Overview – Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park is the largest and most famous natural reserve in Zimbabwe. It is situated in the northwestern corner of Zimbabwe, on the border of Botswana. With its immense variety in vegetation, including Kalahari sands and mopane forest slopes and valleys, Hwange is home to more than 400 bird species and 100 species of animals. Hwange is generally known for the great convergence of elephants that are drawn to the park's waterholes during the Dry season. Effectively open to visitors, a large portion of the camps are found along the northern edge of the park and proposition an assortment of price ranges and styles.

  • Wildlife31 Animals

  • High SeasonJune to October

  • Best Time to GoJuly to October

Pros & Cons

  • Amazing wildlife viewing with all of the Big 5 animals
  • Game drives, night drives and walking safaris are available
  • Close proximity to Victoria Falls
  • Variety of accommodation options for all budgets
  • One of the largest concentrations of elephants in Africa
  • Excellent self-drive and self-catering facilities
  • Road Conditions are bad in the Dry season and impassable in the Wet season

Hwange National Park Map in Africa

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Wildlife & Animals – Hwange National Park

Hwange is home to more than 100 species of animal incorporates lion, rhino and leopard, and specifically, huge herds of elephants, rivalling that of neighbouring Botswana. All of the Big Five are available and effortlessly spotted, except for black and white rhinos as numbers are low. Spotted hyenas and cheetahs are additionally present in the secured region.

Wildlife Highlights

The population of the Cape wild dogs to be viewed in Hwange is considered one of the bigger enduring gatherings in Africa. Other significant predators incorporate the lion, whose dispersion and hunting in Hwange are emphatically identified with the pans and waterholes. Hwange is one of a handful of spots in Zimbabwe to see giraffes. Unusual antelope to look out for include greater kudu, gemsbok, sable and roan antelope. The spotted hyena is regularly seen at daybreak and nightfall, and the number of inhabitants of wild dogs is one of the biggest in Africa.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The best time to visit Hwange National Park for wildlife viewing is during the middle and end of the dry season from July to October when Animals gather at rivers and other watercourses. Also, the vegetation is thinner during these months, which makes spotting much easier. The park becomes totally inaccessible in the Wet season.

Birds – Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park offers a wide variety of feathered beauties with over 470 species recorded so far. The park’s Bradfield Hornbill protected population is probably the highest in the world and the Yellow-billed Oxpecker is probably the highest population in the subregion. The pans and surrounds are popular birdwatching spots with common Ostrich, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Woolly-necked and Saddle-billed Storks, Kori Bustards and Red-crested Korhaans, Southern Ground-hornbills, Secretarybirds, lapwings and a wide variety of waders, Collared and Black-winged Pratincoles, Three-banded Coursers, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Chestnut-backed and Grey-backed Sparrowlarks and many others to watch whilst you game-watch.

Best Time for Bird Watching

Hwange offers a great birding experience throughout the year. However, the best time to visit is during the wet season from November to April. It is also the time when migratory birds are available and a lot of birds can be seen in breeding plumage. 

Best Time to Visit – Hwange National Park

The dry season from July to October is considered the best safari time at Hwange National Park as large concentrations of game, in particular elephant herds, must drink from the man-made and pumped waterholes, while the thinning vegetation makes wildlife easier to spot. The wet or rainy season runs from approximately December to March. It is at this time that the local flora becomes green and lush, and bird viewing is at its peak.

  • Best Time

    July to October

  • High Season

    June to October

  • Low Season

    January to May

  • Best Weather

    April to September

  • Worst Weather

    December to March

April to October (Dry Season)

  • Best time for Wildlife viewing
  • It is sunny, and there is little rain
  • Fewer mosquitoes and less chance of catching malaria
  • May to September is the best time to visit Victoria Falls
  • The sky is hazy with a lot of dust in the air
  • Main camp area gets overcrowded
  • Warm clothes are recommended for the early morning & night chill weather

April to October (Wet Season)

  • Birding is best as migratory birds are present
  • Plenty of baby animals that attract predators
  • The scenery is beautiful and at its most lush
  • Low season rates are applied due to less crowd
  • Extreme Hot and Humid climate
  • Roads become impassable and difficult to drive after heavy rainfalls
  • From January to March, some camps and lodges will be closed

Activities – Hwange National Park

Safari Reviews – Hwange National Park

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