Classic Zimbabwe Safari: Victoria Falls, Mana Pools & Hwange

The company was exceptional in helping us uncover what we really wanted to do and suggest things that might make more sense than what we had originally proposed.  Both of our representatives were wonderful and extremely responsive. They went out of their way to learn what we wanted and what we were like and to define a trip that fit us and our personalities. 

The trip itself was perfect.  We began in Capetown which is an impressive city with an large and varied history.  We spend hours immersed in the history and grew to love the place.  We then went to Victoria Falls (we would have never have gone to Zimbabwe without the guidance of our safari travel agency.)  We were there during a full moon and so were able to see the lunar rainbow in the mists.    Our safari was magical and took place at two different camps (Nehimba and Camelthorn lodges) in Hwange national park in Zimbabwe.  We were there in May and the weather was wonderful.  Because there was plenty of water the wildlife was a bit more difficult to spot but we did see everything - and more.  IT was completely magical to see the elephants at the water hole during lunches and dinners. 

The staff at the lodges were wonderful and the organization who owns the lodges has a wonderful social mission as well.  All in all it was the trip of a lifetime.  I would heartily recommend both this safari travel company and the Hwange national park as a destination.

All travel between camps was well coordinated and all of the accommodations were excellent, the job your travel company did was outstanding in every way.

Overall our trip was spectacular at each camp with one exception - Hwange, but this was a staffing issue.

Our comments on each are here:

01. Camp Moremi - 3 nights - The personnel at this camp were outstanding and very friendly and helpful. Our guide was very knowledgeable and highly qualified, good at finding great fauna and fun to be with. It did help that we could go off trail a bit. The accommodations were excellent, the lodge, food and refreshments were great, the location was optimal for land or river excursions and the overall experience was fabulous. Wanted to spend more time here!

02. Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge - 2 nights - The same as above, very nice & knowledgeable proprietor who spent time with us looking at the stars and learning the history of Botswana. Our guide was also knowledgeable and friendly, nice accommodations, food and refreshments were great, intimate experience, good game viewing after a long drive but well worth it and quite interesting location especially with the pan below the lodge itself attracting different wildlife each day and night. 2 nights was appropriate for this camp.

03. Chobe Game Lodge - 3 nights - The  lodge here is more like a nice hotel, but with an excellent location & also within the park. Again, Our guide was very knowledgeable, good at finding wildlife and fun to be with. The lodge area, and refreshments were great, the food not so good, just OK, but the staff were very friendly and helpful. The location was optimal for land or river excursions and the overall experience was fabulous. Wanted to spend more time here!

04. Victoria Falls Hotel - 2 nights - This was a culture shock after Botswana, but it's a nice hotel with a good view and location - just a lot of civilization after the first 3 camps. Hotel drinks A+, food C-. We did the hike around the falls, lunch at the overlook and a chopper ride above the falls which was excellent and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi was really the highlight of this experience where we could return to the wilderness on the river and observe the wildlife, the boat staff was excellent and the snacks & refreshments were great - as was the wildlife viewing. 2 nights was appropriate for this place.

05. Camp Hwange - 3 nights - This experience had some great highs and some low points as well. Upon arriving at the camp from Vic Falls we were picked up by an excellent, knowledgeable and friendly guide who wore a Camp Hwange uniform. We had a long ride into the camp from the entrance in which we viewed a lot of wildlife and made several stops. The lodge had a very nice staff and excellent location for viewing the pan directly in front of the camp for wildlife, the accommodations, food and refreshments were also great. Our same guide took us out that afternoon for a nice sundowner and animal viewing that included some spectacular nighlife immediately after dinner.  At dinner the first night at dinner we met our next guide and learned that he was one of two contract guides, and not part of the regular staff.

The next day with this new contract guide we spent the morning hiking without much success in wildlife viewing and searching for a buffalo herd. He did not have his radio turned on to communicate back with the lodge or other guides during the morning but finally turned the radio on at noon to notify the lodge that we were returning for lunch at which time we immediately learned of some lions to go see from another guide.  The afternoon was similar in that we were still in search of the elusive buffalo herd and didn't really see much wildlife. We learned at dinner that the other contract guide and his group seen a multitude of wildlife over the course of the entire day, but without our radio communication we never had a heads up.

The third day we went on a day trip heading out the road towards the entrance we came in on the first day, again our guide did not have his radio on and was searching for the buffalo herd without success. We did a morning hike and saw practically nothing, then found a spot for a late lunch during which our guide went and took a nap under a tree. After lunch we we finally drove to a large pan filled with elephants which we viewed for 2 hours, then drove back to our camp, stopping at a pan with a herd of hippos briefly for photos. It was nightfall when we arrived for an very nice picnic style dinner away from the camp. We also viewed some nighlife that evening which was spectacular.

The next morning we left, and we had our original official Camp Hwange guide from the day we arrived doing the driving - and again saw an abundance of wildlife along the way which included several stops along the way.

Bottom line - we saw more wildlife with the official camp guide going in and out of the camp than we did in two days with our contract guide. This guide was knowledgable but also a bit crabby, a little too in your face and interested in discussing peoples politics and complained that he expected bad reviews - understandably after our experience - so we left feeling that we wasted a day and a half with this guide when we could have been viewing a lot more of what Camp Hwange is known for. I am optimistic that 3-4 nights in this park is appropriate, but you need a decent guide - that makes all the difference

Our family of five went to South Africa between the dates of December 20, 2015 and January 2, 2016.  We visited Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Devil's Pool (of Victoria Falls, Zambia), Cape Town, and Madikwe Game Reserve (staying at the Morokuru Owner's House).

Excellent vacation!  Excellent accommodations! Excellent Food!

The ONLY thing I would change is we spent 6 days in Cape Town, when, we feel, 4 would have been plenty.  This is not fault of our travel company, it just happened to be that way because of the Christmas holiday.

This Safari travel agency is a great company.

Absolutely awesome experience – better than we imagined! We spent time in Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta and Cape Town. The service, guides, lodgings and experiences we had in each location were exceptional. This safari travel company and our travel planner made everything easy – we were greeted each step of the way, enabling us to enjoy our African adventure without the normal stress of traveling in another country. In Zimbabwe, we experienced majestic Victoria Falls both from the air and a guided tour through the park. We enjoyed a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi River. Our room at the Ilala Lodge was picture perfect and comfortable, plus we could see the mist rising from the falls. In Chobe National Park, we went on numerous game drives and boat tour with a dedicated guide. The Ngoma Safari Lodge was the most visually extravagant place we ever stayed.  The view walking into the lodge literally takes your breath away as you look down at the Chobe River with herds of zebras, giraffes and antelopes moving between a small watering hole close to Ngoma Lodge and the river. Combine that with great location to Chobe National Park, exceptional guides, thoughtful and well-trained staff, delicious dinners and wonderful rooms with incredible views and you have the perfect safari location. In the Okavango Delta we saw so much wildlife (inlcuding a numerous lions and African Wild dogs and their pups) and were again blessed with wonderful guides, great staff, and lovely rooms in an amazing location at Sable Alley in the Khwai Reserve. Cape Town gave us an opportunity to relax at the boutique hotel and enjoy winery tours and a peninsula tour, as well as amazing restaurants.

Originally, I tried to work out an itinerary myself using online review and travel books, but became concerned about arranging transportation and guides. Then I contacted several different travel agencies. This travel planner quickly responded. She made everything easy for us. She worked with us on locations, desired experiences, dates and cost. We really wanted to see Botswana’s Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. Two other companies were trying to steer us away those areas due to cost and availability, but our travel planner was able to make it happen for us. She took care of absolutely everything from lodging, car and in-Africa air travel, tours, guides, and even restaurant reservations for us in Cape Town. Amazing personalized service.

This company makes you feel very pampered and special. Our travel planner made time to meet us in Victoria Falls (her home base). In honor of our 30th wedding anniversary, the travel company surprised us with a complimentary dinner and bottle of wine at our Victoria Falls hotel, which had one of the best restaurants in Victoria Falls.

The trip planned by these safari travel agents was the trip of a lifetime.  They went out of their way to plan an amazing and memorable trip, maximizing our time and budget, and giving us varied and outstanding experiences in each location.  They have tremendous experience with Africa, and were excellent in helping us figuring out the time of year to go and what areas to focus on. 

The cadence of the trip was perfect and each location exceeded the previous one in ways that we couldn't have dreamed!  Our itinerary took us from Johannesburg, to Hwange Park in Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, Toko Leya camp in Zambia, Ngala Tented Camp in Kruger Park and ended in Capetown.  All of the locations were phenomenal.  There is no way we could choose a favorite.  The food in each camp was exceptional.  The staff was outstanding.  Everyone was friendly and endearing and hard to leave each time we moved on to a new location. 

The game drives were beyond our expectations.  The rangers on our game drives were engaging and extremely knowledgeable. They helped us spot the Big 5 during multiple times during various parts of our journey.  We saw up close (way closer than expected!!!), hundreds of elephants, three prides of lions, two leopards, multiple herds water buffalo, cheetah brothers, rhino and many many others.  We actually tracked a Rhino through Kruger Park during our time at Ngala which was very exciting.  

Our agent was always available to answer questions and made trip planning a breeze.  We were catered to and well taken care of from the time the plane took off in the U.S. until we got back to our homes.  The care that they took in making the itinerary unique and special made us absolutely fall in love with the places we visited and we cannot wait to find time to go back.  

I cannot recommend this company enough and hope that many others get the experience to work with these travel agents!   We most certainly will use them again when we plan our next trip to Africa!!