Exclusive Zimbabwe Safari: The Best Camps for Africa's Most Authentic Safari

Elephants define the panorama in Hwange, Zimbabwe's largest national park as they roam in huge herds and follow the ancient migratory routes between the Kalahari and the Zambezi. On your game drive transfer to your luxury lodge, you will already begin to lose track of how many elephant herds you have seen. You will have flown from Victoria Falls to the small Hwange airstrip, a convenient flight that maximizes your time on the savanna. For many years, this park was a private royal hunting ground for Nbedele warrior King Mzilikazi, and it has been a protected national park since 1929 and a premier safari destination. But elephants are just the start, as over these three days, you will find over 100 mammal species to discover.

The diversity is what makes Hwange so special. Cheetahs run across the desert sands and towards the antelopes that huddle around waterholes. Lions bask on granite rocky outcrops, imperious predators that watch you closely even as they appear to be sleeping. Giraffe and elephant dominate the woodland, their irrevocable presence also found in the scarred remains of uprooted trees. Gemsbok and brown hyenas battle on open grasslands and the echoed drumbeat of the escaping herds float all the way to your camp. Such distinctive habitats create a very rounded safari experience, with each day exploring a diverse ecosystem with its own collection of specialist animals.

At the heart of it all is your next safari property. Elegant and unassuming, the camp does not interrupt the atmosphere of the landscape. Animals graze in and around your luxury tented suite, the perfect sight as you open your curtains to watch the dusk fade into the night. You will sleep with your ears open to the savanna and hear distant lion calls and the harmonious shouts of primates in the distance. Meals are served beneath the stars, with the odd elephant or giraffe painted along the horizon. Hide Safari is a classic safari camp with just a small handful of tented suites amongst open miles of wilderness.

Each day is privately guided, and you can choose your pace. The classic program is to explore in the early morning and late afternoon, leaving a few hours to relax at the camp around lunch time. But on a private game drive, you can also spend your whole day exploring as you head out into remote corners. Watch lions and leopards on the hunt and admire dozens of ungulates within reach of a waterhole, and then follow the prints to seek out rare wild dogs. There are also options for game walks as you follow designated routes that will bring close to the park's different ungulates. With privately guided activities, you can tailor each day to your interests as your guide will lead you through these three days that will unravel the pure authenticity of an African safari.

Wake to the sounds of elephants and watch the babies as they swing their trunks past the camp. Enjoy your final breakfast in Hwange as you sip an artisan coffee as the giants of Africa rumble past. From here, you will board a light aircraft to the shores of Lake Kariba, where the isolated Matusadona National Park provides your next two days of safari. Buffalo congregate in the thousands as they line the shoreline as pods of hippos fill the center of the lake. Waterbuck and roan antelope graze close by, providing ample food for the famous collection of resident leopards. All of these animals can be spotted directly from your next lodge, an opulent base immersed in the sounds and sights of the shoreline.

With its panoramic lake views, this contemporary lodge is all about the luxury extras that make safari so special. Enjoy massage treatments while watching the hippos, uncork premium wines while watching male buffalo rampage about, and admire the procession of antelopes that come for an evening drink. These two days are also privately guided, with game drives complemented by boat cruises. While Hwange is a park for adventure and exploring, Mutusadona and Lake Kariba are focused on sitting back and allowing the wildlife to come to you.

Your stay includes up to three activities a day, each handcrafted to provide a new angle. Seek out leopards on mountain slopes, the spotted hunter hiding beneath a canopy of acacia trees. Walk to a herd of female buffalo, getting close to their vigorous huffing and curled horns. Cruise past herons and storks and then watch the fish eagles descend on the lake. And most of all, lie back and savor the tranquility of the African wilderness. Nothing artificial breaks the repose as you can glance up from a book to see animals wandering past, or take a nap by the pool and have a baby elephant come by to say hello. For escapism, there's little that can rival Lake Kariba and the charms of Mutusadona.

It will be a short flight across the central Zimbabwean plains to Bulawayo Airport, and then a quick 45-minute road transfer to Matobo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage site of granite domes and ancient rock art. Baboons and zebra guard the entrance to the highest boulders with their black and white contrasting with the sharp red of the stone. A local guide will lead you on a journey by foot, so you will clamber high onto the boulders to explore an enchanting collection of ancient rock art. Stories are told with every painting and narrate messages that were left behind thousands of years before. Spirituality defines the atmosphere, and it will feel as though you are following in the footsteps of Zimbabwe's ancestors as every cave or rock reveals another piece of a mystical history.

Tucked into an ancient San bushman shelter is your next camp, a delightful accommodation that will help you to savor the stories of the past. Panoramic views stretch out from your thatched suite as a bar and swimming pool overlook the local waterhole. This is not just a place of cultural heritage as it remains a home for many of Africa's most famous mammals. You will discover a new collection of antelopes and birds, along with the odd elephant and buffalo, and you will also enjoy exclusive experiences with both black and white rhinos.

Matobo Hills has one of the finest populations of rhino anywhere in Africa, and you will see the two species side by side. As in the time of the bushmen, you can explore on foot as you enter a protected reserve that is home to over 60 rhinos. Black rhinos are bashful and hide among the bushes with their majestic horns and sturdy frames. White rhinos have a confident air and are almost double the size of their cousins. Despite the names, both are gray in color. Throughout the day, you will quickly learn to distinguish the two as you admire their contrasting lips and behavior. There are very few places in the world where it is possible to get so close to rhinos, especially black and white rhinos together and their abundance on these ancient plains will astound you.

Zimbabwe will impress you deeply when viewed from the air. The roads are colored a deep red as swathes of forest and grassland are interspersed by villages of thatched huts. Hills roll towards Mozambique while desert stretches out towards Botswana. Flying between safari destinations saves a huge amount of travel time and ensures you transfer directly from wilderness to wilderness, yet every journey is also a scenic flight and a chance to savor Zimbabwe from the air. You will always have a window seat in the small planes and on some flights, like the one to Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, are private charters.

Touch down in the southeastern corner of Zimbabwe and you will be surrounded by the enchantment of the Greater Kruger ecosystem. Mountain acacia woodlands and ironwood thickets are home to rhino and elephant, while huge baobab trees are as constant as the giraffe. Life revolves around a central lake, the permanent water source for thousands of migratory animals. This is a private game reserve, and access is restricted to a handful of visitors. It is also a very compact wilderness and covers a mere 150,000 acres. In comparison, Hwange National Park is bigger than some US states allowing for a greater sense of intimacy with the landscape. In essence, Malilangwe is like the Greater Kruger in miniature as it pieces together diverse wildlife and habitats.

This region is also home to Zimbabwe's most opulent accommodation. A wood-burning fireplace will dominate your huge sitting room as a viewing deck provides 270-degree views over the savanna. Your personal bar will be stocked with premium wines and spirits while a personal butler will attend to anything you need. Step out of your gorgeous suite and into your bubbling private hot tub that has an endless view. There is also a spa, an old-world library, and various places to enjoy fine dining in the bush. After your adventure around Zimbabwe, this beautiful property is where you will come to reenergize and savor the incredible comforts.

Of course, you must also prepare for a thrilling safari experience as you watch lions pride follow zebra while the lionesses hide in the grass before setting an ambush. Follow the hyenas that scurry across the savanna, their strange faces accompanied by their menacing snarls. Watch an elephant tower over your vehicle and then spot a small herd using their trunks as snorkels. There is a lot to see in a short time, with morning and afternoon game drives celebrating the best of an African safari. You can also head out on bush walks ranging from 30-minute journeys to entire mornings spent on the savanna. When each activity ends, the luxury of your lodge is ideal for watching the rest of the wildlife wander by.

After a relaxed morning, you will fly from Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve to Harare to connect with your international departure. Your game drive to the airstrip is a chance to savor the African savanna and you journey past the famous mammals that have been a constant on this 13-day journey.