Zimbabwe’s largest national park and one of the oldest wildlife preserves in Africa, Hwange was founded in 1928 on a huge parcel of pristine bush around a two-hour drive from Victoria Falls.
Located along the arid eastern edge of the massive Kalahari ecosystem, the park didn’t offer awesome game viewing until windmills were erected to pump water from boreholes into year-round waterholes that are still popular gathering places for the park’s animals.
As the Insight African Safari guidebook states, “Aficionados of Hwange regard long game drives during the dry season as an unnecessary expense of energy. Far better, they say, to wait beside a waterhole and watch the drama unfold.”
Hwange is the complete package when it comes to wildlife including the Big Five and lesser-seen but hugely popular animals like the bat-eared fox, African painted dog, sable antelope and gemsbok, and more than 400 bird species including 50 different types of raptors.
Another feather in Hwange’s cap is the fact the park is refreshingly uncrowded compared to so many other African game reserves. To travel through Hwange National Park today is to witness what much of the interior of Africa might have been like more than 200 years ago.
Nestled within the park’s expansive 14,650 sq km, Zingweni Vlei Camp blends handcrafted luxury with authentic African charm. Designed to evoke the timeless romance of vintage safaris, the camp offers a tranquil escape from the noise of the modern world. Whether you’re new to the safari experience or a seasoned adventurer, Zingweni Vlei provides refined elegance within reach.
