Zimbabwe Travel Guide

Incredible wildlife, people and scenery

The highlight of the visit was to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side which without a doubt is the better side to view the falls. The wild life is to be found everywhere from the waterhole next to our hotel called the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge to the animals wandering around the Victoria Falls. You can expect to see elephants and many exotic animals if you take a boat ride on the Zambazie river or a local safari. The scenery takes your breath away and you can not stop taking pictures of scenery such as the falls or the Zambezie river. In fact our trip to Africa produced around 2,500 digital photographs each for my wife and i. We were also concerned about the food quality but were pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality and the interesting content. In fact this is true of all the amenities provided such as the transport, drivers and guides who went out of their way to provide service in a pleasant and friendly manner. One special event was high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel and i still have the bill which came to Z$25, 650,000 or US$26 at the time. Again walking around the grounds of the hotel resulted in encounters with many baboons and warthogs. The poverty is a culture shock but buying local goods and services must help the people survive and provide hope for a better future. The locals are more than willing to exchange the old Zimbabwe currency at attractive rates i.e. a 5 billion dollar note for US$1 and gifts for the children such as good quality hats are well received and appreciated.

its an african landlocked agro-based economy

few animals beautifull scenery very cool and the rest was acceptable

Wild beauty

Matetsi was a dream. The lodge was not full, which was very nice for us, but we found ourselves wishing more people would spend time there for the good of those who depend on tourism for a living. The service was top notch and everyone we met was genuinely friendly and lovely. We had perfect weather (not too hot, no rain) and we saw wildlife we hadn't seen in south africa, botswana, or tanzania -- wild dogs. We also saw african fishing eagles, elephants, giraffes, leopards, and lots and lots of wildlife. Amazing. The food was also top notch, but we found ourselves feeling very guilty eating such luxurious meals while food was difficult to come by in town. I would return to Zimbabwe in a heartbeat.

Zimbabwe offers such a broad spectrum of wildlife, birding and scenery and the fact that it is still not over-run with tourists means that you will be one of the few enjoying these pleasures!

Zimbabwe is a fabulous adventure location with wonderful locals and wildlife.

I loved my safari experience in Zimbabwe. I visited Zim on a missions trip and at the end of our 3 week stay we went to a safari camp. Not only was it beautiful but the weather was perfect, cool at night, sunny and dry during the day. The food was incredible. A little something for everyone. I highly recommend visiting this wonderful country!

You will not regret a trip to Zimbabwe.

My husband and I were part of a tour group that visited Zimbabwe in February of 2010. I came away with wonderful memories and an incredible respect for the people of that country. I felt so welcomed into this land, so foreign to my experience, and found its citizens warm and eager to explain their lives. We stayed at the breath-taking Victoria Falls Hotel. I could not have wished for a more beautiful setting and we even did the "foofie slide" over the Zambezi River-- an even more "breath-taking" experience. Victoria Falls itself was an unforgettable experience.

We visited several markets (one for visitors and one for residents) and even had a chance to have a meal with a local family and compare our lives. Our local tour guides were amazing people who made our experience even more meaningful.

While in Zimbabwe, we boarded a jeep, hoping for sightings of the rare Black Rhino at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve. We had a great view of a pair of these huge animals, and also saw elephants, zebra, impala, warthogs and baboons. And birds galore! Even more fun was spotting the warthogs, monkeys and elephant tracks around our hotel itself. We also visited a lion-rehabilitation center, getting to pose with three huge cubs, and rode an elephant through the brush while learning about elephants from our guide.

The animals in Zimbabwe were amazing, but what made the Zimbabwean experience truly memorable for me were the people of this country, so courageous and generous. I hope to return some day.

Portland, Oregon, USA

Special country, perfect scenic

I traveled from Harare to Vic Falls by bus.

Zimbabwe has of course suffered during the troubles of the last 10 years or so. The infrastructure is not what is was in the 1990's due to neglect/lack of money for maintainance. The more remote parks, like Mana, remain beautiful and largely unaffected and are well worth visiting.

Zimbabwe is a very depressed and troubled country right now. It's very pricey to be there for a long period of time. It helps to have a local act as your tour guide for the whole trip, as we did.

Full of character and surprises.

We went there in August and the weather was amazing, October gets really hot and dry. We went to Victoria Falls or "Mosi oa Tunia" as the locals call it. The smoke that thunders. It was absolutely amazing and I recommend it to anyone. Victoria falls has loads of activities to offer, rafting ,canoeing , Gorge swing , game viewing, river cruises and much more.
The hotels are mostly 5 star although if you are on a budget Victoria falls has a variety to offer as does most of the country.
Watch out for Visas, if you are on an American or British passport be prepared to pay up to $50 for a single entry!

The amount of wildlife you will see depends on the time of year that you go, if you are ere during the "rainy season" most of the big game will be hard to find, though the guides should be able to find most.

Don't rely on public transport though the trains seem to be ok, they leave once a day.