Unforgettable Private Journeys Through Zimbabwe
Experience exclusive private journeys centered around three distinct travel packages. Discover the Eastern Highlands, Gonarezhou, Victoria Falls, and Chilo Gorge with curated itineraries designed to inspire wonder.
Discover Private Journeys Through Zimbabwe
Explore our carefully curated travel packages designed to immerse you in the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of Zimbabwe.
The Elysian Expedition
$12,500 pp/dbl
10 Days (June & Sept. 2027, 16 slots open)
- Ultra-Exclusive Access: Founder-hosted and strictly limited to 4 couples per group across four flagship 2027 departures.
- Highland Romance: Colonial tea estates, high-altitude coffee plantations, and Africa’s second-highest waterfall.
- Crimson Cliffs: Watch giant elephant herds gather beneath the monumental red sandstone walls of Gonarezhou.
- Refined Transit: Private luxury SUV overland travel, concluding with an executive return bush flight to Harare.
Victoria Falls and Chilo Gorge
$7,850 pp/dbl
7 Days (April thru Sept.)
- Grandeur Meets the Wild: 2 nights of iconic elegance at the Victoria Falls Hotel, followed by a luxury chalet suspended over the Save River.
- Untamed Sanctuary: Deep-track apex predators and giant tuskers across Gonarezhou’s raw, untouched wilderness.
- Seamless Skyways: Commercial flight from Victoria Falls to Harare, paired with private executive bush charters straight into camp.
Victoria Falls and Matetsi
$9,850 pp/dbl
7 Days (Jan. thru Dec.)
- Luxe Riverfront: 2 nights at the historic Victoria Falls Hotel, then a private luxury suite on 15 miles of pristine Zambezi riverfront.
- Air & Water Thrills: Scenic helicopter flight over thundering Victoria Falls paired with golden-hour champagne cruises.
- Private Reserve: Up-close big-cat and predator tracking across a private 136,000-acre wildlife concession.
When to Journey With Us
Renowned for its exceptional safety and deeply welcoming people, Zimbabwe is a peaceful paradise that offers spectacular experiences year-round.
To help you plan your journey, the year breaks down into two distinct, beautiful chapters:
Join us during the Dry Season (May–October) for legendary wildlife viewing along the rivers and clear, panoramic views of Victoria Falls. This is a time of beautiful, cloudless days averaging 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F), bringing crisp, refreshing mornings that give way to a spectacular, sun-baked safari heat by October.
Alternatively, explore during the Green Season (November–April) when the landscapes transform into a lush photography paradise and the Falls swell to a thunderous peak. The climate becomes balmy and tropical, averaging 25°C to 28°C (77°F to 82°F) with rhythmic afternoon thundershowers that clear the air and cool the earth.
Whether you join a founder-hosted expedition or a bespoke private safari, your peace of mind is our highest priority. Every lodge, route, and partner has been rigorously vetted and personally assessed by our team, ensuring secure transit and flawless logistics from the moment you arrive.
Our Destinations: A Visual Journey
This section highlights our exclusive private journeys featuring founder hosted expeditions and bespoke safari packages.
Eastern Highlands
Rising dramatically along Zimbabwe’s eastern border, the Eastern Highlands offer a breathtaking alpine sanctuary where mist-shrouded peaks look out across sweeping vistas toward Mozambique. This tranquil paradise is wrapped in pristine indigenous rainforests—home to playful Samango monkeys and rare birdlife like the Blue Swallow—and features the awe-inspiring Mutarazi Falls, where cascading waters plunge deep into the verdant abysses below.
Beyond its dramatic topography, the region unfolds as a lush tapestry of vibrant botanical gardens, cascading trout streams, and historic country retreats. Here, sun-dappled hillsides thrive with flourishing tea, coffee, and banana plantations, while crisp mountain mornings give way to leisurely afternoons spent exploring orchid-filled sanctuaries and sipping high-altitude estate brews as the gentle mist rolls over the valleys.
Gonarezhou & Chilo Gorge
The 5,000 km² Gonarezhou National Park is more wild and undeveloped than almost any other national park in southern Africa. Gonarezhou means “place of the elephants” and with over 12,000 of the imposing pachyderms, it lives up to its name. The park is also home to all the big cats, African wild dogs, thousands of buffaloes, kudus, impalas, waterbucks, hippos and zebras. In addition to the animals, Gonarezhou impresses with a fascinating variety of landscapes, the impressive highlight undoubtedly being the Chilojo Cliffs. The river winds like a thin ribbon through what appears to be a completely untouched primeval landscape.
Chilo Gorge Lodge enjoys a fantastic location on a cliff and is only separated from Gonarezhou National Park by the Save River. From the spacious terrace you can enjoy the view over the river at breakfast, where hippos and crocodiles love to frolic on the sandbanks.
Victoria Falls
As one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls—known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke that Thunders”—stands as an utterly captivating masterpiece of the earth. When explorer David Livingstone first locked eyes on its roaring abyss and blinding rainbows in 1855, he famously wrote that scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. Today, this colossal chasm remains just as intoxicating, where the mighty Zambezi River plunges over a sheer basalt drop, blanketing the vibrant rainforest in an eternal, shimmering mist.
Just a short, private stroll from this breathtaking natural wonder stands The Victoria Falls Hotel, a grand Edwardian landmark built in 1904 that epitomizes timeless colonial elegance. Surrounded by manicured lawns and vibrant tropical gardens with a private pathway leading directly to the gorge, this legendary sanctuary offers guests old-world luxury, exceptional hospitality, and a front-row seat to the historic bridge framing Africa’s most magnificent landscape.
Matetsi
Stretching along 15 magnificent miles of the mighty Zambezi River, Matetsi Private Game Reserve is a monumental triumph of conservation and one family’s visionary dream. Born from the Gardiner family’s extraordinary, tireless mission to restore 136,000 acres of wild terrain that had long suffered from historical depletion, they lovingly healed the ecosystem, transforming it into a pristine, unfenced eden where majestic herds and apex predators roam completely free.
Here, ultra-luxury riverfront suites open directly onto sweeping views of Africa’s most legendary waterway, offering an intimate front-row seat to elephant crossings and sun-basking hippos. Set in secluded, five-star tranquility just a short journey upstream from the thundering spray of Victoria Falls, Matetsi seamlessly marries uncompromising, world-class elegance with a profound and lasting conservation legacy.
Our Story & Impact
Before founding Elysian Safaris, I spent twelve years directing humanitarian and educational missions across Asia and Africa. Along the way, I fell completely in love with Zimbabwe—its vast, sublime landscapes, its resilient spirit, and my wife, who calls this beautiful country home. Today, our family is based in Virginia, but our hearts remain deeply rooted in Africa.
Because we return frequently, our connections to the land are intimate, first-hand, and deeply personal. My years in the field taught me how to navigate Africa’s most remote corners and transform rugged, untamed expeditions into seamless, unforgettable journeys.
We created Elysian Safaris to share that exclusive insider access with you, opening the door to an Africa that is pure, breathtaking, and masterfully curated.
Welcome to your elegant adventure.
The Elysian Legacy Pledge
We believe that exploring the world’s most pristine wild landscapes is a privilege that should directly uplift the local communities who protect them. To ensure your journey leaves a meaningful, lasting mark, Elysian Safaris proudly pledges $250 from every couple’s booking to a grassroots sanctuary of your choice:
- The Gogo Olive Artisan Project: Providing stable, dignified livelihoods to vulnerable women and rural grandmothers.
- The Mutemwa Care Facility: Delivering around-the-clock medical care and safety to isolated, disabled elders.
- The Mutoko Children & Education Fund: Funding full school sponsorships and vital nutrition for vulnerable rural youth.
We manage the financial routing entirely on your behalf, and every contribution is backed by a formal corporate donation receipt upon the completion of your journey. With Elysian Safaris, your private luxury expedition becomes a profound lifeline, connecting your story with theirs.
-Michael Fortin, Founder & Director
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