Zimbawbe, the land of untold stories

Location: landlocked by 5 countries located between the Zambezi river and the Limpopo river, in the southern African savannah. On the north, across the Zambezi, Zimbabwe shares the border with Zambia, on the east, it shares the beautiful Bvumba Mountains with Mozambique, on the south, the Limpopo river separates it from South Africa and on the west, Zimbabwe shares the north-east end of the Kalahari with Botswana.

• Area: covers a total area of 390,757 square kilometers (150,872 square miles), roughly calculate 10 times bigger than Belgium, 9 percent larger than Germany and 1.4 smaller than France
• Capital: Harare
• International airports: Harare and Victoria Falls
• Official national language: Engels, Shona, Ndebele
• Population: 15,5 million (2023)
• Currency: USD, make sure you have enough cash with you. Credit cards are accepted in most lodges, shops and restaurants. In the cities you can withdraw money.. if the ATM is working.
• Travel formalities: international passport valid for 6 months after return + visa is required and available on arrival, single entry USD 30 (only cash!)
• Health: no vaccinations required, no risk of yellow fever. There is a significant malaria risk in certain parts of the country and only during the rainy season. Read on for more information. Hospitals are present in the most major cities.
• Power: 240V, 50Hz, sockets type D/G. Get an adaptor.
• Time difference: Belgian summer: none, Belgian winter +1 hour (GMT +2)
• Climate: Zimbabwe enjoys a pleasant temperate to tropical climate year-round, average savannah climate. The seasons are opposite to yours in Europe. In winter (April-August) is mostly moderate dry and sunny with colder nights. In summer (September-May) short, powerful thunderstorms can occur. October is the hottest month. The rainy season runs from November to March, hot and wet. But here too, global warming is leaving its mark. During the rainy season there is a lot of food for the animals and they do not have to move to survive. The landscape becomes green and bushy and therefore more difficult to spot animals. October-December is therefore the only least interesting period to travel to Zimbabwe.

The best time to visit depends on which activities you wish to pursue:

• FOR WILDLIFE: to maximise wildlife viewing, the dry winter months of July-October are the best throughout Zimbabwe
• FOR BIRDLIFE: excellent all-year viewing but the summer months are outstanding, it brings a host of migration species
• FOR VICTORIA FALLS: during and after the rains the falls are full and totally awesome (March-June) but massive amounts of thundering spray may restrain your panorama
• FOR WATERSPORTS: the low water levels on the Zambezi river during winter are the best (August-January), at high water is rafting restricted. Boating, canoeing and fishing year-round.

Main national parks (NP) : Hwange, Victoria Falls, Zambezi, Matobo Hills, Chizarira, Matusadona, Mana Pools, Nyanga, Bvumba, Chimanimani and Gonarezhou

In Southern Africa, malaria occurs in certain parts and in certain months of the year. If you visit these regions, we highly recommend that you obtain malaria advice from us or from the Institute of Tropical Medicine before departure. The Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria are active at dusk and after dark. Most bites can be avoided by covering up at night. We strongly recommend to use a good mosquito repellent DEET 50% and to wear long clothes and socks to cover arms and legs especially around sunrise and sunset. The wet summer months have the highest infection rates.

Twende Africa also offers tailor-made trips to Southern Africa for families with young children, focusing on the comfort of both,  parents and children, without sacrificing the authentic experience. And.. with the mission to put a big smile on the faces of both parents and children. We therefore take the age and the necessities of kids into account when choosing accommodations.

Several lodges are creating specific accommodations and extra activities aimed at families travelling together which can maasively improve your experience on a family holiday.

Accommodation

Zimbabwe offers a wide range of accommodation styles, from top-class luxury in some of Africa’s best hotels and safari lodges to more rustic bush camps, depending on your budget, request and availability, not forgetting the location. The campsites are mostly located in and around the national parks and offer the option of staying overnight in thatched chalets, large tents or a canvas tent. We take adventure accommodations as just a stopover to our next adventure and try by all means to make the best out of it.

An African resistant canvas tent withstands the heat, camouflages and blends nicely with nature, so as to bring you closer to the African giants.