Rivalling the notorious Mana Pools for its game viewing, Hwange National Park is made up of 15,000 square kilometres of beautiful wilderness, Hwange is Zimbabwe’s premier game viewing location. It has one of the greatest elephant populations in Africa, large prides of lion and buffalo, as well as leopard, rhino, cheetah, spotted hyena and 400 endemic bird species. The absence of permanent surface water means that game viewing is exceptionally good around the waterholes in the dry season.
Hwange National Park: Animals, Landscape & Weather
Hwange’s landscape is exceptionally diverse, and includes dense teak forest, Kalahari sandveld, large open grassy plains lined with acacia, mopane woodland and islands of ilala palms. Such a diverse habitat supports a diverse range of wildlife and viewing is good all year round, especially in the summer months.
From January till early April large numbers of zebra, wildebeest, eland, giraffe, buffalo and impala move into the clearings around Makalolo and Linkwasha to give birth to their young and feed on the sweet grasses. Inevitably, the predators follow, and opportunities for superb wildlife viewing abound.
During the rest of the year the waterholes come into their own and large numbers of elephant and general wildlife can be seen. Hides are rare in Africa generally, though Hwange is one of the best locations to view game from a static hide.
The best lodges for a Hwangwe Safari, Zimbabwe
Inside the park we favour the privately-owned and very long-established Hide Camp which regularly wins various 'best camp' awards.
Wilderness also run three great camps, Davison’s, Linkwasha and Little Makalolo, each in a private concession and all offering Wilderness' usual high standards of accommodation, service and guiding.
When choosing a safari camp, be careful. Some camps do not allow night drives, others do, some offer walking safaris, some do not. Make sure you find out from us what the camps can offer you. As with any African safari, we make sure the lodge meets the exact criteria for the guest, whether you are after a swimming pool, air conditioning, an en-suite or laundry service make sure you ask us so we can give you exactly what you want.
Where is Hwange National Park?
Hwange is on the western side of Zimbabwe, and borders Botswana. It therefore has the unbelievable Botswana wildlife, but at a far more reasonable price! Please see our map of Zimbabwe below. A Hwange safari is a great addition to a trip to Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River. You could combine it with a trip to Chobe in Botswana for two different, yet wonderful safari experiences. It is also very accessible from South Africa should you wish for an exciting city break in Cape Town.
For a summary of the
Best places to stay in Hwange, please follow this link.
