Journeys · Zimbabwe
The Royal Route
Royal Harare's grand old parkland, Hwange's thirty thousand elephants, and Elephant Hills above the gorge — classic Zimbabwe, hosted properly from first tee to final sundowner.
Highlights
- Royal Harare Golf Club — est. 1898, renovated by Nick Price
- Borrowdale Brooke Golf Course beneath the kopjes
- Hwange National Park's great elephant herds
- Elephant Hills Golf Course and the Falls
Best months
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
An evening at Hwange's camp waterhole as a hundred elephants arrive in family order — the royal procession the route is named for.
What's on the card — and where you'll sleep
The golf on this journey
- Royal Harare Golf Club
- Borrowdale Brooke Golf Course
- Elephant Hills Golf Course
Where you'll stay
- Sandalwood Lodge, Harare — Harare, 3 nights
- Somalisa Camp, Hwange — Hwange National Park, 4 nights
- The Victoria Falls Hotel — Victoria Falls, 3 nights
Every property is hand-picked from our register of fifty-two — none paid for, none reciprocated. See the options for this region →
Where you go, and why
Harare
Start in the capital's jacaranda shade with two storied rounds: Royal Harare Golf Club — hosting since 1898 and lovingly renovated by Zimbabwe's own major champion Nick Price — and the modern test of Borrowdale Brooke Golf Course beneath granite kopjes. Harare's galleries, craft markets and unexpectedly superb restaurants fill the gaps.
STAY Sandalwood Lodge, Harare
Hwange National Park
West to Zimbabwe's flagship park and its signature spectacle: some 30,000 elephants, best watched arriving at the waterholes in stately family processions each evening — often from your own camp deck. Zimbabwe's guides are the most rigorously trained in Africa, and four nights here shows you why their storytelling is legend.
STAY Somalisa Camp, Hwange
Victoria Falls
Close at the Smoke that Thunders: the rainforest walk, high tea at the grand Victoria Falls Hotel, a Zambezi sundowner cruise, and the final card at Elephant Hills Golf Course with the spray column rising behind the 18th.
STAY The Victoria Falls Hotel
Every journey is a starting shape, not a fixed product — add nights, swap lodges, bring the Gallery. Guide price per person sharing, excluding international flights; confirmed precisely in writing before you commit.
Asked before you booked
How much does The Royal Route cost?
Guide price is from US$9,600 per person sharing, excluding international flights. For an exact figure, use the Price a Private Version tool — adjust the nights, rounds and experiences and our quoting engine returns your private price, checked by a specialist, usually within one working day.
How many rounds of golf are on this journey?
3 rounds are built in — Royal Harare Golf Club, Borrowdale Brooke Golf Course, Elephant Hills Golf Course. Every round can be kept, swapped or dropped when you price your private version.
Can my non-golfing partner come?
Absolutely — this is the heart of how we design. While the golfers play, the Gallery programme runs parallel experiences (game drives, spas, wine, walks, markets), and everyone reunites for lunch or sundowners. Non-golfers never sit out a day.
When is the best time to take this journey?
Best months are May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep. We will be honest about the trade-offs of any month you are considering — every season has its version of this trip.
Where will we stay?
Exact, named properties at every stop — on this journey: Sandalwood Lodge, Harare, Somalisa Camp, Hwange, The Victoria Falls Hotel. Every property is hand-picked from our register; none paid for, none reciprocated.
Do I need a visa for Zimbabwe and Zambia?
Most nationalities buy a visa on arrival, and the KAZA UniVisa covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia in one — ideal for Victoria Falls trips that cross the bridge. We will confirm the current rules for your passport at booking.
When is Victoria Falls at its best?
Fullest flow is February to May after the rains — maximum thunder, maximum spray. By September to November the water thins on the Zambian side but the Zimbabwean side always shows, and low water is the season for white-water rafting and Devil's Pool. Every month has its version; we will be straight about what yours will look like.
Is the golf in Zimbabwe well maintained?
Honestly: it varies. Elephant Hills has a wonderful Gary Player layout whose conditioning fluctuates — the wildlife and the setting more than repay it — while Royal Harare, Borrowdale Brooke and Leopard Rock are kept to a genuinely good standard.
Tell us how you want to feel when you come home.
We'll build the wild, and the golf, around that — and nothing else.
Design your safari Speak to us