Hwange National Park

Beautiful park, few people, and lots of animals

Hwange is a beautiful park and the safari experience feels quite unique because there are very few cars/ people. It was usually just our car and at times one researcher. The scenery is gorgeous and I saw lots of elephants, anthelopes, birds of all kinds, zebras, giraffes, and a male lion. I feel you need a full day safari to go deep into the park and actually see the animals.

Almost perfect but....

I saw a decent number of animals, however I was informed that I had not chosen the best time to visit the park (in june). At that time trophy hunters were operating in private concessions close to the national park. Apparently that made some animals more elusive and thus harder to spot from the safari roads inside the national parks. I was assured that this was only a temporary issue and that animals would come out into the open more when the hunting season ended.
I was also informed that i visited the park during a dry spell, so some animals had migrated into Botswana. But that they would return with the rains. I saw plenty of evidence of lions in the park but they stayed out of sight. No sign of any leopards. But did see cheetahs which was nice. There were plenty of birds, elephants, antelope, hippos, crocodiles and even a honey badger. We stayed at a campsite inside the park which was one of the best i have ever camped at anywhere in Africa. The camp faced a watering hole, where we enjoyed the sunset and watched various animals enjoy a drink and bath. Then at night we had clear starry skies, the sound of night insects and various animals, including hyenas, to enjoy as we ate dinner.
Overall i can say from experience, having visited all the top wildlife parks across southern and east africa, that Hwange can be among the best of them when the conditions are right.

Absolutely one of the best National Parks in Africa

I just made my second trip to Hwange National Park in June. It was just superb again. I stayed at Little Makalolo Camp and Camp Hwange each for four nights. The wildlife viewing was just phenomenal. I saw everything from elephants to wild dogs,lions and cheetahs. I also saw plenty of roan and sable antelope.

Zimbabwe is famous for having the highest standards of guiding in Africa. I have to say that all my guides at both Little Makalolo and Camp Hwange were just superb. I also felt that both the camps I stayed at were terrific in every way.

Couldn't have been more amazing

Spent two nights at Elephants Eye lodge and had an amazing full day game drive through Hwange National Park. We saw so many animals and had such a great day. Would go back in a heartbeat!

HNP is one of the best compare with others in Zambia and Zimbabwe

I did electrification of Hwange NP as Chief Electrical Engineer visited many times with wife & twin sons from May 93 to Jul 89

Hwange is definitely a good place to visit. Thouroughly enjoyed our stay.

We stayed at Little Makalolo camp. Our guide, Mike was excellent and the staff at Little Mak were terrific. We had a great time there. The camp is near a waterhole where there is a hide and we had some wonderful experiences viewing elephant and buffalo very close. What great photo opportunities that was. The food was good, accommodation excellent. One of the highlights was viewing lions being chased by elephant. We also saw a herd of Sable - not always easy to find. Definitely recommend Little Makalolo and Hwange National Park.

Most of the game was at the watring holes.

We did not see as much game driving around as we saw in other parks. possibly because Zimbabwe allows hunting. However, at the watering holes there was a large concentration of animals and birds. There were some rock outcroppings that added variety to the scenery, which for the most part was dry and flat. The accommodations were especially nice at Kashawe Camp, probably the best out of the four camps we visited. The food was very good, and we had nice sunny weather with cool nights. Our guides were excellent, very friendly and very knowledgeable. The people at the camp and the guides certainly make a visit to this camp a valuable experience..

Spend time in an unspoiled wilderness with something to see round every corner

Hwange has been mostly untouched by the modernisation of the western world. The wildlife there is free and you can see it in the behaviour of the animals and birds. As you drive by them they watch you with what appears to be mild curiosity but have little fear if you don't get too close. The park is wonderfully safe (from people), nicely located 1.5 hours drive from Victoria Falls and is huge so one can drive around all day. The accomodation in the National Park's lodges is basic but comfortable. Clean bedding, Mosquito nets, Fridge/freezer, kettle, cooking and eating utensils. We had Elephants eating the tree pods all around our chalet at one point. As an Ex Zimbabwean and a wildlife photographer I love staying here. I'm also happy to stay at more expensive private lodges nearby but the chalets at Main Camp are lovely for me.

Hwange provided wide open spaces with no other people in sight and only animals as far as we could see.

The accommodations, service and food at Davidson's Camp were superlative. It was more like staying in a fine hotel than in a camp. I have never been so comfortable while being so close to nature. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. When we asked to spend a little longer time at certain places, rather than constantly moving, it was not a problem. The enthusiasm of the staff seemed to reflect a genuine appreciation of the wildlife around them and their dedication to preserving it. At the end of the rainy season the grass was tall and it may have made it a bit more difficult to spot some of the animals, but everything was green and lush providing a beautiful background for what we saw. We saw plenty. We kept returning to one watering hole for sundowners that was surrounded by open savannah with grazing animals all around us as far as we could see. The elephants parading by us in large groups never got boring.

Hwange is absolutely beautiful with good roads and accommodation, but giving you that exclusive bush hideaway. We have been sitting at the hides on our own for hours just watching the wildlife. Lots of elephants to be seen. Discovered best places to see them is at the waterholes from the platforms/hides. The heat makes the animals come to drink all through the day. Nyamandhlovu Platform is a prime game viewing area at a pumped water hole. We took excellent photo's here. We stayed in selfcatering lodge at Main Camp and had excellent dinners at the restaurant. Te park covers vast areas and one has to be prepared to take food along each day and lots of water. Fill up with petrol/ gas when you can. Excellent curios /art pieces to buy on the road to Hwange from Victoria Falls.