Safaris > Zimbabwe

There’s no denying it: Zimbabwe’s politics have been a mess in recent years. But, in a twisted way, this has enhanced the safari experience. Few realize that most of Zimbabwe’s parks and preserves are far removed from the farms and urban areas at the heart of the recent turmoil. As a result, Cowabunga groups in recent years have had entire parks all to themselves. The wildlife in these areas carry on as they always have, protected still, and blissfully oblivious of world events. It makes for wonderful wildlife encounters.

Perhaps more so than in any other country in Africa, Zimbabwe offers opportunities for combining a wide variety of activities during one safari: treks and walks at a pace set by the individual, game-drives during the day and at night in open vehicles with no sides and no top, canoeing and/or boating on the Zambezi, whitewater rafting below Victoria Falls, even horseback or elephantback riding in animal country. Our camps are isolated and small, sometimes capable of accommodating no more than eight people; frequently elephant, cape buffalo, and other animals pass directly through them. For these reasons and others, this is why Cowabunga’s founder, Gary Clarke, wishes to have part of his ashes spread here on his last safari, and why, out of all the places he could have proposed, this is where Cowabunga Safari Leader Brian Hesse asked his wife to marry him (she said yes). Before you write-off Zimbabwe, we challenge you to look beyond the headlines.

The following itineraries are meant to help your safari planning. Since 1974, we at Cowabunga Safaris have done many, many kinds and variations of safaris to Zimbabwe. Do you want something more upscale? Do you want something more rustic and participatory? If you have a different safari in mind, wish to stay longer, or want to travel to other parts of the continent, tell us. We can make it happen.

The safaris below are in PDF format. To view them you will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer/plugin.

Zimbabwe Horseback & Canoe Safari PDF
Namibia and Zimbabwe PDF
Zimbabwe Sample Safari PDF

Distinguished Guests – Mana Pools, Zimbabwe (G. Lee)