Zimbabwe & Botswana In Style

Fly overnight from London Heathrow to Victoria Falls.

Arrive at Victoria Falls Airport and meet your local guide. He’ll take you straight to the 5-star Anantara Stanley & Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel, your base for the next three nights. This serene retreat lies in a private game reserve on the edge of Victoria Falls.

Enjoy a welcome cocktail in the main lounge and then check into your elegant suite. You’ll have free time to stroll through tranquil grounds and settle in before your welcome dinner, a sumptuous five-course chef’s table experience paired with South African wines.
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After breakfast, take a tour of Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The UNESCO-listed falls are known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke That Thunders, after the rumble and immense spray caused by 600 million litres of water per minute crashing over a 110-metre-high gorge. Wander rainforest trails with your guide, stopping at panoramic viewpoints where you can admire the falls.

Afterwards, enjoy lunch at The Lookout Café, perched on the edge of nearby Batoka Gorge. As you dine, savour sweeping views of Victoria Falls Bridge and the Zambezi River over a hundred metres below. The rest of the afternoon is yours to decompress at your hotel; lounge by the pool, explore the gardens, then opt to dine indoors or on the patio overlooking the waterhole.
(B, L) 

Spend a free day relaxing at your resort. After a leisurely breakfast, take advantage of the facilities; go for a swim or book a spa session for an open-air massage or facial accompanied by the sounds of nature. You can also choose from a range of optional excursions in the reserve, from a guided game walk to a rhino safari. 
If you’re feeling adventurous, book a helicopter flight for aerial views of Victoria Falls, dubbed the Flight of Angels (12 minutes, pre-bookable). 

In the late afternoon, you’ll be collected from the hotel for a dinner cruise down the Zambezi. Watch the sunset over the water as you sail down the river, looking out for resident hippos, crocodiles and colourful birds along the way, while sipping drinks from the open bar. After the sun sets, you’ll be served a four-course dinner on board.
(B, D) 

This morning, have a final breakfast at the hotel and then take an hour-long flight from Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park. This is Zimbabwe’s largest national park, spanning nearly 6,000 square miles; once a royal hunting ground, it’s now one of Africa’s top conservation areas and home to the Big Five.

You’ll land at Shumba airstrip and board a safari vehicle with a guaranteed window seat for unobstructed views. Get your first taste of the park with a short game drive to the 5-star Camp Hwange, where you’ll stay for two nights and discover the park’s wildlife-rich terrain with a guide. Settle into your canvas-walled, en-suite bungalow with thatched roof, take a dip in the pool and enjoy dinner with views of the waterhole.
(B, L, D) 

Rise early for a game drive where your expert guide will point out some of Hwange’s impressive wildlife, which includes 400 bird and over 100 animal species, from big cats to impala, hyenas and wild dogs. Stop at logpile hides to observe animals drinking at waterholes and traverse biodiverse habitats, from mopane woodlands to teak forests and kopje-spotted savannahs.

Return to camp for breakfast followed by free time to unwind and cool off with a swim. Lunch is served by the reservoir-style pool, which has a raised deck overlooking the waterhole. This afternoon, choose between another 4x4 safari drive or a guided bush walk where you’ll learn about the park’s flora and seek out animal tracks and dens. Have dinner in camp with drinks around the firepit beneath the stars.
(B, L, D) 

Say goodbye to Hwange this morning and fly back to Victoria Falls. From here, you’ll continue by road to Chobe National Park, passing through the famous Kazungula border post, where four African countries meet on the Zambezi River. Chobe is known for having the largest concentration of elephants in Africa and they’re easily spotted along the Chobe River.

Your base in the park is Elephant Valley Lodge, which is surrounded by the peaceful wilderness of the African bush and overlooks the Lesoma Valley, a wildlife corridor between Chobe and Kasane Forest Reserve. Stay in a luxury forest tent for two nights and watch animals gather around the camp’s waterhole. After an afternoon snack, you’ll embark upon a river safari, where you could spot everything from hippos and crocodiles to zebras and giraffes grazing on the banks.
(B, L, D) 

Start your day with an early-morning safari in Chobe National Park. As you traverse some of the park’s 11,000 square kilometres of wilderness in an open 4x4 vehicle, look out for a host of wildlife. Sightings may include lions, wildebeest and antelope species, as well as thousand-strong herds of elephants and buffalos. Afterwards, return to camp for breakfast.

Spend a few hours resting; have a nap, go for a swim or sip drinks by the waterhole followed by a pool-deck lunch. In the afternoon, choose between taking another 4x4 game drive through the park or a river safari for some final wildlife watching. Enjoy a sundowner back at camp followed by dinner, then fall asleep in your tent to the sounds of the African bush.
(B, L, D)

This morning your African adventure comes to an end. Begin the day with a farewell game drive, then check out of your tented lodge. Take in your last views of the landscape on the drive back to Victoria Falls, where you’ll board your homebound flight.
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Arrive back in London.