10 Day Zimbabwe and Chobe NP Tour

Great Zimbabwe’s massive stone walls give this 10-day journey a stronger sense of place than a safari-only holiday. You move from an ancient royal center to the granite hills of Matobo, elephant country in Hwange, Victoria Falls, and the wildlife-packed Chobe River.

I like the small maximum group of 12, which should make transfers and safari vehicles easier to manage. I also like the mix of included highlights: two days in Hwange, a guided Victoria Falls visit, a sunset cruise, and a three-hour Chobe boat safari. The main drawback is the price, $4,395 per person, which does not include optional activities, personal expenses, or gratuities.

• Great Zimbabwe connects the modern country to the stone capital that gave Zimbabwe its name.
• Matobo National Park combines unusual granite formations, rhinos, black eagles, and Cecil John Rhodes’s burial place.
• Hwange gives you two safari days, with elephants as the main attraction and predators possible in the afternoon.
• Victoria Falls includes a guided waterfall visit and a Zambezi sunset cruise, with a free day for optional activities.
• Chobe National Park adds a river safari, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, and birdlife across the border in Botswana.
• A 12-person limit keeps this from feeling like a large coach tour, while airport pickup and transfers simplify a complicated route.

Why this route works so well

This is not a single-focus safari. It is a broad introduction to southern Africa, linking archaeology, wildlife, scenery, and one of the world’s best-known waterfalls.

You begin in Harare and finish at Victoria Falls Airport, with the route moving west through Zimbabwe before crossing into Botswana for Chobe. That gives you several different experiences in one trip, but it also means you spend time on the road. If you want a slow, lodge-based safari, this schedule may feel busy. If you want to see the major sights without arranging several separate tours, the route makes good sense.

DK Tours & Safaris handles the transfers and activities. Webster is named as a guide who has helped with customized trips, while Owen and Enock have also been involved in safari operations and transfers. The small group size is useful here because this is a transport-heavy holiday with several border and park movements.

Harare is your practical starting point

On arrival at Harare International Airport, you are transferred to Jacana Gardens Lodge for the night. The first day is deliberately light, which is sensible after an international flight.

If your arrival time allows, you may add an optional city tour. Suggested possibilities include Harare Gardens, art galleries, farm produce markets, and townships. These options give you a chance to see more of the capital, but they are not part of the core included program, so you should treat arrival day mainly as time to get settled.

The overnight in Harare also gives the tour a clean starting point. You are not expected to land and immediately begin a long safari drive.

Great Zimbabwe puts the trip in context

The second day takes you to Great Zimbabwe National Monument near Masvingo. This is the historical anchor of the route.

The ruined stone city was built between the 11th and 15th centuries and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the Late Iron Age. The site covers about 722 hectares, and at its height it may have supported up to 18,000 people.

The name matters. The independent country adopted Zimbabwe from Great Zimbabwe, so this is not just another old ruin added to a sightseeing list. The stone walls are part of the country’s national identity.

You have the day to explore the monument, with admission included. The schedule describes a full 12-hour day, so expect this to be a substantial stop rather than a quick photo break. Bring comfortable shoes and sun protection, since the site is large and the visit involves walking.

One practical point: the tour summary gives Harare as the starting location, while Great Zimbabwe is near Masvingo. The provided schedule does not state the exact transfer time or accommodation details for this night, so ask DK Tours & Safaris for the day’s driving plan before booking.

Matobo brings granite hills and rare wildlife

Day three focuses on Matobo National Park, also called the Matopos. This area is known for huge granite formations and unusual rock scenery, a sharp change from the stone walls of Great Zimbabwe.

Matobo supports a wide range of wildlife, including white rhinos, sable antelope, impala, and leopard. The park is also noted for black eagles and has the highest concentration of them in the area described for this tour.

The leopard detail is especially interesting. The park has a dense leopard population because hyrax are plentiful, and hyrax make up about half of the leopard’s diet. You are not promised a leopard sighting, but the habitat gives the search a clear ecological reason.

The western game park has been restocked with white and black rhinos and is managed as an Intensive Protection Zone for those species. That makes Matobo an important conservation stop, not simply a scenic drive.

Cecil John Rhodes is buried among the Matobo Hills. His grave is one of the better-known historic points here, though the park’s wildlife and granite formations are just as important. Admission is listed as free for this day, but the schedule does not provide a detailed activity breakdown or confirm the night’s lodging.

Hwange gives you two proper safari days

After breakfast on day four, you drive about three hours to Hwange National Park, arriving in time for lunch. The afternoon includes a game drive in the Hwange Safari Lodge estate, which borders the main park with no fences between them.

That boundary detail matters. Wildlife can move through the adjoining area, so the lodge setting is not simply a place to sleep before entering the park. The afternoon drive is timed for predator activity, with lions, leopards, and cheetahs among the animals you may look for.

Hwange is particularly famous for elephants. The park is described as home to more than 65,000 elephants, and during the dry season they gather around water points, especially in the afternoon. That creates the possibility of close, memorable elephant sightings, but it also means the experience is shaped by season and water availability.

Other possible species include rhino, buffalo, impala, kudu, sable, lion, leopard, and cheetah. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, so I would judge this part by the quality of time spent searching, not by a promise of a particular animal.

Day five gives you another full day in Hwange. That second day is valuable. Safari sightings depend on weather, water, animal movement, and plain luck. A second game drive gives you another chance at predators and lets you watch common animals more closely instead of treating every sighting as a race to the next one.

The schedule allows you to return to the lodge earlier if you have seen what you hoped to see. That flexibility is useful, although you should confirm how much of the day is spent in the park and what game-drive vehicle arrangements apply.

Victoria Falls adds spectacle without rushing the visit

On day six, you drive about two hours on tarred roads to Victoria Falls. After checking in, you take a guided waterfall tour lasting about three hours.

The visit includes the Victoria Falls rainforest, large baobab trees in the Zambezi National Park area, and an artifacts market. The waterfall itself is the main event, but the surrounding walk gives you a fuller sense of the setting. Depending on spray and conditions, you may want a waterproof layer, though the supplied details do not specify what equipment is provided.

At 4 p.m., you are collected for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Drinks and snacks are included, and you return to the hotel around 7 p.m. This is a good pairing with the waterfall walk: the morning or afternoon is spent on foot, then the evening shifts to open water and changing light.

Day seven is free. You can use the hotel swimming pool, shop, or pay for an optional activity. Options listed include a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls, canoeing on the upper Zambezi, bungee jumping, visiting the falls from the Zambia side, and walking with lions.

The free day is one of the trip’s strongest design choices. Victoria Falls has enough paid activities to fill several days, and you can choose based on your budget and comfort level rather than being pushed through a fixed schedule. Dinner at the Boma Restaurant is also listed for this evening.

Keep the extra cost in mind. Optional tours are not included in the $4,395 price, so ask for current prices before deciding how much spending money to bring.

Chobe begins with a memorable river safari

Day eight crosses into Botswana’s Chobe National Park. Departure is from your Victoria Falls hotel, with about an hour of driving to the Botswana border. Border formalities and a safety briefing come first, followed by a transfer to the Chobe River jetty.

The three-hour boat cruise begins at 9 a.m. and ends around 12:30 p.m. This is one of the most distinctive parts of the trip because you view wildlife from the river rather than from a safari vehicle.

The Chobe River attracts elephants and buffalo, along with hippos, crocodiles, and many birds. Elephants often come down to the water, giving you a useful angle for watching their behavior. A boat also lets you cover the river edge without the jolting movement of a long game drive.

Lunch is provided after the cruise, described as a substantial buffet. The schedule then includes a camp stay and further safari activity, though the exact camp name and accommodation details are not supplied. Ask about bedding, bathroom arrangements, and the timing of the afternoon activity if those details matter to you.

The final Chobe morning targets big cats

Day nine begins early with tea or coffee and a quick continental breakfast. You pack up camp and take a final game drive toward the exit gate.

Early morning is chosen because nocturnal animals may still be active, while predators can remain near a recent kill. The schedule specifically points to big cats as a goal, though sightings are never certain.

You are dropped at Chobe Safari Lodge around 10 a.m. The rest of the day is for relaxing, shopping, or joining an optional afternoon boat cruise on Chobe National Park. This makes the final day less demanding than the previous morning, but the optional cruise will add to your cost.

On day ten, you are transferred to Victoria Falls Airport. Departure timing depends on your flight, so do not book a flight that leaves too soon unless DK Tours & Safaris confirms the transfer time and border requirements.

What the $4,395 price gives you

At $4,395 per person, this is a major holiday purchase. The value depends on how much you would otherwise spend arranging the same route independently.

The price covers a complicated chain of airport pickup, intercity transfers, park visits, game drives, a Victoria Falls tour, a sunset cruise, and the Chobe river safari. It also includes nine breakfasts, lunch, and three dinners as listed in the inclusions. Those meals reduce daily planning, though the wording does not specify exactly which lunches are covered across every day.

You still pay for optional tours, personal expenses, and tips. Victoria Falls is where the extras can grow quickly, particularly if you choose a helicopter flight, bungee jumping, or several paid excursions.

I see the strongest value in the guiding and logistics. You do not need to arrange Zimbabwe and Botswana transport, work out the park sequence, or manage the Chobe border crossing alone. The weaker value comes if you want to skip paid extras or prefer to choose every hotel and safari drive yourself.

The maximum group size of 12 is reassuring, but ask whether the same group remains together for every transfer and activity. That detail can affect how personal the experience feels.

Who should book this southern Africa sampler?

I would recommend this tour to you if you want a broad first visit to Zimbabwe and nearby Botswana. It suits someone who wants ancient ruins, wildlife, Victoria Falls, and a river safari in one organized trip.

It is also a good fit if you value having airport pickup, transfers, meals, and guides arranged in advance. The route works well for people who do not want to rent a car or coordinate multiple local operators.

You may want a different trip if your priority is a slow safari with long stays in one park. Great Zimbabwe, Matobo, Hwange, Victoria Falls, and Chobe create variety, but the price of that variety is movement.

A moderate level of physical fitness is required. The tour also depends on good weather, and poor weather can lead to a different date or a full refund. Cancellation terms are strict close to departure: a full refund requires cancellation at least six full days ahead, while cancellations less than two full days before departure are not refunded.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want the big picture rather than one narrow theme. Great Zimbabwe gives the trip historical weight, Matobo adds distinctive rock country and rhino habitat, Hwange provides two days of classic safari, and Victoria Falls and Chobe finish with high-impact water experiences.

Before paying, confirm the accommodation names, exact transfer times, meal coverage, and the price of optional activities. If those details suit your budget, this is a practical way to sample several of southern Africa’s major attractions in 10 days, with DK Tours & Safaris managing the hard connections.

FAQ

Where does the 10-day tour begin?

The tour begins in Harare, Zimbabwe, with pickup from Harare International Airport and a transfer to Jacana Gardens Lodge.

Where does the tour end?

The final transfer is to Victoria Falls Airport. The departure transfer time depends on your flight schedule.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is 12 people.

Is airport pickup included?

Pickup is offered, and the first day includes a transfer from Harare International Airport to Jacana Gardens Lodge.

What are the main parks and attractions visited?

The route includes Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Matobo National Park, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls, and Chobe National Park in Botswana.

Is the Chobe river cruise included?

The day eight Chobe program includes a three-hour boat cruise on the Chobe River. An additional afternoon boat cruise on day nine is optional.

Are optional activities at Victoria Falls included?

No. Optional activities such as a helicopter flight, canoeing, bungee jumping, visiting the Zambia side, and walking with lions are not included.

What meals are included?

The listed inclusions are breakfast for nine days, lunch, and three dinners. The tour also describes drinks and snacks on the Zambezi sunset cruise and a buffet lunch after the Chobe boat cruise.