. There’s a rock-lined swimming pool, plus a bar and restaurant offering great views in all directions. Serious photographers can arrange to spend a couple of hours in the hide overlooking the waterhole.

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Tours

3. The Hide Safari Camp (Hwange NP)

Illuminated terrace of The Hide Safari Camp at dusk Luxury safari tents feature in Zimbabwe’s biggest national park and most popular safari destination

Right next to some of the best wildlife country that Hwange National Park has to offer, The Hide ranks among Zimbabwe’s best safari lodges. Here you can expect large deluxe safari tents, some with semi-outdoor bathtubs. Hwange’s famous elephants (which number up to 50,000 in the Dry season) are never far away. You might also see and hear lions and other wildlife close to the camp, which has a dining tent, swimming pool, lounge area and excellent service.

The Hide Safari Camp Tours

4. Old Drift Lodge (Zambezi NP)

River view from the suite of the Old Drift Lodge Best-of-both-worlds Old Drift is an intimate lodge offering top wildlife viewing near Victoria Falls

Old Drift Lodge is a fabulous option for those who want to spend time in a genuine bush setting close to Victoria Falls. This is because it stands in the pristine riverside woodland of Zambezi NP, yet is only 15 minutes’ drive from the world’s most spectacular waterfall. The lodge has a historical location too: It stands at the very spot where early settlers used to cross the Zambezi River prior to the opening of Victoria Falls Bridge in 1905.

Accommodations at Old Drift comprise luxurious glass-fronted canvas units set on stilted wooden platforms that include a private deck and plunge pool. All units face a stretch of the Zambezi River where you are sure to hear hippos and see plenty of birds. Elephants are also regular visitors. Activities include day trips to Victoria Falls, boat trips on the Zambezi River, and game drives deeper into the national park.

Old Drift Lodge Tours

5. Somalisa Camp (Hwange NP)

Somalisa Camp suite Somalisa is one of the most luxurious camps in the legendary Hwange NP

You’re wonderfully well positioned to explore some of Zimbabwe’s most spectacular wildlife country when you stay at Somalisa. The camp is in the heart of Hwange’s lion and elephant country, and there’s lots of other wildlife to see as well. It has spacious, stunning safari tents with good views over the surrounding plains, as well as a swimming pool and a dining and lounge area. Service is excellent.

Somalisa Camp Tours

6. Changa Safari Camp (Matusadona NP)

Woman in Changa Safari Camp, sitting by the pool and enjoying a drink and the view of the river Enjoy smart safari tents and superb wildlife viewing next to Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake

Changa Safari Camp stands inside Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba. It’s a fabulous place to stay and one of the best luxury safari camps in northern Zimbabwe, in terms of both location and atmosphere. Stylish and spacious safari tents are part of the appeal, but you can also expect a gorgeous swimming pool and lovely lounge and dining areas. The views are great and there is plenty of wildlife, including four of the Big Five (no rhino).

Changa Safari Camp Tours

7. Mana River Camp (Mana Pools NP)

Mana River Camp riverside tent Semipermanent camps don’t get more comfortable than this gem on the floodplain of Mana Pools

Mana River Camp is ideally located to catch the wildlife action in Mana Pools National Park, which is Zimbabwe’s top destination for walking and canoe safaris. Set on the forested banks of the Zambezi River, the camp provides easy access to a floodplain famed for its large numbers of elephant, buffalo and antelope. Lion and African wild dog are also regularly seen during the Dry season.

As with all accommodations on the floodplain of this legendary Unesco World Heritage Site, Mana River Camp is semipermanent (the construction of fixed lodges alongside the river is forbidden). However, the standing tents are as spacious and comfortable as it gets, and come complete with a king-size or twin beds, hot shower and a private balcony right beside the river.

Mana River Camp Tours

8. Ingwe Pan Camp (Mana Pools NP)

Ingwe Pan Camp waterside tent Ingwe Pan is a smart waterside camp set in a private concession in Mana Pools NP

Ecofriendly Ingwe Pan Camp is one of the most luxurious retreats in Mana Pools. It comprises eight stylish standing tents set on stilted wooden platforms around a tree-shaded, lily-covered pan that holds water throughout the year. The pan supports colorful birdlife and attracts plenty of thirsty animals, with leopards being regular visitors at night in the Dry season. Because the camp has exclusive access to a private concession, wildlife sightings in the immediate vicinity are never crowded.

Ingwe Pan Camp Tours

9. Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge (Gonarezhou NP)

View from a terrace of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge The only luxury lodge bordering Gonarezhou NP boasts a stunning location on the Save River

Chilo Gorge is the sole luxury safari lodge servicing southeastern Zimbabwe’s vast and remote Gonarezhou National Park. It has a sensational cliff-top location overlooking a busy elephant crossing point on the Save River as it flows along the park’s eastern boundary. The attractive thatched stone chalets all have private river-facing balconies and are spaced widely in beautifully tended indigenous gardens.

Chill around the swimming pool on the main terrace, and you should see plenty of wildlife coming down to drink at the river. But Chilo Gorge is also a great base for game drives into Gonarezhou to look for the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and visit the spectacular Chilojo Cliffs. And don’t miss out on sundowner drinks at the impressive Chivilila Falls, a short distance upriver.

Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge Tours

10. Amalinda Lodge (Matobo NP)

Amalinda Lodge interior with rocky walls Amalinda Lodge blends harmoniously into the immense granite rockscapes of Matobo NP

Set in the sacred Matopos Hills bordering Matobo National Park, Amalinda is a rare example of a luxury lodge constructed in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Each of the nine rooms is unique and has been built organically around the immense granite boulders for which Matobo is famous. Amenities include a wonderful natural granite swimming pool and a highly rated spa. Amalinda is the ideal base for exploring Matobo, a Unesco World Heritage Site where you can visit evocative prehistoric rock art sites, admire the view from Cecil John Rhodes’ grave, and track rhinos on foot.

Amalinda Lodge Tours