Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park covers over 14,600 km² of semi-arid savanna and teak woodland in western Zimbabwe, making it one of Africa's biggest and most wildlife-rich reserves. The park is most famous for its staggering elephant population — estimated at 40,000–50,000 animals — which congregate around the park's numerous artificial waterholes during the dry season in scenes that rival anything on the continent.

Hwange offers a classic, unhurried safari experience. Drive-in camps and exclusive luxury lodges are both well-established, and the park caters to self-drive visitors as well as fully guided safaris. The flat terrain and permanent waterholes mean you can sit quietly at a waterhole and have the wildlife come to you — a highly productive and relaxing way to game-view.

Besides elephants, Hwange supports all of the big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant), plus wild dog — one of Africa's best parks for encountering these endangered predators. Large herds of buffalo, sable antelope, roan, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest are commonly sighted, and the bird list tops 400 species.