Things to do in Hwange
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hwange
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the safari season, when wildlife concentrates at pumped waterholes and viewing is most reliable.
Peak dry season with elephant herds in the hundreds at pans. October is the hottest month but often the most dramatic.
Cold nights and early mornings on drives, sometimes near freezing, with warm days. Pack serious layers.
Green season with lush bush, newborns and top birding, but dispersed game, difficult roads and the highest malaria risk.
Shoulder months in April, May and early November offer a compromise of game, weather, fewer visitors and lower rates.
What's on
- Hwange Game Count October, dates vary
The long running volunteer waterhole game count in the dry season peak, a conservation institution rather than a visitor festival.
- Painted dog denning season June to August denning
Packs den in early dry season and pups come above ground, improving painted dog sightings around the concessions.
Best things to do in Hwange
Nyamandhlovu Pan
The classic first pan from Main Camp, where a viewing platform overlooks pumped water that draws herds in the dry season.
Kennedy Pan
A productive Main Camp circuit pan known for elephant herds, sable and predators at dawn and late afternoon.
Ngweshla Pan
A reliable dry season waterhole south of Main Camp for elephant and buffalo in numbers, with lion a real possibility.
Mandavu Dam
A large dam near Sinamatella with hippo, crocodile, elephant and strong birdlife, plus a quiet picnic site.
Painted Dog Conservation
The visitor centre for the long running painted dog project, free to enter with a donation requested.
Ngamo Plains
Open plains near the Linkwasha side with grazers in the green season and a strong link to painted dog sightings.
Where to stay in Hwange
South-eastern concessions
luxury inclusive safari, walking and night drives
Private Linkwasha and Makalolo concession access with the flagship Wilderness camps and concession only activities.
Main Camp area
first trip, self-drive and budget stays
The main gate, the parks camp and the Nyamandhlovu, Kennedy and Ngweshla pan circuit in one base.
Dete gateway, outside the park
road access, first or last night, hotel comfort
Dete side lodges and the gateway hotel sit by the Victoria Falls to Bulawayo road with easier transfers than deep park camps.
Sinamatella area
remote northern sector and dam viewing
The escarpment camp, a private concession camp, Mandavu Dam and Masuma Dam with far less traffic than Main Camp.
North-western sector
quiet, deliberate remote-sector stays
Robins Camp anchors a sector rich in plains game and predators, a long slow drive from Main Camp.
Think twice about
- Hwange town as a safari base
A coal mining town and services stop, not a safari base. Sleep in the park or at a Dete side lodge instead.
- Bulawayo to Victoria Falls road at night
Potholes, unlit vehicles, stray livestock and poor driving standards make night driving on this corridor a bad idea.
Best restaurants in Hwange
Waterbuck's Head
The restaurant and bar at Main Camp serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to self catering and camping visitors.
Sinamatella Camp Restaurant
A simple camp restaurant with an escarpment verandah, useful for parks camp guests when it is open.
Outdoor things to do in Hwange
Masuma Dam
A dam and hide famous for very large elephant and buffalo gatherings at water level in the dry season.
Sinamatella Escarpment
The escarpment viewpoint above the park at Sinamatella, with escorted ranger walks arranged from camp.
Makalolo Concession
A private concession for guided walking safaris with licensed professional guides, sold only as part of a camp stay.
Linkwasha Concession
A private concession where night drives and off road tracking are part of the paid camp stay.
Hwange National Park
A full day guided safari from Victoria Falls is a dry season taster, but staying in the park is far better.
Best hotels in Hwange
Linkwasha Camp
The flagship Wilderness camp on its private concession, with luxury tents overlooking a pan and inclusive activities.
Somalisa Camp
A well known inclusive camp famous for elephants drinking at the camp waterhole and a polished tented style.
Little Makalolo
A six tent camp for about 12 guests with a log pile hide for very close elephant viewing at its waterhole.
Davison's Camp
A simpler Wilderness camp in the Linkwasha area that buys concession access and guiding below flagship rates.
The Hide Safari Camp
A long established tented camp known for its underground hide, waterhole and big communal teak table meals.
Camp Hwange
An eight chalet camp in a private concession in northern Hwange, facing its waterhole with walks and night drives.
Ivory Lodge
A small lodge near Dete with rooms facing a floodlit waterhole in the home range of the Presidential elephant herd.
Hwange Safari Lodge
A large gateway hotel outside the park with a pool and restaurant, practical for a Main Camp day drive pattern.
Is Hwange expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $450 a person |
| Splurge | $1,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ngamo Plains: weeks ahead
- Makalolo Concession: months ahead
- Linkwasha Concession: months ahead
- Hwange National Park: weeks ahead
- Linkwasha Camp: months ahead
- Somalisa Camp: months ahead
- Little Makalolo: months ahead
- Davison's Camp: months ahead
- For August to October, book top and mid-range camps months ahead and parks lodges early through ZimParks.
- Green season trips can often be booked weeks ahead and carry the discounts.
- Confirm charter flights, road transfers and park fees in writing, in US dollars.
Is Hwange safe?
- Crime is a risk in Zimbabwe, and poor driving standards, fuel shortages and limited healthcare are the practical risks on the road journey.
- Hwange is a malaria area year round, highest in the wet months. Take prophylaxis advice, use nets and repellent, and cover up at dusk.
- Never leave the vehicle or walk except with a licensed professional guide or a parks ranger, and carry evacuation insurance.
- Carry US dollar cash in small notes, fill up on fuel whenever you can, and avoid driving outside towns at night.
Hwange travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treating Hwange as a quick add-on from Victoria Falls misses the early and late waterhole hours that make it special.
- Assuming there is a restaurant scene in Dete or Hwange town leads to disappointment: eating is at your camp or self-catered.
- Quoted lodge rates vary sharply by season, so a green season price is not a dry season price.
- Cards and ATMs are unreliable around the park, so a card-only plan fails at fuel stations and park gates.
Getting around Hwange: public transport and more
- Fly to Victoria Falls Airport, then 2 to 3 hours by road to Main Camp or Dete, longer to deep south-eastern camps, or 30 to 45 minutes by charter to a camp airstrip.
- Bulawayo is about 4 hours by road to the Dete side and is the southern gateway.
- Inside the park distances are slow: Main Camp to Robins Camp is about 140 km, and that leg needs a morning departure.
- Self-drive needs a high-clearance vehicle, and a 4x4 in the wet season or on sandy and rutted tracks.
Who Hwange suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Hwange your trip
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