Lake Kariba Hippo & Giant Crocodile Safari
Booking Season: 2026
Hunt Difficulty: Difficult
Designed by Hunters, for Hunters
Accommodation is provided in comfortable permanent safari camps with private en-suite facilities, proper beds, hot showers, and communal dining and lounge areas. While the camps offer all the comforts needed after a long day in the field, the focus remains firmly on the hunting experience and the surrounding wilderness rather than luxury for its own sake.
Hunters can expect a mixture of mopane bushveld, sandy riverbeds, thick riverine habitat, and rugged escarpments typical of Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley. The terrain is varied enough to make every stalk different, often requiring long hours of tracking, careful use of the wind, and close-range encounters in thick cover.
| Fence Type: | Free-range |
| Hunting Ground Size: | 1000000 ha |
| Nearest Airport Name: | Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE) |
| Air Charter Available: | Yes |
For American international hunters, pursuing a free-range elephant in Africa represents the ultimate dangerous game challenge. It is not simply about the size of the animal or the trophy itself. It is about tracking one of Africa's most intelligent and iconic species through vast wilderness areas where success must be earned through patience, fieldcraft, and experience.
Among the available elephant hunts in Africa today, few offer the combination of wilderness, hunting tradition, and free-range opportunity found in Zimbabwe's legendary Zambezi Valley. This is a region known for producing authentic dangerous game safaris, where elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard still roam across enormous unfenced concessions bordering Lake Kariba.
For hunters considering hunting in Zimbabwe, the Omay area remains one of the country's most respected elephant hunting destinations. Here, hunters spend their days tracking mature bulls through mopane woodland, river systems, and rugged valley terrain alongside experienced Professional Hunters and local trackers who know the area intimately.
With exportable trophy quota available, excellent elephant numbers, and access to one of Africa's last great wilderness hunting regions, this safari offers a genuine opportunity to experience elephant hunting as it was meant to be, wild, challenging, and unforgettable.
Location: Omay Concession, Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe
Duration: 10 Nights / 12 Hunting Days
Hunter Ratio: 1 Hunter × 1 Professional Hunter
Trophy: Exportable Trophy Elephant "No Size Limit"
Price: US$ 30,710 All-In
Observers: US$ 350 per person per day
Zimbabwe has long been regarded as one of Africa's premier destinations for elephant hunting in Zimbabwe, not because it is the easiest place to hunt elephants, but because it remains one of the most authentic.
Unlike many hunting destinations where roads, fences, or intensive management influence animal movement, much of Zimbabwe's elephant hunting still takes place in vast free-range wilderness areas. Here, mature bulls move naturally across enormous landscapes, often covering significant distances between feeding areas, water sources, and seasonal habitats.
This means success is rarely measured by the size of a set of tusks alone. It is measured by the experience. Days often begin before sunrise as trackers search for fresh spoor along sandy roads and dry riverbeds. Once a suitable bull is located, the hunt becomes a game of patience, wind, terrain, and distance. Some stalks develop quickly. Others can take an entire day before an opportunity presents itself.
Zimbabwe is also one of the few countries where elephant hunting remains closely tied to community-based conservation. Through programs such as CAMPFIRE, hunting revenue supports local communities that live alongside wildlife every day. In practical terms, this means elephant hunting helps fund schools, healthcare, anti-poaching initiatives, and wildlife management in some of the country's most remote regions.
Zimbabwe represents the complete elephant hunting package: wild country, free-range bulls, experienced Professional Hunters, strong conservation incentives, and the opportunity to participate in a hunting tradition that has shaped African safari history for generations.
Whether pursuing a trophy bull, a management elephant, or a tuskless hunt, Zimbabwe continues to offer one of the most respected and rewarding elephant hunting experiences available anywhere in Africa.
Not all hunting concessions in Africa are created equal.
What makes the Omay concession unique is not simply its size, although two million acres of unfenced wilderness is impressive by any standard. It is the fact that wildlife still moves naturally across the landscape with very little human interference. Elephants are not confined by fences, game ranch boundaries, or artificial management systems. They move between feeding areas, water sources, and seasonal habitats exactly as they have for generations.
Situated along the southern shoreline of Lake Kariba, Omay forms part of one of the largest remaining wilderness ecosystems in Southern Africa. The combination of permanent water, thick riverine habitat, mopane woodland, and rugged valley terrain creates ideal conditions for both elephant and dangerous game populations to thrive.
While this safari focuses on elephant hunting, hunters regularly encounter buffalo, hippo, crocodile, and a wide variety of plains game species during the course of a hunt. The area is also highly respected among hunters pursuing Cape Buffalo Hunts, with many visiting the valley specifically for its reputation as one of Zimbabwe's premier dangerous game destinations.
Predator populations remain healthy throughout the region as well. The vast wilderness and abundance of prey support excellent opportunities for lion hunting in Zimbabwe and leopard hunting in Zimbabwe, both of which have helped establish the Zambezi Valley as one of Africa's most respected dangerous game ecosystems.
Perhaps most importantly, Omay remains closely linked to Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE conservation model. Local communities live alongside the wildlife and directly benefit from sustainable hunting revenue. As a result, hunting here is about more than pursuing a trophy animal. It is part of a conservation system that helps protect wildlife habitat, supports rural communities, and ensures these wild areas remain productive for future generations of hunters and wildlife alike.
For hunters seeking an authentic free-range safari experience, Omay represents the type of hunting area that has become increasingly difficult to find in modern Africa.
Traveling to the Zambezi Valley
Getting to the Omay concession is relatively straightforward for international hunters traveling to Zimbabwe.
Most hunters arrive via Harare International Airport (HRE), Zimbabwe's primary international gateway. Regular connections are available through major African hubs including Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Doha, making travel from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia relatively convenient.
Because international arrival times and domestic travel schedules do not always align, many hunters choose to spend a night in Harare before and after the safari. This allows time to clear firearms, recover from international travel, and begin the hunt well rested.
From Harare, hunters can either travel to the concession by charter aircraft or road transfer, depending on individual preferences and safari arrangements. Both options provide access to the remote wilderness of the Zambezi Valley, one of Africa's most respected regions for dangerous game hunting.
The journey itself forms part of the experience. As the landscape transitions from Zimbabwe's urban centers into the vast wilderness surrounding Lake Kariba, hunters gain their first glimpse of the country that has earned such a strong reputation among elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard hunters. The adventure begins long before the first spoor is found.
Elephant hunts are conducted from either Ume Camp in North Omay or Chifudzi Camp in South Omay, depending on quota availability and the location of active elephant concentrations during the season.
Both camps provide direct access to productive hunting areas, reducing travel time and maximizing time in the field. The ability to operate from multiple camps allows hunters to focus on the most active areas rather than being restricted to a single section of the concession.
This flexibility is particularly valuable during elephant hunts, where seasonal movements, water availability, and natural feeding patterns can influence where mature bulls are located throughout the year.
An elephant hunt in the Zambezi Valley is dictated by the bush itself. Every day begins with a plan, but once fresh spoor is found, the elephants usually decide how the day will unfold.
Mornings start early, often before first light, as trackers search roads, riverbeds, and sandy crossings for the spoor of mature bulls that moved during the night. Once fresh tracks are found, the day's objective is simple: stay with the elephant, read the sign, and gradually close the distance until a suitable opportunity presents itself.
Some days involve hours of steady tracking through mopane woodland and dry river systems. Other days may require covering significant distances before locating a mature bull worth pursuing. There are no guarantees, shortcuts, or scripted experiences. That unpredictability is precisely what makes the Zambezi Valley one of Africa's most respected elephant hunting destinations.
When an opportunity finally presents itself, preparation becomes critical. Elephant hunting is not simply about getting close. Hunters must remain calm, listen carefully to their Professional Hunter, and understand the importance of proper elephant shot placement, particularly when hunting large free-range bulls in thick cover where follow-up opportunities may be limited.
Hunters are accommodated in comfortable permanent camps located within the concession, providing direct access to productive hunting areas and reducing unnecessary travel time. After a day in the field, evenings are typically spent around the campfire sharing stories, reviewing tracks, and planning the next day's hunt while listening to the sounds of the African bush.
The hunting season runs throughout the year, although many hunters prefer the cooler months between April and October when conditions are generally more comfortable for tracking and wildlife often concentrates around reliable water sources. International hunters typically arrive through Harare before continuing to the concession, and Zimbabwe maintains a straightforward temporary firearm import process for visiting sportsmen.
What draws hunters back to the Zambezi Valley is not luxury, convenience, or certainty. It is the opportunity to spend time in a vast wilderness where elephants remain truly free-ranging and every day in the field feels earned rather than arranged.
Not every elephant hunt is the same, and not every hunter is looking for the same experience.
If your goal is simply to harvest an elephant as quickly as possible, there may be easier options elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a genuine free-range safari where success is earned through tracking, patience, fieldcraft, and time spent in wild country, the Zambezi Valley remains one of Africa's most rewarding elephant hunting destinations.
This hunt is particularly well suited to hunters who value wilderness, appreciate the role of conservation in modern hunting, and want to experience one of the last places in Africa where elephants still move naturally across vast unfenced landscapes.
The Omay concession offers more than an opportunity to pursue an exportable trophy elephant. It offers the chance to spend time in a region that has shaped African safari history for generations, surrounded by some of the continent's most iconic wildlife and guided by professionals who understand the challenges and rewards of dangerous game hunting.
For hunters seeking an authentic Zimbabwe elephant safari rather than a manufactured hunting experience, this is a hunt well worth considering.
Have questions about this hunt? Contact Game Hunting Safaris for honest advice on availability, expectations, and whether this Zimbabwe elephant safari matches your hunting objectives.
Please note that terms, conditions and price are subject to change without notice and rates at the time of the hunt will apply
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