14 Day Victoria Falls, Hwange, Chobe, Okavango and Makgadikgadi Safari

Zimbabwe - Making its way back into the tourist market, Zimbabwe is able to offer some incredible wilderness and exciting wildlife, along with the wonder that is Victoria Falls.

Zimbabwe's political climate and issues have been well documented through the world's media, and it is no secret that tourist numbers to the country have dropped substantially. 

However, everything which made Zimbabwe one of the most popular safari destinations is still available, with operators moving back into the world famous areas of Hwange, Mana Pools, the Lower Zambezi and Lake Kariba.

Victoria Falls thunders mightily on the Zambezi River, and the canoeing and rafting experiences are as exciting as ever.

The people of  Zimbabwe have always been one of the major highlights, and it is particularly pleasing that tourists are filtering through the borders again, rewarding the patience of the fantastic guides and conservation workers who have remained dedicated to Zimbabwe's wildlife areas.

Feel the wonder!   One of the world’s Classic five-star hotels commands prime location overlooking Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, an acclaimed Natural Wonder of the World. A proud member of  Leading Hotels of the World, the Edwardian-style hotel, built in 1904, was splendidly redecorated in 2013 to combine its traditional majesty with modern sophistication. For more than 110 years The Victoria Falls Hotel has been a luxury icon in Africa.

Ivory Lodge, located in the forestry area on the outskirts of Hwange National Park, offers family-friendly safari experiences and is famous for its exhilarating up-close sightings of the Presidential Elephant Herd.

The Lodge comprises of a Main Thatched dining and lounge area overlooking a guest swimming pool and overlooking a watering hole which is frequented by elephants, predators and a number of plains game species. The rooms themselves are elegantly built on stilted wooden platforms offering elevated views of the open floodplain and watering hole in front of camp.

Well known as one of the great safari destinations in Africa, Botswana offers some of the most beautiful, luxurious, and active safari experiences in Africa.

A Botswanan safari can never be long enough, and never experienced often enough.   Although one of the flattest countries you will ever visit, Botswana is blessed with an incredible variety of landscapes and eco-systems.  

It is the very flatness of Botswana which has created some of the world's most special wilderness areas, and exploring the Kalahari, Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans rewards you with memories for a lifetime.

Easily accessible from Johannesburg, and simply combined with Victoria Falls, Botswana needs to be on your safari list if you are planning a visit to Southern Africa.

As soon as you land in Maun or Kasane, you will know that you have arrived in a country which operates like nothing you have experienced before.

With the warthogs running through the streets of Kasane, and the hippos grunting in the Chobe River, your welcome to Botswana is one which tells you straight away you are in Africa's wilds.

Arriving at Ichingo Chobe River Lodge is a breath of fresh air. You will be welcomed with warm smiles and served with heartfelt attention to every detail. The staff are the shining stars of this hidden gem on Impalila Island, Namibia.

Located on the quieter Namibian side of the Chobe River, Ichingo Chobe River Lodge offers families, couples or groups with the highest level of service accommodated in comfortable Meru Safari tents.

The guides at Ichingo Chobe River Lodge are highly knowledgeable and make every specialised excursion on the river educational and fun. Catch-and-release fishing, guided photo safaris, river safaris, and bird-watching.

Mokolwane is a small, relaxed camp in one of the largest, and almost untouched, parts of the Okavango Delta. Set amongst a sprinkling of Mokolwane palms, in the Xudum concession (NG29), you’ll find it tucked away in 200 000-hectares of wilderness. Teeming with herds of elephant and all the Okavango predators, with so much space and so much action, it’s no surprise that National Geographic and Netflix filmmaker Brad Bestelink has chosen to base himself here. This is leopard country. These territorial cats love it here so much, that the area boasts the third highest density recorded anywhere in Africa. Mokolwane is a special little camp, big on adventure. And being the only camp for miles around, a great place to breath in the stillness and solitude.

The safari never stops at Meno a Kwena, a hidden gem of a camp perched on a rocky clifftop above the Boteti River in Botswana. With a glittering roster of activities, including day trips to the Makgadikgadi Pans, guided walks with the San bushmen, and wildlife-watching boat trips, there’s plenty to get your teeth into. But sometimes, the best game viewing is where you least expect it, and at Meno, it’s right in front you. From their lofty position, the ten tents look down on a menagerie of animals at the water below, from herds of majestic elephant, to dazzles of nomadic zebra – all you need to do is sit back, and take it all in.

At just 90 minutes by road from Maun, Meno is a good option if you’re travelling as a group, or with little ones (or even big ones!). The camp was originally used by Southern Africa’s legendary explorers, and although we’ve added a few little touches here, and some little quirks there, it’s refreshingly and stylishly simple. And actually, the real treat at Meno is the connection with nature; when an elephant provides your alarm call in the morning, and you can game view straight from your private veranda, nothing else really matters.