> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.travel-info.co.zw/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Zimbabwe vs Zambia vs Botswana for a Safari

> Zimbabwe, Zambia or Botswana for a safari? Compare safari styles, parks, costs, visas and the KAZA UniVisa, flights, seasons and how to combine all three in 2026.

**All three are excellent safari countries, and the best choice depends on your style and budget.** Choose **Botswana** for exclusive, low-volume camps in the Okavango Delta, if you can pay premium prices. Choose **Zambia** for walking safaris in South Luangwa and easy visa-free entry for most nationalities. Choose **Zimbabwe** for the most rigorously trained walking and canoe guides, the best views of Victoria Falls, the open floodplain of Mana Pools and good value for money. The three countries meet around Victoria Falls, so many travellers combine them in one trip.

**Written by [Bryan Fawcett](/about-this-guide).**

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Last reviewed: 21 October 2026** against ZimParks, Zimbabwe's Department of Immigration, Zambia's Department of Immigration, Botswana government news (Daily News, BOPA) and the Embassy of Botswana. Visa rules and fees change. Check before you go. Full list under [Sources](#sources).

## At a glance

| | Zimbabwe | Zambia | Botswana |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Best known for** | Mana Pools, Hwange, Victoria Falls, walking and canoe safaris | South Luangwa walking safaris, Lower Zambezi, Kafue, Livingstone | Okavango Delta, Chobe, the Kalahari |
| **Safari style** | Highly trained guides on foot and by canoe; self-drive possible in many parks | Walking safaris, river safaris | Government policy of "high value, low volume" tourism in sensitive areas |
| **Cost band** | Mid to high | Mid to high | High to very high in the Delta |
| **Visas (UK/US/EU)** | Visa needed: US$30 single entry for most (US$55 for UK citizens), or UniVisa | No visa for citizens of 167 countries since January 2025 | No visa for UK, US and most EU citizens; others use the e-visa |
| **Main gateways** | Victoria Falls, Harare, Bulawayo airports | Lusaka, Livingstone | Maun (Okavango Delta), Kasane (Chobe) |
| **Main safari season** | Dry season, May to October | Dry season, May/June to October/November | Dry winter months; ask your camp about water levels in the Delta |

The cost bands are our editorial judgement, not official figures. Prices vary widely within each country.

## Safari style

### Zimbabwe: guiding standards, walking and canoeing

Zimbabwe's professional guides have one of the toughest licensing systems in Africa. A guide spends at least two years as a learner, passes written, shooting and oral exams, and finishes with a seven-day practical exam in the bush before leading guests on foot. Canoe guides also need 250 logged hours on the river. See [walking and canoe safaris](/planning/walking-and-canoe-safaris).

* **Walking:** [Mana Pools](/destinations/mana-pools) is Zimbabwe's best-known walking park. It is also one of the few parks in Africa where you can walk without a guide, with a permit and only on the open floodplain.
* **Canoeing:** multi-day canoe trips on the Zambezi, between Kariba, Mana Pools and the Mupata Gorge.
* **Self-drive:** you can drive yourself in parks such as [Hwange](/destinations/hwange-national-park) and [Matobo](/destinations/matobo-hills), paying ZimParks vehicle fees.

### Zambia: the home of the walking safari

Zambia is famous for walking safaris, and the walking safari is widely credited to South Luangwa National Park. The Luangwa River, its oxbow lagoons and their concentrations of wildlife are the draw there. Zambia also offers river-based safaris on the Lower Zambezi, the other bank of the same river system as Mana Pools.

### Botswana: high value, low volume

Botswana's government describes its approach as a "policy of high value low volume tourism in ecologically sensitive areas" (Minister of Environment and Tourism, February 2025). In practice, much of the Okavango Delta is run as private concessions with small, expensive camps and few vehicles. You pay more, but you share sightings with fewer people.

## Parks to compare

| Zimbabwe | Zambia | Botswana |
| - | - | - |
| [Hwange](/destinations/hwange-national-park): 14,600 km², big elephant herds | South Luangwa: walking safaris | Okavango Delta: water safaris and concessions |
| [Mana Pools](/destinations/mana-pools): floodplain walking and canoeing | Lower Zambezi: river safaris | Moremi Game Reserve |
| [Matusadona](/destinations/matusadona-national-park) and [Lake Kariba](/destinations/lake-kariba) | Kafue | Chobe National Park |
| [Gonarezhou](/destinations/gonarezhou): remote south-east | Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls) | Central Kalahari Game Reserve |
| [Matobo](/destinations/matobo-hills): rhino tracking on foot | | |

See [national parks and reserves](/wildlife/national-parks-and-reserves) for every Zimbabwean park.

## Costs

### Park fees

Zimbabwe publishes its park fees in an official tariff. In 2026 an international visitor pays **US$24 a day** at Hwange, Mana Pools and Matusadona, and **US$58** to enter the Victoria Falls Rainforest. See [park fees](/essentials/park-fees) for every park.

We did not find current official park-fee tariffs from Zambia's or Botswana's wildlife departments online, so we don't quote them here. Your lodge or operator will include them in your quote.

### Botswana's tourism levy

Botswana once announced a **US\$30 (P300) Tourism Development Levy** for international visitors arriving from outside SADC, and many travel websites still mention it. However, Botswana's government news service reported in April 2019 that the government had **abandoned the implementation of the levy**. Botswana does collect a tourism **bed levy** through accommodation, which in 2024/25 raised about P19.3 million for the Tourism Development Fund (Minister of Environment and Tourism, April 2026).

> [!WARNING]
>
> We found no official notice that an arrival levy is being charged in 2026. If a border official or a website asks you for one, check with the Botswana Tourism Organisation or your operator first.

### Where Zimbabwe is good value

* **Park fees are published and moderate:** US\$24 a day at the big parks.
* **Self-drive and ZimParks camps:** you can camp in Hwange from US\$23 per site (up to 3 people) for international visitors, or stay at a lodge.

## Visas and entry

| Country | Who needs a visa | Fees (US\$) |
| - | - | - |
| **Zimbabwe** | Most visitors from outside SADC, including UK, US and EU citizens. See [visas and entry](/essentials/visas-and-entry) | Single entry US$30 (UK citizens US$55); multiple entry US$55; KAZA UniVisa US$50 |
| **Zambia** | Citizens of 167 countries need no visa since 1 January 2025, including the UK, US and EU countries | If you need one: single US$25, double US$40, multiple US$75 (e-visa only), day tripper US$10 |
| **Botswana** | No visa for citizens of many countries, including the UK, US and most EU countries; others apply through the [e-visa portal](https://evisa.gov.bw) | Check the e-visa portal |

### The KAZA UniVisa

The **KAZA UniVisa (US\$50)** covers Zimbabwe and Zambia for up to 30 days, as long as you stay in those two countries, with as many crossings between them as you like. It also covers **day trips to Botswana** through the Kazungula border, for example to Chobe National Park. You can get it at Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo airports in Zimbabwe, at Lusaka (Kenneth Kaunda) and Livingstone (Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula) airports in Zambia, at the Victoria Falls and Kazungula borders, or online.

> [!TIP]
>
> If your nationality doesn't need a Zambian visa, you may not need the UniVisa at all. A Zimbabwe visa that lets you re-enter, such as a double or multiple entry visa, can be enough. See [Victoria Falls: Zimbabwe vs Zambia side](/destinations/victoria-falls-zimbabwe-vs-zambia).

The UniVisa has been suspended at short notice in the past. Check its status before you travel.

## Getting there

* **Zimbabwe:** international flights land at Victoria Falls, Harare (Robert Gabriel Mugabe International) and Bulawayo (Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International). See the [airport guide](/essentials/airport-guide).
* **Zambia:** Lusaka (Kenneth Kaunda International) for the Lower Zambezi, South Luangwa and Kafue; Livingstone (Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International) for the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.
* **Botswana:** Maun is the gateway to the Okavango Delta, usually with a light-aircraft transfer to the camps. Kasane serves Chobe and is close to the Kazungula border with Zambia and Zimbabwe.

## Best seasons

All three countries share the same broad pattern: a **dry season** in the southern winter, when animals gather at water, and a **rainy season** in summer.

* **Zimbabwe:** dry from May to October, rainy from November to April. June to October is the walking season. See [weather by month](/essentials/weather-by-month).
* **Zambia:** Zambia's Department of Immigration describes a dry season from May/June to October/November, and a rainy season from November to April.
* **Botswana:** the dry winter months are the main safari season. Water levels in the Okavango Delta change through the year, so ask your camp which months suit mokoro (dugout canoe) and boat trips.

The rainy season is the best time for birding in all three. See [birding in Zimbabwe](/wildlife/birding-in-zimbabwe).

## How to combine all three

Victoria Falls is where the three countries come together, so it is the natural hub.

1. **Start at Victoria Falls.** See the falls from the Zimbabwe side, and cross the bridge to Livingstone for the Zambian side.
2. **Day trip to Chobe.** Cross at Kazungula for a game drive and boat cruise in Chobe National Park, Botswana. The UniVisa covers a day trip.
3. **Add a longer stay in one country.** Fly to Hwange or Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, to Maun for the Okavango Delta, or to Lusaka for the Lower Zambezi or South Luangwa.

**Sample 10 days:** Victoria Falls (2 nights), Hwange (3 nights), Chobe day trip from Victoria Falls, then Mana Pools (4 nights). If you stay overnight in Botswana, the UniVisa no longer covers you, so plan your entry to each country. See our [Zimbabwe itineraries](/planning/zimbabwe-itineraries) and [safari planning](/planning/safari-planning).

## Which should you choose?

* **First safari, mid-range budget:** Zimbabwe. Strong guiding, Hwange's elephants and Victoria Falls in one trip.
* **Walking safari:** Zimbabwe's Mana Pools or Zambia's South Luangwa. Both are world class.
* **Once-in-a-lifetime luxury in a water wilderness:** Botswana's Okavango Delta.
* **Short trip with easy entry:** Zambia, if your nationality is visa-free.
* **Victoria Falls:** the Zimbabwe side for the best views; see the [side-by-side comparison](/destinations/victoria-falls-zimbabwe-vs-zambia).

## Related guides

> **[Walking and canoe safaris](/planning/walking-and-canoe-safaris)**

> **[Visas and entry](/essentials/visas-and-entry)**

> **[Park fees](/essentials/park-fees)**

## Sources

* [Zambia Department of Immigration — For visitors (visa types, fees and KAZA UniVisa)](https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/for-visitors/), accessed 21 October 2026
* [Zambia Department of Immigration — Zambia waives visa requirements for nationals of 53 countries to boost tourism](https://www.zambiaimmigration.gov.zm/2024/12/25/zambia-waives-visa-requirements-for-nationals-of-53-countries-to-boost-tourism/), dated 25 December 2024
* [Botswana Press Agency (BOPA), Daily News — Tourism levy not for park maintenance](https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/90884), dated 6 April 2026
* [Botswana Press Agency (BOPA), Daily News — Develop inclusive strategies](https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/48910), dated 28 April 2019
* [Botswana Press Agency (BOPA), Daily News — Government aims to establish mega enterprises](https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/84354), dated 3 February 2025
* [Embassy of the Republic of Botswana, Washington DC — Guidelines for completing a visa application](https://www.botswanaembassy.org/page/guidelines-for-completing-a-visa-application), accessed 21 October 2026
* [Government of Botswana — e-Visa Botswana](https://evisa.gov.bw/), accessed 21 October 2026
* [Zimbabwe Department of Immigration — Visa fees](https://www.zimimmigration.gov.zw/?page_id=6958), accessed 21 October 2026
* [Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) — De-Gazetted Tariff 2026](https://www.zimparks.org.zw/media/2026/02/De-Gazetted-Tariff-2026.pdf), dated February 2026
* [BirdLife Zimbabwe — Z010 Hwange National Park](https://www.birdlifezimbabwe.org/z010-hwange-national-park/), accessed 21 October 2026
* [Zambia Tourism (zambiatourism.com, independent travel guide) — South Luangwa National Park](https://www.zambiatourism.com/destinations/national-parks/south-luangwa-national-park/), accessed 21 October 2026

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