As one of the best-kept game parks on the continent, Hwange offers an experience like no other , from walking safaris to exciting game drives . Visitors can look forward to a private and secluded safari in a pristine environment. Whether you take a day trip to Hwange or spend whole week here, you can be sure of a memorable African Wildlife Experience!
Visiting Hwange during the dry winter months of July to October guarantees spectacular wildlife sightings, as animals gather around the man-made waterholes in the park to drink.
One of the big draws of Hwange is that it’s easily accessible – you can fly into Victoria Falls and either hire a car or get a road transfer to the park, an hour’s drive away. You can drive most of the park’s roads in a 2×4 vehicle, and there are many options of places to stay to suit a range of budgets – everything from campsites to luxury safari lodges.
What makes Hwange so special is its lack of crowds. For all of its biodiversity, huge herds of elephants and ease of sightings in the winter months, the park never gets crowded, which means you have the space and the quiet to soak up the magic of the bush.
Highlights
Game viewing in Hwange is superb during the dry winter months. The park has no permanent natural water sources, so once the rains have stopped and the landscape starts to dry out from June onwards, animals have to rely on the manmade pumped waterholes for water. Animal sightings – wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah are highlights – are easy to come by, but by far the mammals that Hwange is most famous for are its elephants. Around 50 000 of the giant creatures roam Hwange each year, and during the dry season from June to October, huge herds congregate around waterholes, making the park one of the best places in the world for elephant viewing.
Along with game viewing by self-driving and guided game drives, you can also do horseback safaris – either short rides or multi-day adventures – and walking safaris, which give you a chance to immerse yourself deeper into the wilderness.
Weather & Climate
Hwange has two clear-cut seasons. The Dry season (April to October) starts off warm before temperatures dip in the middle of the year. Then the heat quickly gets turned up, culminating in the blazing heat of October. The Wet season (November to March) cools things off at first with its stormy weather before settling into a pattern of hot, humid days.
Best Time to Visit
Hwange is at its best in the dry months (July to October), when animals crowd the waterholes. You pretty much have Hwange to yourself in the Wet season (November to April), but animals are more scattered at that time.