​User Reviews – Zimbabwe

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 81-90 of 97 Reviews
jennifer kirschke Visited: June 1997 Reviewed: Jan 12, 2012

Overall rating
5/5

Didn't see the big five but the scenery and intimate experience with nature made it exceptional!

Keith&Denise   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2004 Reviewed: Nov 5, 2011

Email Keith&Denise  |  50-65 years of age

Unbelievable wildlife sightings and the most amazing and friendly people.
Overall rating
5/5

We had the opportunity to take a three day private canoe trip on the Zambezi River where we witnessed lion prides along the banks, hippos came close enough to our canoes to kiss and a crocodile almost upended our canoe. Our camp was set up in advance of the end of our daily canoe ride and we were served dinner and had warm water for showers. Our guide tracked the elusive white rhino, which we were able to photograph close up and we were close enough to the elephants to smell their breath! It was the trip of a lifetime and we are still telling stories about our adventure to this day.

missprice   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2010 Reviewed: Oct 23, 2011

35-50 years of age

A top-notch safari experience
Overall rating
5/5

I stayed at the Linkwasha camp in Hwange National Park as part of an organized tour that also visited camps in Botswana and Namibia. The terrain at Hwange is a bit different from these other parks as it is more flat, less bushy, more like a savannah where you can see open areas of flat land and many animals together in the same environment. It was in Hwange where we saw large groups of giraffes, together with zebras, wildebeest, etc all in the same area. We also were fortunate to see many lions here, including a family with cubs who came out to play a few feet in front of our vehicle while we watched the parents on a hunt for ostrich. We also were very lucky to spot a leopard in Hwange - our guides hadn't seen one for a few months! Linkwasha camp was very comfortable, and had a spectacular view of a watering hole very close to the camp deck, where elephants were on view during any given time of the day. Our guide, Temba, was excellent. He always seemed to have a sense of when animals were close by, and would find them for us. He had a great sense of humor, too. Other highlights in Zimbabwe were visiting a village and school, as well as a flight to view the spectacular Victoria Falls. August was a great time to go, with sunny days that were cool in the mornings, with layers coming off and sunscreen needed for middays. Ideal for animal viewing! I would go back to Zimbabwe in a hearbeat!

trevor j van rensburg   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: June 2010 Reviewed: Oct 17, 2011

Email trevor j van rensburg  |  20-35 years of age

Natures wonderland
Overall rating
5/5

Recently my girlfriend and I visited Zimbabwe and stayed athe Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. I was born there and left very young so this was my chance to go and experience what I missed out on as a child.

When many people think of Zimbabwe they may think of all the financial trouble, poverty and hard times that the people have have to face becase of the current governments greed and corruption.

I can happily say that the zimbabwean people, despite their situation, are some of the most welcoming and friendly people I have had the privilege of meeting.

We had the most amazing view from the lodge and private balcony, overlooking a water hole where wild elephants and buck came to drink every night. Lying in bed at night we could hear them trampling the bushes. In the evenings we had the chance to lie poolside or sit on the deck and watch the sunset knowing one of the friendly staff would soon be there to help quench our thirst.

The weather at this time of the year is perfect! Around 28degrees and sunny nearly everyday.

The staff at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge are exceptional! The food was unreal! A variety like I have never seen before with the choice of a traditional feast at the 'Boma' a short walk from the lodge itself. Rooms were in tip top shape and the mosquito nets surrounding the bed really made you feel like you were in the wild!

Transfort to and from the Victoria Falls was always on time and our guide was very knowledgable and so friendly!

One thing to do that i would HIGHLY reccomend is a quick flight over the falls in a helicopter! INCREDIBLE!!

Another highlight of our trip was taking an elephant back safari in one of the nearby reserves. This was something I would never forget!! The whole experience from start to end was truely unimaginable! Getting to meet the elephants, some of whom had been rescued from poachers snares, and seeing wild giraffe running through the veld was amazing! You even get the chance to buy a footprint painting of your elephant and all the funds go to the anti-poaching scheme in that area!

I would suggest the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge to anyone you wants to relax, enjoy being close to the wildlife and see and experience things that make you appreciate the world we live in.

I feel proud to say that I was born in Zimbabwe! It is one of the most beautiful parts of the world I have been fortunate to visit so far!

Boris Bals   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: October 2008 Reviewed: Oct 17, 2011

35-50 years of age

Zimbabwe was amazing, despite the political situation.
Overall rating
5/5

Well, I was there as a contestant of a Wildlife show, of Animal Planet, so everything was well arranged for us. We stayed in Hwange at 'the Hide', that was fantastic!
It was a very dry part of the year, what made it a bit easier to spot wildlife because of the few waterspots that were left. The Hide is a great place to stay, with great service and food and good guides.

ianaereo Visited: June 2008 Reviewed: Oct 14, 2011

Nature and adventure with good infrastructure
Overall rating
5/5

Visit Okavango Delta to walk among the wildlife. We stayed in a tent just in the middle of the park. It was amazing to wake up with the noise of nature.

Pawel K.   –  
Poland PL
Visited: March 2011 Reviewed: Oct 12, 2011

Email Pawel K.  |  20-35 years of age

I will definitely come back soon!
Overall rating
5/5

I didn't know what to expect when I was crossing the border from Zambia to Zimbabwe. But Zimbabwe turned out to be such a tranquil and peaceful country. I regret I didn't have more time to stay there for longer but I am already planning to come back.
The country is so beautiful and picturesque! Clearly it's a must see.
You will appreciate much less crowded parks, great food at significantly lower price than in the neighboring countries.
And don't forget about their biggest pride! Victoria Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and it really deserves this title!

Jeni   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2000 Reviewed: Oct 6, 2011

Email Jeni  |  20-35 years of age

Zimbabwe was a fantastic wilderness experience with a great cultural vibe.
Overall rating
5/5

Our trip was absolutely fabulous - a trip of a lifetime! The scenery was gorgeous; the weather was perfect while we were there. Our accommodations in the bush were way better than expected, but still provided the rustic feel we were going for. I don't know who cooked our food, but if it was over an open fire, that chef was brilliant and way better at cooking in the bush than I would ever be. Our trip incorporated land rovers, station wagons, canoes and more. All worked out well for each situation. The wildlife was incredible and our walking safari guide, Gary, from Sengwa Safari's was top notch. I had a very up close encounter with an elephant that was just amazing and we saw several lions with their cubs while out for a drive. There were too many other animal sightings to mention, but that was a good thing! We ended our trip in Victoria Falls where we had a great white water rafting and bungee jumping experience. Seriously, this was the best vacation I've ever been on. I hope to repeat it some day with my husband.

andrew_mc_d Visited: September 2011 Reviewed: Oct 2, 2011

Adventurous Self Traveller? Get off the beaten track in Zim.
Overall rating
5/5

Zimbabwe? Are you mad?! You'll get killed!

That was pretty much the standard answer when we told people that we were spending our summer holiday in Zim. We being me, my wife, my Father in Law and two children, 8 and 10. My wife had been born there "back in the day" and so we were making a trip down memory lane as well as spending some time in South Africa and Botswana.

Our first exposure to Zim was the border crossing at Beitbridge. We had been warned it would be difficult and would take a while to get through. Three and a half torturous hours later (including the time and cash it took to temporarily import our hire car and write down the serial numbers of the money we paid our visa fees with) and we were in country.

We spent some time visiting old haunts and so it was a few days before our first trip to a national park proper, Matopas (also known as Matobo). As always with national parks in Zim we were met at a guarded gate by a pair of uniformed officials. And as always they were friendly, polite and honest - one enthused about how wonderful it was that we had come all the way from Ireland to his country and the other listing all the Irish soccer players he knew! Once we had found out that we supported the same team we were friends for life!

We made the well worn trek up to the heights to visit Rhodes grave and were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views across raw bush that looked like it hadn't changed in thousands of years and from there we followed the route through the park recommended by my new best buddies at the gate. The viewing was partly restricted by the time of day but we saw the usual small game - impala in particular are very common in the area. Other than that we had some close encounters with giraffe and several large herds of elephants, including at least two nursing mothers. The scenery in the park itself was also outstanding - the trip down around the dam is a must. One warning though - many of the roads are tar but we branched off onto the "Scenic Route" which was a dirt track and it quickly deteriorated to the point where our standard jeep couldn't go on and we had to turn in the bush - a larger 4x4 such as a Land Cruiser could have coped but do be wary if you are in anything smaller (we were in an X-Trail). I have been told by several people that the largest concentration of wild leopard in the world are in the park but we didn't see any.

We then carried on to Antelope Park, a lion rehabilitation centre near Gweru. It's not a safari experience in the truest sense but it is well worth a detour for the experience.

Our next proper camp experience was at Miombo Lodge on the edge of Hwange National Park. This is a Lodge that has recently changed hands and the treehouses were undergoing renovation during our trip. That said I have rarely had a friendlier welcome and I would recommend this camp without hesitation - great food and atmosphere. One of it's best features is the waterhole just on the edge of the property and early in the morning we had a knock on the door from the owner to tell us that water buffalo were on their way to drink barely 200 yards from our room door - a very nice way to start the day!

Hwange itself we barely scratched the surface of as we were on a pretty tight schedule to see friends but it was much the same as Matopas - zebra, giraffe, lots of small game and herds of elephants. I should point out that we were self driving and self guiding and someone who knew the area better may well have seen more.

We rounded off the Zim leg with a short stay at the superb Elephant Camp in Victoria Falls - probably the highlight of the entire trip. It's an astoundingly high quality camp with fantastic lodging and world class food. Best of all was using the "bush shower" on our private veranda (complete with plunge pool) as the sun rose over the Zambezi and with the spray of the falls in the distance while a herd of wild Water Buffalo wandered through the bush just a few hundred meters away. And we did have a close encounter with a cheetah that most of our friends refuse to believe...!

We chose to set our own itinerary and travel independently through Zim and it was a pleasure and surprisingly easy. We paid in advance using Paypal and Bank Transfers to minimise costs and cash/bank risks in country. Travel throughout the country was on fairly well maintained and clearly signposted roads and we had very few issues with navigation although I wouldn't recommend driving at night. Fuel was reasonable and plentiful and everyone we met, from petrol station attendants to street vendors and lodge or park staff were friendly and polite. The food was of a high standard and fresh.

We didn't do a standard tour at any point in Zim so I can't comment on how organised trips and tourists are treated or what they are like but I would highly rate and recommend it for an independent safari traveller who is looking for a destination that isn't overrun and where you have more chance of seeing animals than other peoples backs!

thepaperchef   –  
Canada CA
Visited: September 2010 Reviewed: Oct 2, 2011

20-35 years of age

Great Wildlife and a Huge Range of Activities
Overall rating
5/5

A fantastic, under-appreciated destination. Great wildlife, incredibly friendly people, knowledgeable guides, good food, nice, clean accommodations and a wide range of activities that suited us well. We were fortunate in our wildlife viewing (4 of the Big 5) and birding (tons of Carmine Bee Eaters a major highlight), and had nothing but positive experiences with people, including guides. We used guides on walking and canoe safaris but stayed pretty low budget overall and found it easy to do so with a bit of help from outside sources. I would go back again in a heartbeat and recommended anyone to this wonderful country.

Average User Rating

  • 4.5/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star 53
  • 4 star 36
  • 3 star 8
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0
Write a User Review