Overview

Flight - 1 night
Victoria Falls - 3 nights
Hwange NP - 2 nights
Chobe NP - 2 nights
Flight - 1 night

Highlights of Zimbabwe & Botswana - 2024

A week of natural wonders begins at the widest cascade of water on earth, Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls; seeks out Africa’s ‘Big Five’ on safaris in Hwange National Park; and crosses to Botswana for the huge herds of elephants in ‘the Land of Giants’, Chobe National Park

Packing fantastic experiences into just one week, this tour dives in at the deep end, Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, where, every minute, 600million litres of Zambezi River water crashes over the 110m-high cataract, creating a permanent heavy spray which, in turn, creates a thriving rainforest on the waterfall’s banks. In a change of scene and tempo, we tour from here to the untamed reserves and abundant wildlife of Zimbabwe and Botswana, where landscapes (and safaris) change with the seasons, from lush long-grass plains during ‘the rains’, usually November to March, to the sun-baked dry months of April to October, when animals are more readily seen as they gather at water resources. Our first visit is to the Painted Dogs Centre, a project protecting the ’wild dogs’, one of the world’s most endangered predators, their coats multi-toned in camouflage colours. We explore Hwange National Park, the former hunting ground of a Matabele king. Now the biggest and, arguably, the best reserve in Zimbabwe, it is regarded as one of Africa’s premier conservation areas; and in Botswana, the Chobe reserve is renowned for its concentration of game, and for the world’s largest population of elephants.

Key Features

Wildlife & Natural Wonders
Jules Verne Sightseeing
Open Vehicle Game Drives
Open Game-Viewing Cruises
UNESCO Site: Victoria Falls
1 Lunch & 4 Dinners
Local Expert Guides

Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow to Victoria Falls, via Addis Ababa or Johannesburg.

Day 2 On arrival, transfer to the 3-star A’Zambezi River Lodge, with a pool and peaceful gardens, on the bank of the upper Zambezi, for a three-night stay.

Day 3 Twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara, the spectacular Victoria Falls are more evocatively known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders’; the constant spray soaking the surrounding rainforest, which is buzzing with birds, insects, and small mammals. Tour the Falls this morning and, in the early evening, enjoy a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. (B)

Day 4 Among optional tours available today, perhaps experience a bird’s-eye-view of the unrivalled cascade with a helicopter flight (12 minutes, £150). (B)

Day 5 Visit the Painted Dog Centre, dedicated to the preservation of the wild dogs. With Zimbabwe one of the species’ last strongholds, the conservation project was founded on research carried out by Hwangwe National Park. Continue to the reserve, its very diverse landscapes sprinkled with waterholes and salt pans, and teeming with wildlife including the Big Five – lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and elephant herds. Two nights at the Hwange Safari Lodge, set by the main gate and boasting its own waterhole. (B, D)

Day 6 In the early morning and afternoon, enjoy open-vehicle game drives in the park, where over 400 species of resident and migratory birds join a hundred types of mammals from cheetahs and warthogs to zebras and giraffes. (B, L, D)

Day 7 Travel through Zambezi National Park and across the Botswana border to Chobe National Park. Spread around the banks of the Chobe River, its floodplains and mahogany forests are home to brilliant birdlife, big cats, buffalo, plains game, waterbuck and, of course, the elephants. Two nights at the Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge, in a super-scenic spot by the Chobe River. (B, D)

Day 8 On an open-vehicle game drive this morning, look out for nimble impala and majestic kudu, wildebeest, civets, and hyenas; and perhaps share the river with hippos and crocodiles during a sunset game-viewing cruise, when elephants are often seen at the water’s edge. (B, D)

Day 9 Travel by road back to Victoria Falls for your return flight via Addis Ababa or Johannesburg. (B)

Day 10 Arrive at London Heathrow.

  • Key
  • B - Breakfast
  • L - Lunch
  • D - Dinner

2024

Fridays
per person in a twin/double room
Ethiopian Airlines from Heathrow

Date Price
June 7 £3995
August 2 £4095
September 6 £4245
Prices Reduced

Save up to £200
(7 June & 2 August)

Supplements per person

Single Supplement

Single supplement £495

Flight Options

Ethiopian Airlines Business Class - On request
British Airways from Heathrow - On request

Optional Excursions

Helicopter flight over the falls £150

Tour Only

Save £800
Arrival transfer add £20
Departure transfer add £50

Price Includes
Air travel and taxes, transfers, 7 nights’ accommodation, breakfast daily, 1 lunch and 4 dinners, park fees, itinerary as described, services of guides and local representatives. If our specially negotiated airfares are unavailable at the time of booking, a supplement may apply.

Not Included
Travel insurance, visa procurement, optional excursions, tipping, porterage, any government taxes or compulsory charges introduced after publication.

Booking Form

Please complete this form and a member of our sales department will contact you as soon as possible to confirm your booking and take payment. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm

Highlights of Zimbabwe & Botswana - 2024

Please enter all passenger details (names as per passport)

Please supply a first name Please supply a surname Please supply an email address Please supply an address Please supply a postcode
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please supply a first name Please supply a surname
Please select a travel date
Please complete all mandatory fields.

Please consider Fitness to Travel, Disabilities and Mobility advice which we give for this tour and confirm that all members of your party are fit and able to take this tour. Please complete the ABTA checklist if you need to declare any disabilities or mobility issues.

  • Please accept the Terms and Conditions

To confirm your booking you will be asked to make a non-refundable deposit payment, or full payment if within 61 days of departure.

From time to time, we may send you details of Jules Verne products (including new brochures), services, and news that we believe will be of interest to you.