LION PARK OFFERS A MEMORABLE DAY OUT NEAR HARARE

Just 40 minutes from Harare’s city centre and 50 minutes from Harare International Airport sits one of the country’s better-known private wildlife parks. Formerly known as The Lion and Cheetah Park, the site has been renamed The Lion Park Harare and still draws local families, school groups, and visiting tourists to its 500 acres of bush along the Bulawayo Road. The park is open daily from 9am to 5pm at the 23km peg on the A5, in Somerby. Visitors can drive their own cars through open areas where zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, blesbok, nyala, impala, eland, warthogs, and monkeys roam. The park says the antelope are genuinely wild and can be hard to spot, so it’s worth taking your time on the drive. The roads are said to suit all vehicle types, so most visitors won’t need a 4×4. The main attraction is the lion enclosures, including a drive-through section where cars pass close to a resident pride. The park asks visitors to keep windows up and hands inside the car at all times, which is standard practice at any drive-through lion enclosure. Beyond the drive-through, guided walking tours take visitors past enclosures with jackal, warthogs, monkeys, crocodiles, and camels. A local favourite is Tommy the Aldabra tortoise, said to be over a hundred years old.

Other activities include animal feeding, guided quad bike tours, and horse riding for beginners and experienced riders alike, with a groom joining guests in the bush. There’s also a “Creature Corner” area, a one on-one lion encounter, and a children’s playground. The on-site Shumba Cafe serves food and drinks under shaded trees near the lion enclosures, and the gift shop sells souvenirs like soft toys and t-shirts. For families planning a day trip from Harare, the park is an easy way to see a range of wildlife without the long drive to one of the country’s bigger national parks or reserves. For visitors who want to get even closer to these magnificent animals, close-up lion viewing and hands-on encounters offer a rare chance to appreciate them up close, something few other outings near Harare can match. Many visitors find these encounters to be a highlight of their trip, and a memorable way to connect with one of Africa’s most iconic animals in a controlled, safe setting.

The Lion Park Harare’s mix of self-drive game viewing, guided tours, and hands-on encounters gives visitors plenty of ways to experience the park, whatever kind of day out they’re after. It’s a great option for anyone curious to learn more and see Zimbabwe’s wildlife for themselves. The park remains a popular choice for Harare residents wanting an easy half-day or full-day outing — combining a self-drive safari with more guided activities for children and first-time visitors to Zimbabwe’s wildlife.

From Destination Issue 27