Why Zimbabwe?

So much to offer

A unique destination full of untapped potential, Zimbabwe isn’t always the first country on a person’s travel list, but as soon as you unearth all it has to offer you’ll be rearranging yours. Safe with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, Zimbabwe is home to top of the range guides, abundant wildlife, fabulous lodges and a wide variety of exciting adventures – the perfect ingredients for a top class safari.

Since 2010 Zimbabwe’s tourist numbers have continued to grow, visitors welcomed with open arms in a nation where safety is an important priority. New lodges are opening up across the country and regional political collaboration means that visitors to Zimbabwe or Zambia can now use a univisa, as well as benefit from the recent relaxation of some visa requirements.

The Zimbabwean natural landscape is also a sight like no other, a vibrant environment bordered to the north by the mighty Zambezi River and to the south by the Limpopo River. In between lies a wide variety of kopjes (granite outcrops), impressive national parks, mountains, forests and wide-open savannah. Needless to say, there’s a huge variety of things to see and do in the great outdoors.

It’s a country that truly boasts something for everyone. Adrenaline junkies can visit the action-packed Victoria Falls, while wildlife enthusiasts enjoy game drives and walking safaris in Hwange Park. There’s also the fabulous Mana Pools canoeing safaris, kopjes and rock art in Matobo Hills National Park and wetlands in Gona-re-Zhou. In Zimbabwe, ‘boredom’ isn’t a word we use often!

 A rich hunting history

In the late 1960’s the idea of the “mini safari” (as opposed to the East African tradition of months in the bush) was born. Peter Johnstone was a pioneer of this idea and it rapidly took off, becoming the way to run a successful hunting safari.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife saw the benefits of this way of hunting and working with people like Peter, setting boundaries and laws to ensure hunting was carried out ethically. Carefully chosen vast areas of suitable land were set aside for hunting by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, not only increasing the amount of land set aside for wildlife, but also providing vital buffer zones between National Park land and agricultural land (where wildlife was not necessarily welcomed).

Hunting is now recognized by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to be a necessary and important tool for the conservation of wildlife and natural environments.

Zimbabwe Rosslyn Safaris history

Different types of land

Hunting in Zimbabwe is conducted on five different types of land;

  • National Parks dedicated Safari Areas    (e.g. Matetsi, Doma, Sengwa and Chizarira). These areas tend to border National Parks as an important buffer between Parks and agricultural land. They’re normally either managed by the Parks themselves, or leased out to Zimbabweans for hunting.
  • Wildlife Conservancies   (e.g. Bubye Valley, Save Valley). These are generally a collection of private properties that have banded together under one umbrella to conserve wildlife and its environment, with a holistic approach across the landscape.
  • Forestry Land owned by the State Forestry department, the hunting division is called Ngamo Safaris.
  • Rural District Council   Also referred to as ‘Communal Lands’ where tribal Zimbabweans live under the traditional chiefdom structure. RDC runs a combination of CAMPFIRE based programs and straight-leased hunting.
  • Private property (e.g. Rosslyn Safaris) owned by individuals and private companies with hunting quotas.

NB: Rosslyn Safaris hunts on private property, however for dangerous game hunts we’ll choose between National Parks and RDC land, depending on your specific requirements.

 The History of Rosslyn

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