Personalised Tours

And - of course! - the amazing sights, sounds and photographic opportunities in our magnificent National Parks and other wildlife areas. Some of our tour participants are keen and experienced photographers; others may welcome a little guidance now and then. We provide the time and opportunities for you to 'get the pic', whatever your level of experience.

Our clients always enjoy visiting the amazing DINOSAUR TRACKWAYS in the eastern Zambezi Valley. Walk where dinosaurs walked 200million years ago, and where elephants walk today. This region also has 'fossil forests' and exceptional wilderness quality, and is one of our star attractions for discerning lovers of wild places and an interest in all things natural. It's on our Eastern Valley Connoisseur Route, and youngsters will find the trackways especially interesting.

We prefer to avoid the conventional 'tourist traps, and specialise in the less-travelled, more truly wild and remote areas that most people never see. We also focus strongly on the conservation of these beautiful, wild and sometimes severely threatened areas. Here are some of these places we can take you to -

THE MATUSADONA NATIONAL PARK, where we'll search for the Zambezi Valley's only surviving population of black rhinos in this wild, remote and uniquely beautiful area on the shores of Lake Kariba. Learn about the conservation of this severely endangered species.

...and we can also build into your tour many OTHER ACTIVITIES such as sailboat cruising on Lake Kariba, Zambezi canoeing, angling, aviation, and others. Let us know your requirements, and we'll do our best to fulfil them.

THE ZIM4x4 WESTERN ROUTE FROM HARARE via CHIRISA AND CHIZARIRA to SIJARIRA LODGE in the SIJARIRA FOREST AREA (camping, self-catering chalets, deserted Kariba beaches, stunning views across the lake, tigerfishing, great 4x4 country).

THE MAVURADONHA WILDERNESS AREA - 500sq km of uninhabited Zambezi Escarpment mountains and valleys, organised horse trails, few tracks but great walking, set up by local communities to help protect unspoilt wilderness & contribute to development projects.

THE CHIZARIRA NATIONAL PARK - camping among mountains, gorges, superb scenery and views, great 4x4 terrain and enough wildlife to keep you interested.

Individually-tailored and personalised self-catering wilderness and conservation tours for 1-3 vehicles, hosted throughout by Dick and Sally Pitman, are our 'core business'. They are ideally suited to groups of friends with suitable vehicles and similar interests, and enable us to offer you a genuinely exclusive wilderness experience.

We're looking for rather special people. If you appreciate wild places and take an intelligent interest in your surroundings; if you are sensitive to environmental and conservation concerns and like to take the time to learn more about them; if you are willing to adhere to a strict code of environmental couduct; and if you'd like to be accompanied by people who really know what they are talking about, a ZIM4x4 tour is for you.

We keep our tours small, so that we can provide a truly personalised service, without the compromises involved in trying to please all the members of large groups. This means that you are 'buying' our undivided attention and our knowledge and experience derived from over 30 years of Zambezi and Kariba region work and travel.

Instead of defining fixed routes and schedules, we work with you to structure a tour that will satisfy your needs, including the places you'd like to visit, the things you'd like to do, and the way you prefer to travel. We'd start by discussing some key question with you, such as -

• Where would you like to go? (we'll make suggestions, and you can see details of many of our favourite places on this website, but there are lots of other options depending on your particular interests).

• What are the things that you'd really like to see and experience?

• Do you enjoy total self-sufficiency, camping and self-catering, or would you like to mix these with occasional nights in comfortable accommodation?

• Do you have any special interests, such as birdwatching, angling, photography, aviation, or others that you would like to include in your tour?

• What vehicle and equipment do you have? (we're pretty flexible on this - many places in our area are accessible with 'crossovers' and even sturdy 4x2 bakkies).

• Do you have some idea of the daily budget you'd want us to work within?

Your costs will be considerably lower if we can meet you at Lake Chivero, near Harare (we'll provide GPS breadcrumb files that give the city itself a wide berth!), at border posts within our operating area such as Kariba or Chirundu, or (depending on routeing) at certain other start-points in our area.

We'll put it all together, and quote you. We'll make clear what's included, and what's not; and we'll ask you for a non-returnable 50% deposit, two months in advance of our rendezvous date.

Click on these links to see more about -

Dick and Sally Pitman
Specimen page from our route & area briefings
ZIM4x4's operating philosophy
or HERE to contact us & start the ball rolling!