Unsurpassed Zimbabwe

Ra-Ikane River Cruise

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Step back in time to a more gracious era with an indulgent late-afternoon Zambezi cruise on an elegant vintage-style boat. The three vessels in the Ra-Ikane fleet were inspired by the design of David Livingstone’s expedition craft, the Ma-Robert, and feature plenty of gleaming teak and brass. Carrying just 12 to 16 passengers, along with a captain-guide and a waiter, they’re a wonderfully stylish and intimate venue from which to drink in the beauty of the pristine wilderness.

You’ll depart from the jetty 3.5km above the Falls and glide quietly up the Zambezi and then down in a circular route, admiring the scenery while the crew keep you supplied with canapės and your choice of drinks. This stretch of the river is broad and shallow, and the captain will skillfully steer you through narrow channels between islands teeming with game, sharing his knowledge of local history and wildlife. The Ra-Ikanes’ small size allows them to go where the larger boats can’t, so you’re all but certain to have close encounters with hippos, crocodiles and elephants, along with a host of other animals and birds, along the way.

The grand finale to the 2-hour trip is a dazzling African sunset, with the changing colours of the vast sky reflected in the lake-still water for as far as the eye can see – a truly breathtaking sight. As darkness begins to fall, you’ll return to the jetty for your return transfer to your local hotel.

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Flight of the Angels helicopter flight over the Falls

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

When David Livingstone first saw Victoria Falls, he called it ‘a sight so wonderful that angels must have gazed down on it in flight’. Nowadays, mere mortals can also enjoy a privileged aerial view of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders on a breathtaking helicopter ride, during which you’ll be able to appreciate not just the magnificent waterfall but the sheer scale of the Upper Zambezi and the landscape through which it flows.

When David Livingstone first saw Victoria Falls, he called it ‘a sight so wonderful that angels must have gazed down on it in flight’. Nowadays, mere mortals can also enjoy a privileged aerial view of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders on a breathtaking helicopter ride, during which you’ll be able to appreciate not just the magnificent waterfall but the sheer scale of the Upper Zambezi and the landscape through which it flows.

For the 12-minute trip, inevitably known as the Flight of Angels, you’ll be collected from your hotel for the five-minute drive to the helipad site, with the plumes of spray from the Falls providing an impressive backdrop. After a short safety briefing, you’ll climb aboard a four-seater or six-seater Bell helicopter and, with a whirr of the rotor blades, lift off into the sky for your first bird’s-eye glimpse of ‘the Smoke that Thunders’.  

The pilot will fly left-hand and right-hand circuits over the waterfall in both directions, giving passengers the best viewing, filming and photographing opportunities, before turning to head upstream over the vast Upper Zambezi for about 4km. From here, you’ll return to the helipad over the Zambezi National Park, keeping a lookout for wildlife below you. For even more of an indulgence, there’s also a 25-minute Zambezi Spectacular option, which includes a loop over the dramatic Batoka Gorge below the Falls.

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Elephants of Hwange from Somalisa Camp

Hwange National Park

One of the biggest draws for guests to Hwange is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

Hwange National Park is the largest in Zimbabwe. It is named after a local Nhanzwa chief and was once the royal hunting ground for the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi. The wildlife is astounding. Over 100 species of mammals live here and there are more than 400 species of birds. One of the biggest draws for guests is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

The dry season (July to October) is the best time to visit as large concentrations of wildlife descend to drink from the waterholes. You can get between seven and 10 species – sable, elephant, buffalo, lion and others – around a waterhole at one time, giving each other time to drink. The Zimbabwe national flower, the flame lily, is in bloom too. In the wet season, the rains turn everything green and migrating birds arrive from the Northern Hemisphere. Hwange National Park truly is a year-round spectacle.

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Elephants of Hwange from Somalisa Camp

Hwange National Park

One of the biggest draws for guests to Hwange is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

Hwange National Park is the largest in Zimbabwe. It is named after a local Nhanzwa chief and was once the royal hunting ground for the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi. The wildlife is astounding. Over 100 species of mammals live here and there are more than 400 species of birds. One of the biggest draws for guests is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

The dry season (July to October) is the best time to visit as large concentrations of wildlife descend to drink from the waterholes. You can get between seven and 10 species – sable, elephant, buffalo, lion and others – around a waterhole at one time, giving each other time to drink. The Zimbabwe national flower, the flame lily, is in bloom too. In the wet season, the rains turn everything green and migrating birds arrive from the Northern Hemisphere. Hwange National Park truly is a year-round spectacle.

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Elephants of Hwange from Somalisa Camp

Hwange National Park

One of the biggest draws for guests to Hwange is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

Hwange National Park is the largest in Zimbabwe. It is named after a local Nhanzwa chief and was once the royal hunting ground for the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi. The wildlife is astounding. Over 100 species of mammals live here and there are more than 400 species of birds. One of the biggest draws for guests is the park’s wonderful elephant herds – the tusker elephant population numbers more than 40,000. Activities at Somalisa Camp include walking safaris, game drives and birding trips. When walking you get to bond with nature without the sound of an engine. Walking around the waterholes your guide will show you how to identify tracks of insects, birds and mammals.

The dry season (July to October) is the best time to visit as large concentrations of wildlife descend to drink from the waterholes. You can get between seven and 10 species – sable, elephant, buffalo, lion and others – around a waterhole at one time, giving each other time to drink. The Zimbabwe national flower, the flame lily, is in bloom too. In the wet season, the rains turn everything green and migrating birds arrive from the Northern Hemisphere. Hwange National Park truly is a year-round spectacle.

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Board the ultimate scenic flight from Bumi Hills Safari Lodge

Lake Kariba

Flying across the African bush on a light aircraft is always a fantastic experience, but flying into and out of Lake Kariba is an experience you’ll never forget. Kariba, on Zimbabwe’s northern border, is the world’s largest manmade lake, in terms of volume of water. Seeing it from the air makes you appreciate its vastness – you feel like you’re at the edge of the sea.

Guests book the flight as a way of travelling from A to B and getting between camps but it’s a very special flight. As you cross the countryside on the Bumi to Mana Pools flight, part of the Zambezi river comes into view. You get plenty of time to appreciate the spectacular landscape beneath you while enjoying views of the rugged Matusadona mountain terrain, the islands and the petrified trees.

Flying times are dependent on whether a Cessna or Caravan is being used but the flight from Somalisa to Bumi is around 1 hour 15 minutes and from Bumi to Mana is around 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sometimes you get a glimpse of the Kariba dam wall – a must for any engineers – with its magnificent concrete arch. The amount of water that pours over is quite phenomenal. The pilot will give commentary especially if they see wildlife as sometimes you can see elephants grazing at the shoreline.

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Boat Trips on Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba

Bumi Hills has so much to offer with water-based activities on the lake. A lot of animals come close to the shoreline where there’s plenty of food to eat and you can see these on a boat cruise where you can approach the animals without causing much noise. Lake Kariba is also one of the greatest fishing spots in Africa amd over 240 bird species can be found.

Instead of a game drive you could choose a mid-morning or afternoon fishing trip. There are a lot of different species you can catch but in particular it’s great for tiger fishing and bream. A lot of people who want a challenge choose tiger fishing which is done on a catch-and-release basis. After you catch one, you can weigh it and see how many kilograms it weighs before releasing it back into the lake.

Afternoon boat cruises start at around 4pm to search for animals on the shoreline. The advantage with this is that you can approach the animals without causing much noise. For birding, Kariba’s amazing because there are over 240 bird species reported in the area; darters, cormorants, plovers, Egyptian geese and herons. The cruise then docks somewhere and wait for sunset, probably one of the best you will ever see.

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Safari from Bumi Hills

Lake Kariba

What makes Bumi so special is that they don’t have any other operators nearby so you only see their vehicles in the area. The scenery itself is amazing and, during game drives and walking safaris, you can often see animals, including  elephants, impalas, kudus, waterbucks and baboons, on the shoreline.

Safaris can start very early. There's a great spot for sunrise with a lot of beautiful ‘dead trees’. After that you could do a mid-morning game drive and return for lunch just in time to see large elephants arriving at the shoreline for a mud bath and swim in the lake. You could do the late-afternoon drive with sundowners. Kariba sunsets are amazing. During a night safari you'll be on the lookout for nocturnal species like white-tailed mongooses, owls and maybe even hyenas and genets.

On Kariba, there are certain animals that you can see more often than in many other places and their behaviour is totally different. They are so used to the vehicles which they don’t see as a threat. On a walking safari, there’s a lot to talk about – dandelions, ants and termite mounds as well as animal footprints. How fresh are they? Where are they going? How do trees communicate? There’s so much to learn.

Back to itinerary

Boat Trips on Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba

Bumi Hills has so much to offer with water-based activities on the lake. A lot of animals come close to the shoreline where there’s plenty of food to eat and you can see these on a boat cruise where you can approach the animals without causing much noise. Lake Kariba is also one of the greatest fishing spots in Africa amd over 240 bird species can be found.

Instead of a game drive you could choose a mid-morning or afternoon fishing trip. There are a lot of different species you can catch but in particular it’s great for tiger fishing and bream. A lot of people who want a challenge choose tiger fishing which is done on a catch-and-release basis. After you catch one, you can weigh it and see how many kilograms it weighs before releasing it back into the lake.

Afternoon boat cruises start at around 4pm to search for animals on the shoreline. The advantage with this is that you can approach the animals without causing much noise. For birding, Kariba’s amazing because there are over 240 bird species reported in the area; darters, cormorants, plovers, Egyptian geese and herons. The cruise then docks somewhere and wait for sunset, probably one of the best you will ever see.

Back to itinerary

Safari from Bumi Hills

Lake Kariba

What makes Bumi so special is that they don’t have any other operators nearby so you only see their vehicles in the area. The scenery itself is amazing and, during game drives and walking safaris, you can often see animals, including  elephants, impalas, kudus, waterbucks and baboons, on the shoreline.

Safaris can start very early. There's a great spot for sunrise with a lot of beautiful ‘dead trees’. After that you could do a mid-morning game drive and return for lunch just in time to see large elephants arriving at the shoreline for a mud bath and swim in the lake. You could do the late-afternoon drive with sundowners. Kariba sunsets are amazing. During a night safari you'll be on the lookout for nocturnal species like white-tailed mongooses, owls and maybe even hyenas and genets.

On Kariba, there are certain animals that you can see more often than in many other places and their behaviour is totally different. They are so used to the vehicles which they don’t see as a threat. On a walking safari, there’s a lot to talk about – dandelions, ants and termite mounds as well as animal footprints. How fresh are they? Where are they going? How do trees communicate? There’s so much to learn.

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Safari from Nyamatusi Camp

Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools is a World Heritage Site. It’s more like a floodplain and it’s very flat so walking safaris are relatively easy. There are many acacia trees that draw the animals to the water and its quite open so you can see them from a distance.

You may see wild dogs, lions and elephants standing on their hind legs which is a rare behaviour. They stand on their hind legs to break the branches off the trees, an adaptation started by one of the bull elephants then the other elephants followed.

As you are driven around on a game safari, when you see something interesting you can stop and walk towards it so you don’t have to drive off-road. You really feel at one with nature. Walking is what every guide loves to do because you can actually get close to the animals. You also get to see the smaller things such as antlion that live underground and feed on other insects which you wouldn't get to see from a vehicle.

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Canoeing and fishing on the great Zambezi

Mana Pools National Park

Canoeing trips on the Zambezi normally take place in the afternoon when you’ve got the sun on your back and you’re just flowing down the River Zambezi. You can canoe yourself or you can be accompanied. Fishing, on a catch-and-release basis is best in the morning.

Canadian-style canoes made from fibre; two-man seaters or three-man seaters depending on the number of people are used. 

You may find elephants feeding by the river and sometimes they may cross right in front of you. Keep an eye on the shoreline as lions, waterbucks, impalas and birdlife come to drink in the river. Sundowners are normally set up by the water just when the sun is setting behind the escarpment on the Zambian side. You may hear the hippos honking and elephants from behind you and sometimes you get to hear lions calling.

Fishing is best in the mornings. Fishing is on a catch-and-release basis and done from the banks of the river except during the rainy season when you will fish from a boat. You don’t need to be an expert, you'll be taught by your guide. There’s a large number of bream species, tiger fish, barbel, bubblebarb squeaker, chessa, nkupe among a few of the many fish found in the Zambezi.

Back to itinerary

Safari from Nyamatusi Camp

Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools is a World Heritage Site. It’s more like a floodplain and it’s very flat so walking safaris are relatively easy. There are many acacia trees that draw the animals to the water and its quite open so you can see them from a distance.

You may see wild dogs, lions and elephants standing on their hind legs which is a rare behaviour. They stand on their hind legs to break the branches off the trees, an adaptation started by one of the bull elephants then the other elephants followed.

As you are driven around on a game safari, when you see something interesting you can stop and walk towards it so you don’t have to drive off-road. You really feel at one with nature. Walking is what every guide loves to do because you can actually get close to the animals. You also get to see the smaller things such as antlion that live underground and feed on other insects which you wouldn't get to see from a vehicle.

Back to itinerary

Canoeing and fishing on the great Zambezi

Mana Pools National Park

Canoeing trips on the Zambezi normally take place in the afternoon when you’ve got the sun on your back and you’re just flowing down the River Zambezi. You can canoe yourself or you can be accompanied. Fishing, on a catch-and-release basis is best in the morning.

Canadian-style canoes made from fibre; two-man seaters or three-man seaters depending on the number of people are used. 

You may find elephants feeding by the river and sometimes they may cross right in front of you. Keep an eye on the shoreline as lions, waterbucks, impalas and birdlife come to drink in the river. Sundowners are normally set up by the water just when the sun is setting behind the escarpment on the Zambian side. You may hear the hippos honking and elephants from behind you and sometimes you get to hear lions calling.

Fishing is best in the mornings. Fishing is on a catch-and-release basis and done from the banks of the river except during the rainy season when you will fish from a boat. You don’t need to be an expert, you'll be taught by your guide. There’s a large number of bream species, tiger fish, barbel, bubblebarb squeaker, chessa, nkupe among a few of the many fish found in the Zambezi.

Back to itinerary

Safari from Nyamatusi Camp

Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools is a World Heritage Site. It’s more like a floodplain and it’s very flat so walking safaris are relatively easy. There are many acacia trees that draw the animals to the water and its quite open so you can see them from a distance.

You may see wild dogs, lions and elephants standing on their hind legs which is a rare behaviour. They stand on their hind legs to break the branches off the trees, an adaptation started by one of the bull elephants then the other elephants followed.

As you are driven around on a game safari, when you see something interesting you can stop and walk towards it so you don’t have to drive off-road. You really feel at one with nature. Walking is what every guide loves to do because you can actually get close to the animals. You also get to see the smaller things such as antlion that live underground and feed on other insects which you wouldn't get to see from a vehicle.

Back to itinerary

Canoeing and fishing on the great Zambezi

Mana Pools National Park

Canoeing trips on the Zambezi normally take place in the afternoon when you’ve got the sun on your back and you’re just flowing down the River Zambezi. You can canoe yourself or you can be accompanied. Fishing, on a catch-and-release basis is best in the morning.

Canadian-style canoes made from fibre; two-man seaters or three-man seaters depending on the number of people are used. 

You may find elephants feeding by the river and sometimes they may cross right in front of you. Keep an eye on the shoreline as lions, waterbucks, impalas and birdlife come to drink in the river. Sundowners are normally set up by the water just when the sun is setting behind the escarpment on the Zambian side. You may hear the hippos honking and elephants from behind you and sometimes you get to hear lions calling.

Fishing is best in the mornings. Fishing is on a catch-and-release basis and done from the banks of the river except during the rainy season when you will fish from a boat. You don’t need to be an expert, you'll be taught by your guide. There’s a large number of bream species, tiger fish, barbel, bubblebarb squeaker, chessa, nkupe among a few of the many fish found in the Zambezi.

Back to itinerary