Hwange National Park
About
One of Africa's top national parks, Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe's northwest should be on any safari lover's bucket list. Roaming Hwange's savanna grasslands and woodlands are the Big Five and 100 other species of mammals - the park has the biggest diversity of mammals out of the world's national parks. The Belgium-sized park is also home to some 50 000 elephants and is known for regular sightings of cheetah, leopard and lion, as well as one of Africa's largest populations of the endangered wild dog and rare species such as roan and sable. Birdwatchers will be impressed with the 500 species recorded here.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.
