Last updated: September 2026
Zimbabwe holidays offer one of Africa’s great natural wonders as their centrepiece — Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River plunges 108 metres into a basalt gorge along a 1,708-metre cliff face, producing a curtain of spray visible 50 kilometres away and a sound that gives the falls their local Kololo name: Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders — combined with exceptional wildlife parks, a dramatic Zambezi river environment and the extraordinary stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe that give the country its name.
Zimbabwe is a landlocked southern African country sharing borders with South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. Victoria Falls — on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border — is the country’s most visited attraction and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve, has one of Africa’s greatest elephant populations. Mana Pools National Park, on the Zambezi floodplain, offers what many safari experts consider the finest walking safari experience in Africa. The Matobo Hills, in the south of the country, have both the densest concentration of rock paintings in Africa and one of the highest densities of white and black rhino.
This guide covers Victoria Falls, Hwange, Mana Pools, the Matobo Hills, combining Zimbabwe with Botswana and Zambia, getting there and practical booking information for Zimbabwe holidays from the UK.
Zimbabwe holidays attract visitors drawn primarily by Victoria Falls — one of the most spectacular natural sights on Earth, best experienced from the Zimbabwe side where the full width of the falls is visible from the rainforest path along the opposite gorge rim. The Victoria Falls town of the same name is the southern Africa safari circuit’s most important hub — connected by direct flights to Johannesburg (1.5 hours), Nairobi and regional capitals, and within 90 minutes’ drive of Botswana’s Chobe elephant park and 45 minutes by road from the Zambia side of the falls at Livingstone.
Beyond Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe offers safari parks of a quality that the country’s difficult recent history has partially obscured from UK awareness. Hwange’s elephant herds, Mana Pools’ walking safari reputation and the Matobo Hills’ rhino population give Zimbabwe a safari portfolio that rewards serious wildlife visitors who look beyond the falls.
Zimbabwe is English-speaking, culturally accessible to UK visitors, and increasingly politically stable after a difficult period. The country uses the US dollar as its primary transaction currency, making costs predictable for UK visitors.
Victoria Falls is the world’s largest waterfall by combined width and height — 1,708 metres wide and 108 metres tall, with a flow rate at peak flood (March to May) of up to 500,000 cubic metres per minute that produces perpetual spray and rainbows visible from kilometres away. The falls are best viewed from the Zimbabwe side, where the Rainforest Trail along the opposite gorge rim provides a series of viewpoints across the full width of the curtain — a walk of 90 minutes to 2 hours through mist-soaked forest that emerges periodically to viewpoints over the gorge.
The Victoria Falls town has a well-developed tourist infrastructure — a range of hotels from budget to luxury, a good restaurant scene, and a comprehensive activities programme that makes Victoria Falls one of the most activity-rich bases in southern Africa. White-water rafting on the Zambezi gorge below the falls (Grade 4–5 rapids, one of the world’s classic river-rafting runs), bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge, helicopter flights over the falls, microlight flights, sunset cruises on the upper Zambezi and game drives in Zambezi National Park are all available from the town within a 15-minute drive.
The Devil’s Pool — a natural pool on the Zambia side at the lip of the falls, accessible during the low-water season (September to December) — gives the extraordinary experience of swimming at the edge of the falls with a view directly down into the gorge. Access is from the Zambia side via Livingstone Island.
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest park at 14,651 square kilometres, has one of the largest elephant populations of any park in Africa — estimates of 40,000+ elephants, concentrated around the park’s man-made waterholes during the dry season in movements that produce the kind of multi-hundred-elephant waterhole scenes that are rare or impossible in any other accessible park in Africa. Hwange also has large populations of lion, wild dog (one of the most reliable parks in Africa for African wild dog), sable and roan antelope, and all the standard big-game species.
Hwange’s camp infrastructure ranges from Zimbabwe National Parks campsites and lodges to private concession camps at the southern edge of the park. Main Camp, Sinamatella and Robins Camp are the main Parks-operated accommodation options, while private camps including Linkwasha and Little Makalolo occupy exclusive concessions within the park’s wilderness areas with game-viewing of the highest quality.
Mana Pools National Park, on the Zambezi floodplain in northern Zimbabwe, is one of Africa’s most extraordinary safari environments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The four permanent pools left when the Zambezi changed course give the park its name and create a remarkable year-round wildlife concentration as the dry season progresses. Mana Pools is the finest walking safari destination in Zimbabwe — walking safaris are conducted without vehicles or fences, on foot with an armed guide in open country, where elephants graze within metres of the path and lion may be encountered around the next bend.
The Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi at Mana Pools also offers exceptional canoe safaris along the river — multi-day canoe trips between camps on the river bank, in open boats among hippos, crocodiles and elephant that come to drink at the river edge. The combination of walking and canoeing safaris at Mana Pools is the most adventurous and arguably the most rewarding safari experience in Zimbabwe.
The Matobo Hills, in southern Zimbabwe near Bulawayo, are one of Africa’s most distinctive landscapes — a vast terrain of ancient granite kopjes (balancing rock outcrops), valleys and forests that contains over 3,000 recorded rock paintings from San hunter-gatherer communities spanning 13,000 years of human habitation. The hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant rock art collections in the world.
The Matobo Hills are also home to one of Africa’s highest densities of white and black rhino in the Matobo National Park, accessible by game drive or guided walking safari. Cecil Rhodes is buried on a hilltop in the Matobo Hills — World’s View, his chosen burial site, gives panoramic views across the kopje landscape that Rhodes called the most beautiful in the world.
Victoria Falls is the natural hub for a multi-country southern Africa itinerary. From the falls, Botswana’s Chobe National Park is 90 minutes by road (crossing the Kazungula border), allowing a two-night Chobe extension that adds elephant, predator and riverfront game-viewing to the falls experience. Zambia’s Victoria Falls town of Livingstone is 20 minutes by road over the border, with the Zambia-side falls viewpoints and the Devil’s Pool accessible as a day trip from Zimbabwe. South Africa is a direct 1.5-hour flight from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, making Zimbabwe a natural addition to a South Africa itinerary.
Zimbabwe holidays use Victoria Falls International Airport, served by Kenya Airways (via Nairobi), South African Airways and other carriers via Johannesburg (1.5 hours). UK flights to Johannesburg operate non-stop from London Heathrow (11–12 hours). For Hwange or Mana Pools, Zimbabwe’s Hwange/Kasane charter connections and light aircraft transfers complete the access. Search4Sun works with UK tour operators offering Zimbabwe departures from airports across the UK.
UK citizens require a visa for Zimbabwe — a single-entry visa is available on arrival at Victoria Falls International Airport and Harare International Airport, or a KAZA (Kavango-Zambezi) Univisa can be purchased on arrival which covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia and allows multiple crossings between the two countries. This is particularly useful for visitors who want to see the falls from both sides and visit Livingstone’s activities. Yellow fever vaccination is not required for UK visitors entering directly from the UK, though it is required if arriving from a yellow fever-endemic country. Malaria prophylaxis is required for most areas of Zimbabwe, including Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe uses the US dollar as its primary transactional currency — virtually all tourist prices (accommodation, activities, park fees) are quoted and payable in USD. This makes Zimbabwe one of the most straightforward southern Africa destinations for UK visitors from a currency management perspective, eliminating the need to manage multiple local currency rates. Credit cards are increasingly accepted at hotels and lodges, but having USD cash is advisable for smaller operators, local market purchases and tipping.
English is Zimbabwe’s official language — a legacy of British colonial administration — and is spoken widely throughout the country. The local population is warm and hospitable to visitors, and Victoria Falls town has a well-developed tourist infrastructure comparable to any southern Africa safari hub. FCDO travel advice for Zimbabwe should be checked before booking, as the political and economic situation has been complex in recent years; however, the tourism sector in Victoria Falls specifically has maintained good standards throughout the period of national difficulty.
Search4Sun works with leading UK tour operators to find the best value Zimbabwe holidays. Browse departures from local airports across the UK. For peace of mind when booking, always check your holiday is ABTA protected.
For last-minute Zimbabwe deals, check LastMinute.com for the latest availability and rates.
For last-minute Zimbabwe deals, check LastMinute.com for the latest availability and rates.
Yes — Zimbabwe holidays booked as flight-inclusive packages through a UK-licensed tour operator are ATOL protected.
If your operator ceases trading before or during your trip, you are entitled to a refund or repatriation at no extra cost. Read our full holiday protection guide for details.
Both sides offer different and complementary views of the falls.
The Zimbabwe side gives the most complete view of the full width of the falls from the Rainforest Trail viewpoints along the opposite gorge rim — the classic postcard view that shows the entire curtain.
The Zambia side at Livingstone has the Knife Edge Bridge viewpoint, which puts you directly opposite the Eastern Cataract with spray and sound at close range, and Livingstone Island’s Devil’s Pool for the lip-edge swimming experience (dry season only). Most visitors to Victoria Falls spend at least one full day on each side, crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge between the Zimbabwe and Zambia towns. Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls town has a wider range of accommodation and a more developed tourist infrastructure than Livingstone.
The main tourist areas of Zimbabwe — Victoria Falls, Hwange, Mana Pools and Harare — are regularly visited by UK tourists and are generally safe within the established tourist infrastructure.
Zimbabwe has gone through significant political and economic instability in recent decades and the situation remains complex in some respects, but the tourism sector has benefited from considerable investment and improvement.
The standard advice applies: check the FCDO travel advice for Zimbabwe before booking, book through an established UK tour operator with local expertise, use recommended transport and accommodation, and follow guidance from your hosts on the ground.
Victoria Falls is most spectacular at high water — from March to May, when the Zambezi is in full flood and the falls produce maximum spray and volume.
At peak flood (March to April), the spray can be so heavy that visibility from the viewpoints is limited and visitors get soaked within minutes.
June to August provides the best balance of high water and visibility — the falls are still impressive and the viewpoints clearer. September to December is low water season — the volume is reduced but the individual channels of the falls become distinct and the rock architecture is visible. Low water season (October to December) is when Zambia’s Livingstone Island Devil’s Pool opens for the lip-edge swimming experience.
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