Compare 8 Hwange National Park safaris departing from Victoria Falls, ranging from full-day game drives to 3-day Big Five safaris with overnight accommodation inside the park. Tours include hotel pickup, professional guides, and meals, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Free Cancellation Full-day jeep safari from Victoria Falls to Hwange, 6:30am departure, about 11 hours in the park with lunch at a waterhole.
Free Cancellation 12-hour day trip from Victoria Falls to Hwange, with hotel pickup, guide, and minivan transport included.
Free Cancellation Two-day safari from Victoria Falls with three game drives, a night drive, and one night inside the park.
Free Cancellation 13-hour safari from Victoria Falls: 2-hour transfer, full-day open 4x4 game drive in Hwange with picnic lunch.
Free Cancellation Two-day Hwange safari from Victoria Falls with hotel pickup, all meals and a night's lodging included.
Free Cancellation Full-day open 4x4 safari in Hwange from Victoria Falls, about 12 hours with 194 km transfer each way.
Free Cancellation Two-night camping safari in Hwange, departing 8:30am from Victoria Falls with a Painted Dog Sanctuary stop.
Free Cancellation 3-day Big Five safari from Victoria Falls with lodge stays, open 4x4 game drives, and all meals included.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Hwange National Park — from practical tips to personal highlights.
Every tour from Victoria Falls starts with a 190-200 km drive on the Bulawayo road, roughly three hours each way, before you even reach the game-drive loops around Main Camp. What you get in return is Zimbabwe's largest park — 14,651 km² of Kalahari sand, teak woodland and pumped waterholes holding up to 50,000 elephants in the dry season, about a tenth of Africa's total. Most day tours put you in an open 4x4 with a licensed guide for six to eight hours inside the park; overnight versions add night drives and dawn game viewing that day trips physically can't reach.
July to October, hundreds of elephants can crowd a single pumped waterhole at midday. Guides work the Nyamandhlovu Pan and Masuma Dam area, where breeding herds, bulls and buffalo come to drink within metres of your vehicle. Keep the engine off and your voice low — the noise of 40 elephants drinking is something you'll remember.
The dry season strips the vegetation back, and Hwange's prides — some up to 20 strong — become far easier to find. Leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena also show up, though guides will tell you the cats are never guaranteed. Your driver coordinates by radio with other vehicles, which is how most lion sightings get found.
Hwange holds one of Africa's largest wild dog populations, with June-August denning season the best window. Sightings happen on game drives, but the three-day tours also stop at the Painted Dog Conservation Centre near Dete on the drive in, where resident rescued dogs guarantee you a close look either way.
The core of any tour: six to eight hours in an open safari vehicle on gravel and sand tracks, averaging 25-30 km/h between sightings. Picnic lunches are served at waterhole viewing points, so you eat while watching whatever comes to drink. Bring a layer — winter mornings on an open vehicle start at 4-6°C.
Only overnight tours and lodges on private concessions run after dark, and this is the single biggest argument for spending a night. Spotlighting turns up brown hyena, bat-eared fox and springhare — dry-country animals you'll almost never see from a day-trip jeep. The 2-day tours build in one night drive alongside three daytime drives.
Raptors, rollers and Kalahari specialists sit at the eastern edge of their range here. Guides point out species between mammal stops, and the November-March green season adds migratory birds to the list. Bring binoculars if the park's birds matter to you — the lodge vehicles rarely carry spares.
The tours on this page range from a $270 day trip to a $950 three-day lodge safari, and the differences between them are bigger than the price gap suggests. Here's what to sort out before you pay.
A day tour means roughly 360-400 km of driving in one day with about six to eight hours actually inside Hwange — worthwhile, but you'll miss the dawn and dusk hours when animals move most. Two-day tours ($764-820) add a night drive and early morning drive. Three-day versions ($834-950) split time between the national park and a private concession. If Hwange is your main safari, book the overnight.
Most day tours exclude the ZimParks conservation fee — US$24 per international day visitor, payable in cash at the entrance gate. The $370 full-day tour is the exception, with admission and entrance fees bundled in. The $950 Big Five safari also covers Hwange National Park entry fees. Budget US$24-30 extra per person on the cheaper options.
August and September are the busiest months, and waterhole-front lodging inside the park sells out months ahead for June-October. Day trips can often be booked a few days out, but the 24-hour free cancellation window means last-minute dry-season bookings are a gamble. Book overnight safaris three to six months ahead if you want prime elephant season.
All tours collect from Victoria Falls hotels and lodges; pickups start between 06:00 and 08:30 depending on the tour. The Big Five safari covers accommodation within a 10 km radius of town plus Victoria Falls International Airport. Coming from Livingstone, Zambia? One operator charges US$25 per person for border transfers and bridge fees — check before booking.
Four of the eight tours listed are wheelchair accessible, including transport and surfaces, so day-tripping with limited mobility is genuinely possible. Game viewing happens from the vehicle, which suits wheelchair users well. Overnight options are less adapted — ZimParks rest camps are basic, and only some private lodges like The Hide have ramps and accessible decking.
Day tours accept infants on laps and offer infant seats; one requires a minimum of two people per booking. All of them list suitability for any fitness level since you're seated all day. Overnight walking elements are minimal — walking safaris with armed rangers exist but are arranged separately through lodges.
Every tour on this page offers a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. That's a tight window for weather changes — October thunderstorms or a washout can't be predicted three weeks out. Consider travel insurance for the pricier multi-day options, where $820-950 is at stake.
Standard inclusions are hotel pickup and drop-off, bottled water, a guide and lunch. The 2-day tours add accommodation, breakfast and dinner. Watch the exclusions lists — "Other" entries usually mean gratuities, drinks beyond water, and park fees, which is where the real cost sits. Vegetarian meals are available on request at booking.
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| Open 4x4 Day Trip | Minivan Full-Day Tour | 2-Day Safari | 3-Day Big Five Safari | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 12-13 hours | 12 hours | 48 hours | 72 hours |
| Price from (USD) | $270-370 | $275 | $763.89-820 | $834-950 |
| Best for | Travellers with limited time who want the classic open-vehicle safari experience | Families and anyone preferring a closed, air-conditioned vehicle with easier wheelchair and stroller access | First-time safari-goers who want night and dawn game viewing without a long trip | Wildlife-focused travellers who want maximum time on game drives across the park and a private concession |
| Includes | 6-8 hours inside the park in an open 4x4, licensed guide, picnic lunch at a waterhole, hotel pickup. Park fee ($24) excluded on most — the $370 version includes it | Air-conditioned minivan transport, local guide, light refreshments, pickup from all Victoria Falls hotels. Minimum 2 people per booking | One night's accommodation, 3 game drives plus 1 night drive, all meals, park and lodge transfers. Rated 3.8-5.0 across operators | 2 nights' lodge accommodation, full board, open 4x4 drives day and night, entry fees (on the $950 version), Painted Dog Sanctuary stop, airport or hotel pickup |
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Day-visitor gates are currently listed as 08:00 to 16:30, while ZimParks' management plan records gate opening of 6am to 6:30pm in summer — the discrepancy is real, so confirm with your camp or tour operator before travel.
You may only drive between official gate opening and closing times, and you must be back in camp or out of the park before the gates shut. ZimParks has signalled that summer hours may be extended.
Gates closing is strictly enforced, and speeding toward a closing gate is a known accident risk. Plan the last hour of any self-drive day with margin to spare.
From Victoria Falls, drive about 172 km on the surfaced Bulawayo road to the Cross Mabale junction, then 23 km on tar to Main Camp — roughly 200 km and 3 hours total. Any vehicle handles this route; watch for potholes and heavy trucks.
Most tours from Victoria Falls pick up between 06:00 and 08:30 and run the same road. Charter flights (25-60 minutes from Victoria Falls airport) land at Main Camp and Robins Camp airstrips with prior permission from Main Camp — there are no scheduled flights.
Internal roads near Main Camp suit a sedan, but Robins, Sinamatella and the southern park need a high-clearance 4WD, especially November-March. Average speeds inside run 25-30 km/h, so budget generously.
June to October is the dry season and the best window: wildlife concentrates at pumped waterholes, grass thins for visibility, and days sit at 25-32°C. September and October are prime elephant months, with hundreds gathering at single waterholes in the midday heat.
Nights are cold in mid-winter — 4-6°C in August — so open-vehicle mornings demand a fleece, beanie and gloves. October pushes into the low 30s°C. August-September are the busiest months; June and November offer a quieter, cheaper shoulder.
Day tours from Victoria Falls run year-round; overnight safaris are worth booking around July-October if elephants are the point of the trip.
Game viewing happens from vehicles, which makes Hwange workable for wheelchair users despite the park's wild, sandy terrain. Four of the tours from Victoria Falls list full wheelchair accessibility, including transport and surfaces.
Inside the park, The Hide lodge offers ramps, single-level decking, wide doorways, the front seat on game drives and staff assistance. Government rest camps at Main, Sinamatella and Robins are simple and not specifically adapted — travellers needing accessibility should book private lodges and request adapted vehicles in advance.
Children are welcome; rules require staying in the vehicle except at designated sites, and ZimParks specifically cautions about elephants with calves. Check lodge minimum ages when booking overnight stays.
Facilities are limited to the three government camps — Main, Sinamatella and Robins — each with a restaurant, a small grocery shop and an unreliable filling station. Bring enough food and drinking water for your whole stay.
Picnic sites with toilets sit at Shumba, Ngweshla, Masuma, Deteema, Kennedy 1 and Mandavu, and several double as waterhole viewpoints. Overnight sites (max 6 people) cost US$165 local / US$235 international per site per night; ordinary campsites run US$12/US$23 per site (max 3 people).
ZimParks recommends all of the above, plus offline maps (Tracks4Africa) and a satellite phone for remote areas.
Stay inside your vehicle except at designated picnic sites, platforms and hides. The in-park speed limit is 40 km/h, and elephants get right of way — never crowd or cut off breeding herds, and if one mock-charges, reverse away slowly.
Park fees are pegged in US dollars: US$24 per international day visitor (US$12 if accommodated), plus US$10/day for a foreign-registered vehicle. Local visitors pay reduced rates and may pay in local currency.
On the highway back to Victoria Falls, don't drive after dark — unlit roads, pedestrians, livestock and potholes. Police checkpoints are common; carry licence, vehicle papers and passport.
Yes, if you have no other window — tours cost US$270-370 and get you six to eight hours of game drives with a licensed guide. But you'll spend roughly three hours driving each way and miss the dawn and dusk hours when animals move most. If Hwange is your main safari, the 2-day tours (US$764-820) add a night drive and early morning drive that day trips can't offer.
Day trips pick up between 06:00 and 08:30 depending on the tour and your hotel location — the 6:30am jeep departure is typical for open 4x4 tours. The drive to Main Camp is 194-200 km on tar, about two and a half to three hours, so you're inside the park by late morning. Plan a 12-13 hour door-to-door day.
Usually not. Most day tours exclude the ZimParks conservation fee — US$24 per international day visitor, payable in cash at the entrance gate. Exceptions include the US$370 full-day tour, which bundles admission, and the US$950 three-day Big Five safari, which covers Hwange entry fees. Check the exclusions list before booking and carry cash.
Very likely between July and October, when up to 50,000 elephants — roughly 10% of Africa's population — gather at the park's pumped waterholes, sometimes hundreds at a single pan. September and October are the strongest months. In the green season (November-March) animals disperse and sightings get much less predictable.
Your odds are good — Hwange holds one of Africa's largest wild dog populations, and sightings improve during the June-August denning season. Three-day tours stop at the Painted Dog Conservation Centre near Dete on the drive in, where resident rescued dogs guarantee a close encounter even if wild packs elude you on drives.
Day tours (US$270-370) give you one long game drive — six to eight hours in the park — plus a picnic lunch at a waterhole. Two-day trips add accommodation, all meals, a night drive for spotting brown hyena and springhare, and an early morning drive. Three-day safaris (US$834-950) cover both the national park and a private concession, with lodge accommodation included.
Several day tours are — the US$275 minivan tour and the US$370 full-day tour both list wheelchair-accessible transport and surfaces. Game viewing from a vehicle suits wheelchair users well since no walking is required. Multi-day options are less adapted; private lodges like The Hide offer ramps and accessible decking, so specify needs when booking.
Neutral-coloured clothing, a hat and sunscreen, plus warm layers — winter mornings on an open 4x4 start at 4-6°C in August, so a beanie and fleece are genuinely needed. Bring cash for park fees (US$24 international), binoculars, and plenty of water. October can exceed 30°C, so sun protection matters year-round.
Yes — several tours offer infant seats and allow small children on laps, and game viewing from a vehicle is inherently safe when rules are followed. ZimParks specifically cautions about elephants with calves, so listen to your guide around breeding herds. Hwange is a malaria zone, so use repellent on children, cover arms and legs at dawn and dusk, and ask a doctor about prophylaxis.
All tours on this page offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. That's a short window, so for the pricier multi-day safaris (US$764-950) consider travel insurance. Weather can also affect the day itself — heavy rain makes internal roads difficult, though the tar route from Victoria Falls stays passable.
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The jeep leaves Victoria Falls town at 6:30am for the drive to Hwange Main Camp, where the game drives begin. You get roughly 11 hours in the park, split into a morning drive, lunch at a waterhole viewing point or picnic site, then an afternoon drive. Departure back to Victoria Falls is late, around 4:30pm, so expect a long day — the trip runs about 24 hours door to door including the drives. The jeep safari covers the park's waterholes, where hippo and crocodile show up alongside elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard. An English-speaking professional guide leads the drive. Over 100 mammal species and 400-plus bird species are recorded in the park. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Victoria Falls, bottled water, and lunch are included. National park fees are not — pay them in cash at the Hwange entrance gate. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This tour runs 12 hours door to door, starting with a 06:00 pickup from your hotel in Victoria Falls. The drive to the park gate is 195 km on tarred roads and takes about two and a half hours, which leaves roughly the rest of the day — around 12 hours on the itinerary clock, with most of it inside Hwange — for game viewing before the return leg. Transport is an air-conditioned minivan with a driver/guide, plus a local guide once in the park. A light refreshment pack and bottled water are included; gratuities and anything listed under "other" extras are not, so budget for lunch separately — it isn't specified as covered. Pickup covers all hotels, lodges, and campsites in and around Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe only. Coming from Livingstone in Zambia? That's an extra US$25 per person for the border and bridge transfers. Guides work in English. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This 48-hour trip runs from Victoria Falls into Hwange and back, built around four game-viewing windows: sunset, night, early morning, and daytime. You get three regular game drives plus one night drive — the night drive is the part a day trip can't offer. Wildlife on the checklist includes elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, and African wild dogs, plus a wide range of birds. You sleep one night inside the park, so the early-morning drive starts from camp rather than from town. A professional English-speaking guide/driver stays with you throughout. Pickup and drop-off from your Victoria Falls lodge are included — the driver waits at the lodge entrance. Also covered: accommodation, lunch, breakfast, sodas, and bottled water. Gratuities and anything listed as "other" are on you. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This is a 13-hour day trip built around one long game drive: pickup from your Victoria Falls hotel between 06:00 and 06:30, a 2-hour transfer to Hwange in an air-conditioned vehicle, then roughly six hours inside the park in an open 4x4 before the drive back. The game drive is guided by a licensed, English-speaking safari guide who tracks elephants, lions, buffalo, giraffes and zebras while explaining animal behaviour and conservation work along the way. A one-hour stop at one of Hwange's waterholes doubles as lunch — a picnic-style bush meal in a shaded spot, with elephants, buffalo and antelope often still in view while you eat. Hotel pickup and drop-off within Victoria Falls, the return transfers, the picnic lunch, bottled water and the guide are all included. Park fees and anything else beyond that list are not. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund. A contact number comes with your booking confirmation in case plans shift that morning.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This tour spends two days and one night inside Hwange instead of cramming it into a day trip. That matters for logistics: the park sits about 190 km from Victoria Falls, so a day tour means roughly 360 km of driving in a safari jeep, most of it spent on the road rather than watching animals. Sleeping at the park cuts that out. Hotel pickup in Victoria Falls is included, and an English-speaking guide runs the trip. You get lunch, dinner, breakfast and accommodation, so the only extra costs are gratuities and anything personal. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This tour spends a full 8 hours inside Hwange National Park in an open 4x4, tracking elephant herds, lions, and wild dogs. The drive from Victoria Falls runs 194 km each way — count on 2-3 hours per leg, so the whole day comes to roughly 12 hours door to door. It's a long day on the road for one long game drive, and that trade-off is yours to make. Your driver-guide meets you at your hotel reception an hour before pickup, holding a board with the lead guest's name and wearing a khaki shirt with a name badge. Guiding is in English. Admission and entrance fees, lunch, and air-conditioned transfer transport are all included. Gratuities are optional. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This 3-day trip starts at 8:30am in Victoria Falls town and drives to Hwange, with an en-route stop at the Painted Dog Sanctuary where you'll get a briefing on the species and its conservation. On arrival at the park, lunch is served at the pitched campsite inside Hwange, followed by an afternoon jeep safari running until evening, when you return to camp for dinner and overnight. The game drives cover Hwange's elephants — the world's largest population — plus lions, leopards, buffalo, rhino, hippos and crocodiles, among over 100 mammal species and 400-plus bird species. Days 2 and 3 follow the same camping-and-game-drive pattern. Pickup is included from all hotels around Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and from Victoria Falls International Airport. Guiding is in English. Lunch, dinner and breakfast are covered, along with park and facility fees; gratuities are extra. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This 3-day safari runs from Victoria Falls into Hwange, with a late afternoon game drive on day 1 and an early morning drive on day 3. In between, you get multiple guided game drives in an open 4x4, covering both the national park and a private concession. Guides lead drives in English and work the areas where wildlife is most active. You stay two nights in safari lodge accommodation, and the price covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus bottled water during transfers. Return road transfers from Victoria Falls, fuel, and tolls are all included, so there's little to budget beyond extras. Pickup is from The Victoria Falls Hotel, Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), or any accommodation within 10 km of Victoria Falls town. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English