Access & Resources:
The Routes Less Taken
By David Holand

Indeed, as Philip Gourevitch's group discovered, not everyone sees big game in Zimbabwe. But the game does exist: The country has become a safari hotspot largely because its diversity of wildlife exceeds that of even Kenya. So game viewing can be excellent--if the fauna cooperate. The best viewing typically comes in October, when drought draws predators and prey to the remaining water holes, but October is also "suicide month," according to tour operators, with temperatures soaring as high as 115 degrees. Better to visit in July, August, or September, when the rains have ended but the unbearable heat has yet to descend. Bear in mind, too, that some of the best animal viewing in Zimbabwe is found with unconventional means, including canoe trips and elephant-back rides into the bush. Among the most game-intensive options:
Zambezi Canoe Safari. The 160-mile stretch of the Zambezi River between Lake Kariba and the Mozambique border is rich in wildlife, especially crocodiles and hippos.

Shearwater Adventures (011-263-4-757-831) offers the best selection of guided canoe trips with the lowest prices ($500 to $1,200). But the amenities are few--you sleep in the open under a mosquito net. Nature Ways (4-756-318) runs more luxurious, vehicle-supported, four- and five-day trips ($900 to $1,240). Africa Adventure Company (800-882-9453) packages a four-day downriver paddle with a three-day walking safari through Mana Pools National Park, for $2,475. Mountain Travel-Sobek (800-227-2384) and Wilderness Travel (800-368-2794) also offer Zimbabwe combo trips of three or four days in a canoe coupled with a week afoot in various national parks. Prices range from $3,895 to $4,195.

One hint: To spare yourself the costs of overseas phone calls, make reservations for the Africa-operated trips and camps listed here through American companies such as African Portfolio, a Zimbabwe specialist (800-700-3677) and Africa Adventure Company (800-882-9453).

Elephant-Back Safari. The elephant may be the perfect game-viewing vehicle: unfettered visibility, quadra-track footing, no diesel fumes. At Elephant Camp, run by Wild Horizons in Victoria Falls (4-134-219), guests ride--or walk alongside--Miz Ellie, Jock, Jack, and Jumbo, four small African elephants, on daily excursions into the bush. The four-cabin camp also offers a full range of other safari options. The rate is $380 per day, with no limit on length of stay.

Walking Safari. Hogwe (4-498-548), an intimate, luxurious, new safari camp in a rugged wilderness bordering Matusadona National Park, is run by John Stevens, one of Zimbabwe's leading professional guides. Because the terrain is too severe even for four-wheel-drives, walking safaris are the order of the day. Hogwe is a joint venture with the local Tonga people, who share the camp's profits. A three-night stay, including charter flight from Kariba, costs $1,570. Geographic Expeditions (800-777-8183), which operates the backpacking trek described by Gourevitch, also offers a 17-day no-backpack safari in Hwange and Matopos National Parks. It includes three days each on a Lake Kariba houseboat and at Amalinda Lodge, plus seven days of walking at Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. Prices start at $4,380. (The cost of Gourevitch's backpacking trip is $3,995.)

Tracking Black Rhino. Earthwatch (800-776-0188) sends clients out to assist zoologists in tracking and monitoring the endangered black rhino in the Hwange National Park. Volunteers rise at dawn to track rhinos with global positioning system units. After work, volunteers can drive to watering holes to view other wildlife. The 11-day program costs $1,995.

On Your Own in Hwange. Most visitors to Hwange National Park stay in one of the dozen or so bush camps and lodges in or near the park, which run their own game drives and, in some cases, walking safaris. Daily rates range from about $150 to $250 per person, double occupancy; call the Zimbabwe Tourism Office at 800-621-2381 for information.

Getting There. British Airways (800-247-9297) and Lufthansa (800-645-3880) offer one-stop connections between New York and Harare, but the published fares are a ridiculous $2,926 to $3,265 during peak season. At consolidators, aka bucket shops, the same tickets run $1,500. If you're willing to make three stops, Ghana Airways (800-404-4262) will get you to Harare for $2,618. Or take Virgin Atlantic Airways (800-862-8621) to London and then get to Harare on Air Zimbabwe (800-742-3006); the total cost is $1,596 to $1,831. From Harare, Air Zimbabwe has good local connections to small airports near most of the popular game parks.

Recommended Reading. African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe, by Doris Lessing (Harper-Collins, $13), is an account of the author's return to her native land after 25 years of banishment. Spectrum Guide to Zimbabwe (Camera Pix, $19.95), was written by a team of native Africans.