Zimbabwe in a Week: Victoria Falls, Hwange & Mana Pools

Victoria Falls, Hwange & Mana Pools in a Week

Victoria Falls • Hwange • Mana Pools • Harare
Duration: 8 Days

Overview

A shorter trip to Zimbabwe that starts at the falls instead of finishing there, and uses very good camps a step below the top of the market. Two nights at Victoria Falls give you time to get over the flight and see the falls properly. Then you fly to Hwange for three nights at a relaxed camp that offers guided walks as well as drives, and on to the Zambezi for two nights at a river camp on the western edge of Mana Pools. Instead of flying back to Victoria Falls, you fly out of the valley to Harare for your flight home, which saves a long flight on the last day.

All the flights between parks are in small light aircraft. Victoria Falls to Hwange takes under an hour, and Hwange to Mana Pools is roughly one and a half to two and a half hours depending on the aircraft and airstrips. The last flight, from Mana Pools to Harare, is much shorter. Luggage is limited, typically to around 15 kg in a soft bag. The Mana Pools camps open only from about April to mid-November, so this trip runs from June to October, when the bush is dry and animals stay close to water. With only two nights on the Zambezi, I would add a third if you can spare the day.

Trip Highlights

The path along the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls, and the black rhino experience in a private reserve outside town

Guided walks and game drives from a tented camp on a Hwange waterhole

A visit to the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit that protects the Hwange concessions

Canoeing the Zambezi and walking the floodplain at Mana Pools

A night on the Star Bed above a waterhole near the river

Ideal For

First-time visitors to Zimbabwe on a shorter schedule • Couples • Families with children aged six and up • Travelers who want to walk as well as drive

Preferred Properties

Victoria Falls: Anantara Stanley & Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel

Hwange: Wilderness Davison's

Mana Pools: Wilderness Ruckomechi

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Days 1–2: Victoria Falls

Fly into Victoria Falls, usually via Johannesburg, and drive about 15 minutes to the hotel, which sits in a private game reserve on the quiet side of town. On Day 2, take a guided walk along the viewpoints on the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls, from Devil's Cataract to Danger Point. How much water and spray you see depends heavily on the month. In the afternoon, join the black rhino conservation experience in the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, or take a sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi.
Overnights: Anantara Stanley & Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel

Days 3–5: Hwange

Fly from Victoria Falls Airport to south-eastern Hwange National Park, under an hour, and drive to Davison's, a tented camp facing a waterhole where elephants come in to drink. Twice-daily activities include game drives across the Linkwasha-Makalolo area, close to the Ngamo Plains, and guided walks, so you can spend some mornings on foot. The camp also runs a visit to the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit and a program that follows collared elephants. If walking matters to you, I confirm that walks are running for your dates when I book.
Overnights: Wilderness Davison's

Days 6–7: Mana Pools

Fly north to the Zambezi valley and transfer to Ruckomechi, a river camp in a private concession on the western boundary of Mana Pools, facing the mountains across the river in Zambia. Elephants come into camp for the albida pods. Spend your two days on game drives across the floodplain, canoe trips on the Zambezi, guided walks and, if you like, a night on the Star Bed above Parachute Pan. Lion, leopard and wild dog are seen regularly. Walks are for ages 13 and up and canoeing for 16 and up.
Overnights: Wilderness Ruckomechi

Day 8: Depart via Harare

After an early activity, fly by light aircraft from the valley to Harare and connect to your flight home, usually through Johannesburg. If your flight leaves Harare early in the day, I add a third night at Ruckomechi so you are not rushing the connection.