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Elephants in woodland Zimbabwe’s national parks are run by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), which oversees about 5 million hectares, roughly an eighth of the country. The big safari parks are Hwange, Mana Pools, Gonarezhou and Matusadona. Matobo is the best park for rhino on foot, and Zambezi National Park is minutes from Victoria Falls. International visitors pay US$12 to US$30 a day in conservation fees at most parks in 2026, and US$58 at the Victoria Falls Rainforest. Written by Bryan Fawcett.
Last reviewed: 21 October 2026 against the official ZimParks 2026 tariff and park pages, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, African Parks, the KAZA secretariat, SANParks and the CAMPFIRE Association. Each park also has its own reviewed guide on this site. Fees and access change. Check with ZimParks or your lodge before you travel.

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The main parks compared

Fees are ZimParks’ 2026 conservation fees for international visitors on a day visit. Overnight, SADC and local rates are on our park fees page.

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Park profiles

Zimbabwe’s largest national park, in the north-west of the country.
  • Size: about 14,650 km², managed by ZimParks in three units: Main Camp, Sinamatella and Robins.
  • Wildlife: about 45,800 elephants (ZimParks’ National Elephant Management Plan 2021–2025), about 100 mammal species and around 400 bird species. Lion, leopard, cheetah and painted dogs are all present.
  • Water: nearly 60 artificial water points supplement the natural pans, so game stays visible through the dry season.
  • Access: Main Camp is about 195 km, roughly 2.5 hours, from Victoria Falls.
  • Stay: ZimParks lodges, chalets and campsites at Main Camp, Sinamatella and Robins, and private lodges in concessions. A one-bedroom ZimParks chalet at Main Camp costs US$60 a night for international visitors in 2026.
  • Best time: the dry season, roughly May to October.
See our Hwange National Park guide.

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Fees, permits and booking

  • Conservation fees: set by ZimParks and paid per person per day. They range from US$12 to US$30 for international visitors at most parks in 2026, and US$58 at the Victoria Falls Rainforest. See the full table on park fees.
  • Vehicle fees: a foreign-registered car pays US$10 a day at most parks (US$3 if staying overnight), and US$5 a day at Matusadona and Gonarezhou.
  • Children: the 2026 tariff does not list a separate child rate. Ask at the gate.
  • Pay in US dollars, in small notes. Card machines at remote gates do not always work. Keep your receipt.
  • Lodges often include park fees in their rates. Ask before you pay twice.
  • Book ZimParks camps and lodges through ZimParks: info@zimparks.org.zw, +263 242 707625, corner of Sandringham and Borrowdale Roads, Harare. Gonarezhou is booked through the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust.

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Who runs the parks

Most parks are run directly by ZimParks. Two big parks are co-managed with conservation partners:
  • Gonarezhou: the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, a ZimParks and Frankfurt Zoological Society partnership, fully operational since 1 March 2017.
  • Matusadona: African Parks, under a 20-year agreement signed with ZimParks in 2019. It was the first Zimbabwean park to come under African Parks.

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Safari areas and communal land

Around the national parks are safari areas, where ZimParks allows regulated hunting and photographic tourism, such as the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas next to Mana Pools. On communal land, the CAMPFIRE programme (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources) lets communities manage wildlife through their Rural District Councils and earn income from it. The CAMPFIRE Association says the programme runs in 58 districts and protects about 50,000 km² of wildlife habitat, and that most of its income comes from levies on hunting and photographic safari operators.

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Transfrontier conservation areas

  • Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA): about 520,000 km² across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to the KAZA secretariat. Hwange and the Victoria Falls area are in the Zimbabwean part. The KAZA UniVisa lets you move between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
  • Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park: set up by a treaty signed in December 2002 by Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. SANParks describes it as about 35,000 km², linking Gonarezhou with Kruger and Limpopo national parks.

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Planning tips

  • Go in the dry season (roughly May to October) for the best game viewing. October is very hot.
  • Check road conditions and closures. Mana Pools and Gonarezhou close or partly close in the rains.
  • Bring everything to remote parks: food, water, fuel and spares. There are no shops inside the parks.
  • Read the rules. Stay on roads, keep clear of elephants with calves and lions with cubs, and take your rubbish out.

Park fees 2026

Safari planning

Walking and canoe safaris

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Sources

Last modified on October 21, 2026