After our little Vic Falls adventure, we rented a car in Zambia and then drove accross the boarder to Zimbabwe and started off on our next adventure.

First stop was Hwange National Park, which is only a few hours away from the town Victoria Falls; but in the searing heat and with a car covered in leather seating and equipped with a broken AC, it felt like an eternity in hell.

We registered at main camp and opted for a “chalet”, as opposed to camping (although we just bough a bunch of camp gear, I just was not feeling particularly safe with all those wild animals running around, even though the camp was gated). We paid a hefty park and lodging fee, which was per person, per day. Prices can be found here. We also signed up for a morning game drive, but they were having a special and we got a good deal: only 75 USD per person.

It just so happens, that our chalet was next to another one, in which safari guides happened to be staying. We chatted for a bit and then they asked if we would be interested in a night game drive. Ehhhh, let me think for a second….YES!!!!

So we met up just after dark, we all piled in the safari jeep and off we went! What an unbelievable first ever safari experience in the history of Everdom!! I would add more exclamation marks to the end of that sentence, but I once heard that anyone who uses more than 2 is crazy, so I will refrain. However, there will be a lot of !! in this blog, just sayin.

We went to a pan not far from our camp to watch (hear) elephants hanging and bathing in the dark. It is difficult to see anything at night, of course, but your eyes kind of adjust after some time (btw, I heard Vitamin B is good for night vision. Make note!), and if it doesn’t work, then you just lean back and listen to them. AMA. ZING!!!

Elephants just wander around at night (because it’s too hot during the day), so you can imagine how close the elephants came to us. And then the guides said, “Elephants are dangerous, so if one comes to you and touches you, do not freak out, yell, move, or touch back! Just sit stillI! And don’t shine your flashlights directly at them because they will come charging because they will think you are another animal friend.” I could actually feel the breeze coming from their flapping ears!! I had major goosebumps. And I was kind of freaking out internally. We then went to a different pan to see more animals. This pan is on the grounds of a hotel just outside of the park. The pan is gated and you can get real close to the animals. There was not much night activity there though, but it was still awesome because we came real close to a family of elephants and some zebras. So beautiful!!

After the game drive, the guides invited us to a BBQ and some beer, Zimbabwe style. That means, delicious and lots of meat. Lots of lots of it. It really was delicious and we got the chance to learn a little bit more about Zimbabwe.

The next, we woke up early for the game drive. Mornings are a great time to see animals. The jungle rule applies here, too. Too hot during the day. Although we were late in the season for game viewing, we were still lucky enough to see wild animals. We saw a lot of zebras, some hippos, a crocodile, nyalas, wildebeasts, some birds, lions, impalas and nyalas (which are ever so graceful and absolutely beautiful), giraffes (which are also very beautiful), elephants and we even saw some buffaloes (these are animals we saw during the entirety of our stay at Hwange). I may have missed a few animals, but here are some pictures.

After the two drives with guides, we also ventured out on our own several times. This was the best part of having our own car, even though there was no AC, we could take off on drives any time we wanted to and we didn’t have to wait around for others. I am not too sure if we saved all that much money, but I am sure we did. 🙂 Although Hwange does not allow you to get out of your car while you are driving on the trails, they do have viewing platforms: usually a good place to spot and watch animals, but sometimes gets a bit crowded, especially if a tour operator is at the park at the same time you are there.

Hwange is a great park. There are various camps and lodging, in price categories to fit just about anyone’s budget. They also have a grocery store and a restaurant at the main camp, so you can buy necessary stuff or just enjoy a cook-free night. But next time, I think I will try camping.

On a side note, safari sunsets are unbelievalbe! Beautiful colors, the clouds, the vast country, AND the animals come out to play and prey. I couldn’t get enough! Here is a taste:

Our first safari experience was just incredible! When we were leaving Hwange I was thinking to myself, “How will the other safaris beat this one?” It was difficult to imagine, but the others were also just as incredible.

Check back later to read more about the other safaris and other adventures in Zimbabwe!