9-Day Zimbabwe Safari with Victoria Falls and Great Zimbabwe

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Day 01

Arrival in Victoria Falls and Zambezi Sunset Dinner Cruise

• Meet your driver and transfer to Dzimbahwe Guest Lodge, a comfortable lodge located in the peaceful area of Victoria Falls, closer to the game corridor, approximately 3 km from the central falls, where you will stay for two nights.
• Later, head out to enjoy a spectacular sunset dinner cruise on the magnificent Zambezi River, followed by a freshly prepared four-course meal served on board by the chefs.
• See hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and many birds crossing the river to feed on the islands.

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Day 02

Victoria Falls Rainforest, Village Tour and Boma Dinner Show

• After breakfast, go through the Victoria Falls Rainforest, known to the natives as Mosi-Oa-Tunya. This journey not only affords a view of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but also provides many interesting facts about the geology, wildlife, and history of Africa's most famous landmark.
• Later, after the Falls tour, enter the world of the traditional people of rural Zimbabwe on a village tour. This experience gives you a greater understanding of how the local community lives.
• A visit to a local Zimbabwean village is an eye-opening and interactive outing, providing insight into the old ways of the Zimbabwean people and essentially taking you back in time. Most rural Zimbabwean folk are subsistence farmers, so they have little interaction with urban centres apart from selling surplus produce.
• Polish off the day in the evening by enjoying the Boma Dinner & Drum Show, a "must-do" Victoria Falls dining and entertainment experience specializing in traditional African food, drumming, and dancing. The food is cooked and served in the style and quantity of a lavish feast, including irresistible desserts. You are dressed in a chitenge (traditional sarong) and welcomed into a vibrant atmosphere on arrival. The tantalizing aromas of local dishes and game meat on the braai (barbecue) fill the restaurant, which is partially open to the star-filled African sky.

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Day 03

Drive to Hwange and Night Game Drive

• Travel through Hwange, a rustic and charming town, to Ganda Lodge, which overlooks a natural waterhole and remains unperturbed by the presence of human beings.
• After lunch, take some time to rest as you await pickup by an experienced and informative guide for a night game drive through an estate harbouring nocturnal animals such as hyenas, genets, civets, and more.

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Day 04

Full-Day Safari in Hwange National Park

• Enjoy a full-day game drive into Hwange National Park, situated in western Zimbabwe. It is the country's biggest game reserve and home to a profusion of wildlife, including giraffe, lion, zebra, and approximately 40,000 elephants. It also provides a sanctuary for all the country's endangered species, including a population of wild dogs thought to be among the most sizeable surviving groups on the continent.
• Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue through the park's magnificent terrain, which ranges from desert dunes, savannah lands, and mopane woodlands to rocky outcrops and sparse forests, before having a sundowner in nature.
• Finish the day with dinner at the lodge and some time to relax before tomorrow's early morning drive to Matobo Hills.

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Day 05

Journey to Matobo Hills via Bulawayo

• Depart the lodge after breakfast with your driver for the drive to Matobo Hills Lodge.
• Pass through Bulawayo, the gateway to Matobo National Park and the second-largest city in Zimbabwe. The largest city in the country's Matabeleland region has wide tree-lined avenues, parks, and charming colonial architecture. After a 52 km drive from Bulawayo, you will arrive at Matobo Hills Lodge for check-in at this fantastic lodge, where large sunlit windows offer breathtaking views of the Matobo Hills and the secluded bush surrounds.
• Towards sundowner, you can either choose to hike up the rocky hill near the lodge to enjoy a fantastic sunset view of Matobo National Park or relax by the poolside.

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Day 06

Rhino Tracking and Rock Art in Matobo National Park

• Get ready for an unforgettable Matobo day trip within Matobo Hills and National Park by visiting one of Africa's hidden gems, known for its impressive scenery, huge granite boulders, and various animal species.
• Go rhino tracking on foot and see ancient Bushmen paintings.
• Be treated to a three-course lunch by your guide.
• Head to see Cecil John Rhodes' grave, accompanied by beautiful sunset scenery along the way.

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Day 07

Drive to Great Zimbabwe via Masvingo

• Have breakfast, check out of the hotel, and head to Great Zimbabwe with your driver for an almost 4-hour drive, passing through Masvingo, a small town with palm-lined wide streets and rather dilapidated buildings. It is 27 km away from the Great Zimbabwe Ruins.
• Check in to the Lodge at the Ancient City, built in the same style as Great Zimbabwe and providing stunning views across the valley of Msasa. The lodge offers distinctive accommodation for guests, with furnishings that provoke thoughts of royal dwellings from African legends.

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Day 08

Great Zimbabwe Ruins Tour and Transfer to Harare

• This morning after breakfast, you will check out from the lodge and your driver will take you to meet your guide, who will walk with you on a tour of the ruins of this ancient place for almost 3 hours, giving you insight into the grandeur of Great Zimbabwe. The ruins are known as the greatest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa. This World Heritage-listed site is one of the nation's most treasured sights, so much so that the country was named after it.
• After the tour, head to Harare, the capital, where you will stay overnight at Cresta Lodge Harare. Before reaching your lodge, you will drive through Harare, the most populous city in Zimbabwe. It is laid-back, with wide avenues lined with dusty red earth, indigenous plants, and blooming jacarandas, giving it a lovely African summertime feel.

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Day 09

Departure from Harare

• After an interesting trip, drive through some of Zimbabwe's most popular sites. Check out from Cresta Lodge after breakfast, then transfer with your driver to Harare International Airport to catch your flight.