13 Days Best Of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe rewards patience. This 13-day journey links Victoria Falls with national parks, ancient stone ruins, rhino country, and the cool mountain scenery of eastern Zimbabwe. I like the personal guide and chef, and I like that accommodation, transport, park fees, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are built into the price. The main trade-off is the pace: long road sections and several free afternoons mean this suits you best if you enjoy a broad country tour rather than nonstop sightseeing.

I also like the small-group limit of 16 people and the practical care reported during booking and transfers. Kelly is noted for being helpful and accommodating, while Newtone and Gertrude handled arrangements and activities with care. One important catch: game drives, drinks, mineral water, laundry, tips, insurance, and optional activities cost extra.

Five things to know before you book

• Victoria Falls opens the trip well: You get a river cruise, a guided Falls visit, local customs, and a stop at an art and crafts center.
• The route reaches far beyond the Falls: Hwange, Matobo Hills, Great Zimbabwe, Gonarezhou, Vumba, Nyanga, and Harare Province all appear on the schedule.
• A chef travels with you: Ten lunches and ten dinners are included, along with breakfast for all 13 days.
• Wildlife comes in different forms: Hwange offers optional game drives, Matobo brings rhino tracking, and Gonarezhou is known for its large elephant population.
• Some time is intentionally unplanned: Days 4, 9, and 12 include afternoons at leisure, giving you breathing room but not necessarily a full slate of included activities.
• Plan for extras: Drinks, water, sleeping gear, laundry, gratuities, insurance, upgrades, and activities not listed are outside the $3,550 price.

Starting beside the Zambezi River

The tour begins at 8:00 a.m. with a two-hour cruise from the Zambezi River Cruise Terminal. It is a gentle introduction to Zimbabwe, with complimentary drinks and snacks served onboard.

The cruise is scenic rather than guaranteed wildlife viewing. Depending on the season, animals may come down to the river to drink. That possibility adds interest, but you should not treat this as a dedicated safari outing. The real value is the calm start, the broad river views, and a chance to settle into the trip before the road journey gathers speed.

The cruise is included, which matters because it gives you a proper first activity without an added fee. Since drinks and snacks are provided here, you get a small exception to the general rule that beverages and mineral water are extra elsewhere.

Victoria Falls, then into Hwange

Day 2 begins with a two-hour guided visit to Victoria Falls. The guide explains how the Falls formed and covers local customs and traditions connected with the area. The visit ends at a local art and crafts center, adding a cultural stop to what could otherwise be a straightforward viewpoint visit.

This is a good example of the tour’s approach. You are not only taken to a famous natural attraction. You also get some explanation of its setting and a chance to see local craftwork. Admission to the Falls visit is listed as free, though the guided experience is part of the organized itinerary.

Later that day, the route continues to Hwange National Park. An afternoon game drive is optional, and the listed three-hour stop does not include the game drive fee. Read that detail carefully. If wildlife viewing is a major reason you are booking, you will need to budget for these extra activities.

Hwange returns on Day 3 with a morning game drive listed as an optional activity. The park is one of the main wildlife sections of the trip, but the schedule leaves the cost and exact arrangements outside the base price. Ask before departure what vehicle, guide, timing, and fee apply to each game drive.

A free afternoon and the history of Matobo

Day 4 is an afternoon at leisure or a chance to choose an optional activity. That can be useful after the opening stretch, especially if you need time to rest, sort laundry, or simply enjoy a slower few hours.

It can also feel like a gap if you prefer every hour to have a named attraction. The tour does not specify which optional activities are available, so you should ask Falcon Safaris what choices are offered in advance.

Day 5 brings two very different stops. First is Cecil John Rhodes’s burial place, where you learn about the final resting place of the colonial figure whose name was once attached to the country. The description includes the story of his death in Cape Town in 1902 and the difficult railway journey that carried his body to Rhodesia during the Boer War.

That stop offers historical context, but it may not appeal equally to everyone. The subject is tied to colonial rule, so your guide’s explanation matters. Use the visit as a chance to ask questions about how Zimbabwe remembers this period, rather than treating the site as a simple monument.

The second stop is Matobo Hills, with rhino tracking included. This is one of the tour’s more active wildlife encounters. Tracking on foot gives the visit a different feel from sitting in a safari vehicle, though the schedule lists three hours and does not describe the walking distance or terrain. If mobility is a concern, ask for more detail before booking.

Great Zimbabwe’s stone walls

Day 6 reaches Great Zimbabwe National Monument, the remains of a former capital and one of sub-Saharan Africa’s major archaeological sites. The stone complex dates back to around the 11th century and is built from rectangular granite blocks placed without mortar.

The walls and towers reach up to 12 meters in places. You have two hours to walk among the structures and consider the scale of the old city. The site became a World Heritage Site in 1986, and its importance is not hard to see once you are beside the carefully stacked stonework.

This is a valuable break from the wildlife focus. Zimbabwe is not only about animals and waterfalls. Great Zimbabwe gives the journey a strong cultural and historical center, and the entry fee is included. Two hours should allow a useful visit, although you may want more time if ancient sites are your main interest.

Gonarezhou, a park shaped by elephants

Days 7 and 8 focus on Gonarezhou National Park. The name means a place of elephants, and the park is described as home to more than 10,000 of them. Its scenery includes floodplains, baobab-dotted scrub, mopane woodland, and pale orange sandstone cliffs.

The first visit highlights birdlife along the river. With good luck, you might see a Pel’s fishing owl, while nyala, kudu, impala, and elephant may pass near camp. The wording is important: these are wildlife possibilities, not promises. Nature sets the timetable, and sightings can never be guaranteed.

The second day gives you a broader picture of the park. Gonarezhou has four of Africa’s Big Five, elephant, leopard, lion, and buffalo, along with many other animals and birds. The two-hour entry is listed without an admission charge, while the previous day includes park admission.

The schedule does not list game drives as included in Gonarezhou. Since game drives are specifically excluded from the tour price, ask how wildlife viewing is arranged here. This is one of the most important questions to settle before you pay, particularly if you expect daily safari outings.

Another pause before the eastern mountains

Day 9 includes another afternoon at leisure or optional activities. By this stage, the open time may be welcome. This is a long, countrywide route, and a free afternoon gives you a chance to slow down rather than move from one fixed stop to the next.

The downside is that the itinerary does not say what happens during the free period. If you want a full program every day, confirm the options and prices. If you like a little independence, the pause may be one of the tour’s better features.

Vumba’s gardens and cool scenery

Day 10 shifts from safari country to Vumba Botanical Gardens and Reserve. The 159-hectare park includes landscaped gardens, perennial streams, a small lake, footpaths, indigenous orchids, ferns, and abundant birdlife.

The first two-hour visit allows you to walk through the gardens at a relaxed pace. A second two-hour stop provides a scenic drive in Vumba. Together, these visits make a welcome change from long road transfers and wildlife searching.

The included admission is a plus. The description does not give details about the walking surfaces or how much walking is expected, so ask if you need a gentler route. For you, the appeal here is quiet scenery and plant life rather than a headline attraction.

Nyanga’s trout, ruins, and museum

Day 11 takes you to Nyanga for trout fisheries, pit structures, and a museum. The three subjects make this a varied stop, even though the scheduled visit lasts two hours.

The trout fisheries connect the area with its mountain environment, while the pit structures offer a look at older settlement patterns. The museum gives the visit an indoor historical element. Admission is listed as free, so this stop adds variety without another entry charge.

The itinerary does not explain how long you spend at each part, so you may want to tell the guide which interests you most. If you care about archaeology, the pit structures may deserve priority. If you prefer a less active visit, the museum and fisheries may be easier choices.

Finishing in Harare Province

Day 12 includes an afternoon at leisure or optional activities in Harare Province. There is no detailed final sightseeing program supplied, so treat this as flexible time rather than a guaranteed city tour.

Day 13 marks the end of the itinerary. Because the route covers several widely separated parts of Zimbabwe, check the exact finishing point and onward transport arrangements before you travel. Pickup is offered at the start, but the supplied details do not specify every transfer point at the end.

What the $3,550 price really covers

At $3,550 per person, this is not a budget hop-on, hop-off trip. It is a bundled, guided journey with a chef, accommodation for every night, transport, park entry fees, breakfast each day, ten lunches, and ten dinners.

That bundle can offer solid value if you would otherwise need to arrange several lodges, road transfers, park payments, meals, and local guides yourself. The professional chef is particularly useful on a long route. You are not left to find dinner in a new place every evening, and ten dinners are already covered.

Still, the price is not all-inclusive. Drinks and mineral water are extra, as are game drives, optional activities, sleeping bag and pillow, laundry, tips, personal purchases, accommodation upgrades, and travel insurance. The missing game drives are the biggest cost issue. Get a written estimate for the safari activities you want before deciding that the base price fits your budget.

The group maximum of 16 keeps the experience smaller than a large coach tour, though it is not a private trip. The guide and chef are major strengths, especially since the route mixes wildlife, heritage, gardens, and long transfers.

Meals, lodging, and daily comfort

All nights of accommodation are supplied, which simplifies planning. The exact properties and room standards are not specified, though the service arrangements have been described as well organized and the lodges as well chosen.

You should ask what type of room is included and what an upgrade costs. Also ask whether the sleeping bag and pillow exclusion affects any particular night. The supplied information lists those items as not included, but it does not say whether camping forms part of the standard arrangement.

Meals are more clearly defined. Breakfast is included for all 13 days, while lunch is included ten times and dinner ten times. That leaves some meals outside the package, so check which days require your own arrangements.

A chef traveling with the group is a real practical benefit. It can make meal timing easier during a route with parks and remote areas, though you should still explain dietary needs before departure. The information does not promise specific menus or special diets.

Booking, timing, and the right expectations

Confirmation is provided at booking, and the experience starts at 8:00 a.m. It is near public transportation, and most people can participate. The tour is offered in multiple languages, but the available languages are not listed, so request your preferred language before paying.

The tour is often booked about 94 days ahead. That suggests you should not leave planning until the last minute, particularly if you need a certain departure date, language, room type, or extra activity.

The cancellation terms are strict near departure. Cancel at least six full days before the start for a full refund. Cancel two to six full days ahead for a 50 percent refund, while cancellation less than two full days ahead receives no refund. Changes follow the same cutoffs, based on local time.

Who should choose this Zimbabwe route?

I would choose this tour if you want to see several sides of Zimbabwe in one organized trip. It suits you if Victoria Falls is only the beginning, and you also want wildlife parks, rhino tracking, Great Zimbabwe, botanical gardens, and mountain-area sights.

It is also a good match if you value having meals, accommodation, transport, and park fees arranged together. The guide and chef reduce the number of daily decisions, while the small group keeps the trip more personal than a large bus circuit.

I would hesitate if you want a slow stay in one region, a luxury lodge holiday, or a safari package with every game drive included. The free afternoons may also disappoint you if you expect a tightly scheduled program from morning to night.

Should you book the 13-day tour?

Book it if you want a broad introduction to Zimbabwe and are comfortable with road travel, optional activities, and a few unstructured afternoons. The strongest features are the wide range of places, the included lodging and meals, the personal guide and chef, and the helpful organization associated with Kelly, Newtone, and Gertrude.

Before committing, ask for the full accommodation list, transport details, game-drive prices, available languages, meal arrangements, and the exact end point. If those answers suit you, $3,550 can be a sensible price for a supported journey across the country. If you mainly want Victoria Falls and a few guaranteed safaris, a shorter custom itinerary may be the better buy.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The experience lasts approximately 13 days and ends on Day 13.

What time does the tour start?

The stated start time is 8:00 a.m.

Where does the tour begin?

The itinerary begins at the Zambezi River Cruise Terminal in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Is accommodation included?

Yes. Accommodation is supplied for all nights of the trip.

Are meals included?

Yes. Breakfast is included for all 13 days, along with ten lunches and ten dinners.

Are drinks and mineral water included?

No. All drinks and mineral water are excluded from the price.

Are game drives included?

No. Game drives are listed as an additional cost, including the optional game drives at Hwange National Park.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is 16 people.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least six full days before the experience start time. Cancellation two to six full days ahead receives a 50 percent refund, and cancellation less than two full days ahead is not refunded.