Audley feature Zimbabwe for the first time in their new Africa and the Indian Ocean brochure

Audley has launched a new Africa and the Indian Ocean brochure featuring Zimbabwe for the first time.

Zimbabwe’s combination of spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife and rich history make for a highly rewarding journey. The landscape throughout the country is staggeringly beautiful, from the mighty Victoria Falls to the lush greenery of the Eastern Highlands and the stark, arid beauty of the western parks. There are also untouched wilderness areas with few camps and visitors – such as Gonarezhou National Park where you can, for example, find bull sharks swimming in the rivers.

Zimbabwe offers a good value safari experience and Audley have carefully selected the very best camps and guides. There is an excellent choice of accommodation ranging from very simple to totally luxurious. Audley will often suggest combining a few nights in simpler properties, where the emphasis is on feeling close to nature, with other nights spent enjoying some very special and unique surroundings in top quality lodges.

Zimbabwe’s guides undergo a rigorous qualification process over at least two years, which means they are some of the best in Africa and this ensures that guests get the very best safari experience.

Highlights of the country include:

• Victoria Falls – an extraordinary sight and at its most powerful from January to August.

• Mana Pools National Park – a stretch of the Zambezi River where four pools attract a multitude of elephant, buffalo, hippo and eland plus the predators that hunt them.

• Hwange National Park – Zimbabwe’s largest national park and home to the Big Five.

• Zambezi National Park – a tranquil gem with a beautiful river setting

• Lake Kariba – this vast reservoir is as an incredibly scenic place to take a boat trip, try your hand at catching tiger fish and spot elephant and hippo.

• Great Zimbabwe – the ruins of a fascinating 11th century city, home to the most developed civilization in sub-Saharan Africa during the Middle Ages.

Audley suggest a 12 day Zimbabwe Explorer itinerary, which showcases the variety of the Zimbabwean landscape with time spent in four very different areas. It takes in Lake Kariba, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park and costs from £4,315 per person to include return international flights, domestic flights, transfers and ten nights’ accommodation with five nights full board including local drinks, two nights full board, two nights bed and breakfast and all safari activities.

For those looking for a shorter trip, which is also great value, they suggest a nine day Water & Wildlife itinerary that covers big game in Hwange National Park and time at Victoria Falls. This trip costs from £2,910 per person to include return international flights, domestic flights, transfers, three full board at Victoria Falls and three nights full board in Hwange National Park with all local drinks and safari activities included.