Zimbabwe Safaris & Tours

Zimbabwe offers remarkable wildlife reserves, ancient heritage sites and dramatic river landscapes, with the best regions to explore including Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Mana Pools, Great Zimbabwe and the Zambezi River.

Victoria Falls: Victoria Falls thunders over a kilometre-wide basalt cliff creating one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls.

Hwange National Park: Hwange protects vast savannah landscapes supporting large elephant herds and diverse wildlife.

Mana Pools: Mana Pools National Park offers exceptional wildlife viewing along the floodplains of the Zambezi River.

Great Zimbabwe: Great Zimbabwe preserves the remarkable stone ruins of a powerful medieval African kingdom.

Zambezi River: The Zambezi River flows through dramatic wilderness landscapes rich in wildlife.

The best time to travel to Zimbabwe for wildlife viewing, hiking and adventure touring is generally May to October, when cooler temperatures make exploring national parks more comfortable.

Zimbabwe has a warm subtropical climate with distinct dry and wet seasons. Temperatures typically range between 10°C and 30°C (50°F–86°F).

The rainy season from November to April brings greener landscapes and flowing rivers, including spectacular water levels at Victoria Falls.

Zimbabwe is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Shona (official), Ndebele (official), English (official; used for government/business), 13 minority languages (official, incl. Xhosa)

From April 2024, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced the introduction of a new currency, Zimbabwe gold (ZiG), to replace the Zimbabwe dollar ($ZWL). This affects the local purchase of goods such as supermarkets, local shops, fuel stations, local businesses etc.

For local purchase of goods, payments can only be made using the Zimbabwe gold (ZiG), Our local guides will advise you while on tour as to how best to handle the situation and also assist with changing money at appropriate bank tellers or currency exchanges when needed. Change only what you need for drinks and snack purchases, and local goods/souvenirs.

Payment in tourism areas such as Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park is still in US Dollars Cash, including the entrance fee to Victoria Falls, national park fees, KAZA Univisa and visa entry fees, tourism activities, hotel extras, etc.

Take sufficient cash to cover your needs for the duration of your travel. We recommend that you travel with USD cash (printed from 2009 onwards), EUR or ZAR cash. You cannot get any foreign currency in Zimbabwe so bring this with you. Large denomination bills such as 50’s or 100’s are not accepted so we recommend bringing smaller denominations while you are travelling.

For US Dollars Cash, do not bring any older issued notes with “small heads” (pre 2009) as they are not accepted in Zimbabwe or Zambia. It is important that you ensure that your notes are clean and undamaged, as many banks and currency exchanges will not accept dirty, damaged or torn notes. Please also avoid bringing US$100 notes, as there is a high incidence of forged notes around and they may not be accepted.

Visa & Mastercard are accepted in major and tourist centres such as Victoria Falls. Outside these areas it is difficult to use (credit cards widely accepted except in rural areas). Check with hotels and other service providers whether credit card payments will be accepted. Note that merchant fees can be high on credit card purchases.

Amex and Diners are not readily accepted.

Travellers cannot withdraw cash from international debit cards through ATMs, however international credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) may be accepted at some bank machines. ATM's are not readily accessible.

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Electricity in Zimbabwe is 240 Volts, at 50 hertz. The most common pin types are D (3 pin round) and G (UK – 3 prong).

You will need to complete an Online Declaration before arrival into Zimbabwe: https://evisa.gov.zw/app/index.html#/home

Visas are required for Zimbabwe for all the following nationalities and can be obtained at the border/ on arrival. These visa fees are payable (in cash only) on arrival at port of entry and are subject to change without notice:

United States of America US$ 30 single entry; US$ 45 double entry

United Kingdom US$ 55 single entry; US$ 70 double entry

Canada US$ 75 single entry only; double entry not available

Australia US$ 30 single entry; US$ 45 double entry

New Zealand US$ 30 single entry; US$ 45 double entry

A common tourist visa was recently introduced for Zambia and Zimbabwe known as the (KAZA) UNIVISA. The US$50 Univisa (recommend to pay in cash) is valid for 30 days and allows the bearer to enter both Zambia and Zimbabwe. So if you think you will cross into Zambia even for a short period from Zimbabwe (eg. to look at Victoria Falls from that side), then it is better to purchase the Univisa. Full details including ports of entry issuing the Univisa, the eligible countries and more are available here: https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/kaza-univisa/

Keep in mind that if you are visiting Botswana for longer than a day trip, you will need to get a single entry visa (for Zambia or Zimbabwe depending on where you land) or a Univisa (if you plan to visit both Zambia and Zimbabwe), then visit Botswana and on return, will need to purchase another single entry visa or Univisa. In other words – if you have a Univisa but leave the joint Zambia/Zimbabwe area, you will have to buy a new visa on re-arrival.

All other nationalities should check with your nearest embassy or consulate.

Visa requirements do change regularly so we suggest you check with your travel agent or reservations consultant.

Your safety is our number one concern. Our safety track record is exemplary thanks to careful management and thorough consultation with local partners. Our industry leading risk management procedures have become a skill that we continue to refine. Our leaders in the field are highly trained and have safety as their number one priority. Expert leaders, risk assessments, quality inclusions and your financial security all come standard when you travel with us.

Please refer to our Travel Advisory page for updates on recent events, travel warnings and advice.

We strongly recommend that all clients take out travel insurance at the time of booking to cover against sickness, accident, loss of baggage, unexpected alterations to travel arrangements and travel disruption, emergency evacuation, cancellations, etc. Insurance information is enclosed with your pre-departure information. Please contact us if you would like to obtain a quote for your trip duration.

We suggest that you consult your doctor, local government inoculation centre or a travel medical specialist in order to get the most current advice regarding vaccination requirements.

Money and valuables should always be stored safely when travelling. Keep your passport with you at all times and do not leave it in your main luggage. You will need it to change money and check into hotels. Where safety deposit boxes are available, we recommend that you use them. Keep jewellery and valuables to a minimum.