Chengeta Detailed Itinerary 2 Days/ 1 Night
Chengeta Safari Lodge
Just a short one hour drive from Harare, Chengeta Safari Lodge is strategically situated on the foothills of an outcrop in Selous. This is absolutely a fascinating old fashioned safari holiday full of endless array of adventure and a relaxing weekend getaway far from the hustle and bustle of city life. Chengeta Safari Lodge is home to a wide variety of birds and wildlife where deep roars and hums of lions can be heard at night time. There are a variety of activities to choose from, ranging from, game drives, canoeing, fishing, bush walks, horse riding, elephant interaction and lion’s den drive.
Day 1
You will depart from Harare at around 8 am and arrive at Chengeta at around 9.30 am.
Your first activity of the day will be a game drive
Game Drive
Game drives at Chengeta are undoubtedly exciting, with breathtaking scenery and amazing wildlife. You will be guided by an experienced game ranger who will take you through the animal conservancy as you will get to encounter many animals along the way. Each game drive is unique and an adventure as you get to witness unrestricted displays of interaction between wildlife.
Lunch will be served at Chengeta Dining area
Soon after lunch you will go for elephant interaction
Elephant interaction
Activities for the adventurous will include taking an elephant-back ride through the bush. You can also get the opportunity to interact with the two adult elephants, Boxer, Shorty and Mambo the baby and their handlers which can be a truly memorable experience. This will also be an excellent opportunity to join in during the elephant’s bath time in one of the smaller dams within Chengeta.
Dinner will be served at Chengeta Dining area.
Day 2
Breakfast will be served as you prepare yourself for an exhilarating horse riding experience.
Horse Riding
You can travel by horseback accompanied by a game ranger as you ride around the game reserve seeing animals in their natural environment. This experience is suitable for both the novice and experienced rider. You will feel at one with nature in this exhilarating experience as it transcends you back into the good olden days.
After horse riding, lunch will be served as you rejuvenate your energy levels up for a river adventure
Canoeing
Canoeing at Chengeta provides an unparalleled opportunity to experience the Serui River within Pamuzinda or the Chombo River at Chengeta. For a more sedate cruise, not to miss out is the pontoon boat powered by a silent battery driven motor along the Serui River. Relaxing yet exciting, this is an adventure worth taking part in for the whole family.
Your weekend getaway to Chengeta comes to an end.
You depart and head back to Harare.
Great Zimbabwe 2 Days Detailed Itinerary
Day 1- You will depart from Harare and embark on a journey to Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo
Great Zimbabwe
Built between the 11th and 14th century, the Great Zimbabwe ruins are the largest collection of ruins in Africa south of the Sahara. It is located on the southeastern part of Zimbabwe about 30 km south east of Masvingo. It was the capital of the kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Late Iron Age. The ruins comprise of several stone walls built mainly of granite and constructed without mortar. Over six centuries later, the up to five meters high walls can still be seen. The site was later declared a national monument and is one of the nation’s most treasured sites so much that the country was named after it. The local name was “Dzimba dza mabwe”, meaning house of stone or simply Zimbabwe
Upon arrival you will take a short rest as you enjoy a well prepared lunch at Lodge at the Ancient City. Soon after you will go for a guided tour of the Great Zimbabwe Ruins.
The tour of the ruins would not be complete without visiting the Karanga traditional village. This is a village depicting the lifestyle of the Karanga people back in the days.
Soon after the Great Zimbabwe ruins tour you will go for a tour of Chemavara ancient caves.
Chemavara ancient caves
Chemavara caves is the perfect place to see Masvingo’s most remarkable rock art. Dry conditions and inaccessible locations have kept some of these paintings in good condition, although some haven’t fared so well.
The tour will end at later hours of the day. You will check in and have dinner at Lodge at the Ancient City.
Day 2
The day will begin with a sumptuous breakfast served in the serene environment of Masvingo.
The first activity of the day will be a cultural village tour of Chesvingo Karanga village.
Chesvingo Karanga village
Perched on top of a hilltop that allows an eyeful of the visually attractive rocky valley below, Chesvingo Karanga village will give you a fascinating day experience in the life of a Karanga individual in a village setting and surrounding. You will feel immersed in a culture that has survived nature and alternating opinions for centuries. The Karanga homesteads constructed in a horse-shoe style with individual house units interrelated will be of much interest to you. As part of the experience, you will engage in the day to day activities of the local people by taking part in grinding, winnowing, basket making, carving and even cooking. The end of the experience will be marked by sumptuous feasting on traditional dishes.
Close by is Lake Mutirikwi formerly known as Lake Kyle, where you will also have a tour of the largest inland lake in Zimbabwe.
Lake Mutirikwi
The purpose of building Kyle dam was for it to act as an irrigation reservoir to provide water to the farming estates in the south east Lowveld. Much of the lake is very well situated within magnificent natural granite formations which proved to be ideal not only as a reservoir to provide irrigation to the sugar cane plantations of the Lowveld but also as an amazing recreational facility catering for fishermen, campers, picnickers and sailors. You will experience the quiet and refreshing environment of this magnificent Lake.
This will mark the end of your experience in Masvingo.
On your way back to Harare you will do some shopping for souvenirs and curios close to Great Zimbabwe Hotel.
Kariba Detailed Itinerary- 2 Days/ 1 night
Day 1- Departure from Harare to Kariba by road
Kariba
Kariba is a town located on the northern part of Zimbabwe. It is situated on the south bank of Zambezi River and built on the twin hills of Boterekwa overlooking Kariba Gorge and Lake Kariba. Kariba town was established in 1957 by the Federal Power Board to accommodate Kariba Dam’s construction staff as well as settlers. The name Kariba was derived from the word “kariva” from the Batonka people which means trap. Kariba has become one of Zimbabwe’s major tourist resorts largely because of its proximity to several national parks and Lake Kariba.
You will depart from Harare at early hours of the day and have a short break at Chinhoyi caves.
Chinhoyi Caves
This is a popular stop off point for travelers on their way to Kariba. You will experience the beauty of the caves with its system of tunnels and caverns. This is a culturally significant site with a traditional name “chirorodziva” which means “pool of the fallen”. This is a name which was derived from the 1830s Nguni Tribe incident who were moving northwards and flung people into the pool. You will find the sleeping pool as the most extraordinary site. The pool is unbelievably blue and crystal clear which reflects great depth and non-flowing water. The water reaches a depth of 172 meters.
The tour will consist of an exploration of the dark caves, the mysterious sleeping pool, the park’s flora (which consists mainly of indigenous species and a few exotics) and bird watching of the not so numerous bird species.
At mid-day you will have lunch at a local Chinhoyi restaurant and proceed to Kariba.
Upon arrival, you will check in at a local accommodation facility, have a quick rest and go for a tour of Lake Kariba on the dam wall.
You will take a short drive to Lake Kariba’s dam wall which will allow you to experience the magnitude of the 128 meters tall and 579 meters wide structure. Built between 1955-1959, Lake Kariba is ranked among the largest man-made lakes in the world and the second in Africa. A tour of this majestic water body will give you vast opportunities to see the splendors of the mighty Zambezi River. The dam wall has six flood gates which are a spectacle when opened and huge columns of water thunder into the Kariba Gorge underneath.
Day 2
After an early breakfast you will go for a tour of the resort town at Kariba heights
Kariba heights
This view point will be a worthy visit for you, offering magnificent views of the dam and the waters impounded behind it. This is a particularly spectacular look out point located on a hill 600 meters above the lake. The heights will give you the opportunity to really appreciate the sheer size of the man-made lake as you get to appreciate the breathtaking scenery as well. The panoramic view from here, over the lake and across to the Matusadona hills, is just out of this world. The heights is a suburb of Kariba town with lovely views and it is a place with a collection of curio stalls where you will get yourself souvenirs. You will also visit the beautiful chapel of Santa Barbara built in memory of the workers who died during the construction of the dam.
You will have an option to engage in any one of the following extra activities such as:
Game view
Crocodile Farm visit
Fishing
Houseboat experience
Cultural excursion
At later hours of the day you will depart from Kariba back to Harare by road.