You’ll be met at the airport in Victoria Falls and transferred to the Victoria Falls Safari Club for a two-night stay. This is one of the best boutique hotels in the area, offering far-reaching views across Zambezi National Park. Rooms and suites look onto a key waterhole where elephants often gather to refresh themselves at sunset, though the standout feature is the open-air restaurant and viewing deck, which overlooks a game corridor to the Zambezi River.

Every day at 1pm, meat scraps and bones from the on-site restaurants get fed to hundreds of vultures who swoop down to feast on what’s offered. This amazing spectacle is free to watch for hotel guests and starts with a briefing about the ecological importance of vultures and the plight they are facing. Other popular activities include game drives, river cruises, scenic helicopter flights over Victoria Falls and white-water rafting on the Zambezi River.

Fly by light aircraft to an airstrip in Hwange National Park and transfer to Somalisa Camp, multiple winner of Zimbabwe’s Leading Tented Safari Camp at the World Travel Awards. The camp is situated in a private concession in the heart of Hwange National Park, home to one of the highest diversities of animals in southern Africa. Of the 108 mammal species estimated to live in Hwange, it’s elephants that steal the show at Somalisa Camp, especially during the dry months of September and October, when herds several hundred strong come to drink at the waterhole overlooked by the camp’s infinity pool.

Viewing is just as good outside of the camp too, with game drives and walking safaris led by some of the most knowledgeable guides in Zimbabwe. Throw in the fact that Somalisa Camp is the first camp in Zimbabwe to be awarded Green Tourism’s coveted Gold award for its sustainability practices and you’ll start to see why we love it so much.

Fly by light aircraft to a private airstrip on the shores of Lake Kariba, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, and transfer to Bumi Hills Safari Lodge. The lodge’s 10 sumptuous suites, terraced outdoor dining areas and magnificent infinity pool offer breathtaking views of the lake, which is famed for its spectacular sunsets.

Both lodge and lake border one of Zimbabwe’s less-visited national parks, Matusadona. Something of a hidden gem, the park is home to all the Big Five, including impressive concentrations of elephant, lion and buffalo, and is known as a sanctuary for endangered black rhino. The birdlife here is exceptional too, with over 240 species recorded within the park.

We love the huge range of activities on offer at Bumi Hills, from game viewing by boat on Lake Kariba to walking safaris, night drives, sunrise and sunset cruises and catch-and-release fishing.

End your ultimate Zimbabwe adventure by flying into Mana Pools National Park and transferring to Nyamatusi Camp, a luxurious yet eco-conscious camp on the banks of the Zambezi, offering six tented suites with river views and plunge pools.

Considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Zimbabwe’s national parks, Mana Pools offers some of the most spectacular river scenery and game viewing in the country. Game drives and walking safaris could bring into contact with impressive herds of elephants, buffalo, lion, leopard, spotted hyena or even African wild dog. It’s also one of the few places in Africa where you’re likely to see elephants go up on their hind legs to pull seedpods down from trees.

On day 12, take a light aircraft flight to Harare to connect with your return flight to London via Addis Ababa.