Country Profile for Zimbabwe

including map and weather charts

Zimbabwe has much to offer the traveller - rugged mountains and great rivers, one of the safest and most vibrant modern capitals in the world in Harare, steam trains that attract enthusiasts from all over the world, wonderful wildlife, and a highly-developed culture that stretches back thousands of years and has given us some spectacular archaeological sites. Yet none are more famous than the glorious Victoria Falls.  

The mighty Zambezi River hurls itself off the top of huge cliff into a gorge below and thus becomes one of the most fantastic sights in the natural world. Nothing can compare with the spectacle of the roaring water, topped by a white mist that leaps and dances in the air, the spray refracting a shimmering rainbow of light over the scene. A lush rain forest on the margins of the falls, sustained by the spray, further enhances the beauty. However, the area offers a great deal more than this magnificent sight. Now known as one of the very best areas for "white-knuckle" activities, you may choose to take part in the rather terrifying white-water rafting on the rapids downstream from the Falls, or perhaps to do a bungi jump! The "Flight of the Angels" gives a wonderful birds-eye view of the Falls as you fly through the mists of spray and watch the path of the water as it tumbles through the lower gorge. There are also sundowner cruises, which allow you to admire the wildlife and the scenery backlit by one of the fabulous flaming sunsets.

 

Zimbabwe might be best known for the Falls but it has considerably more to offer. This is one of the great game countries and Hwange National Park has more than four hundred species of bird and one hundred species of animal. With high numbers of game and predators, Hwange is particularly renowned for its great elephant herds. Large, extended family groups of close to a hundred elephant can be found here and offer an excellent chance to observe interaction between the generations and between peers. The dry months, from July to October, offer some of the best game viewing to be found anywhere in Africa.

 

Lake Kariba is another of Zimbabwe's premier game viewing sites and also provides the country with an inland sea on which visitors may water-ski, sail or fish for the feisty tiger fish. This huge lake, created by the damming of the Zambezi River for hydro-electric power, is edged with forests that were once nowhere near water. Trees that are now almost completely submerged eerily stretch their top branches from the lake.

 

Mana Pools National Park is one of Zimbabwe's two world heritage sites. Here the Zambezi has become far less urgent in its journey to the sea, as it spreads out over the flood plain. Also a prime area for wildlife, with buffalo, zebra, eland and kudu just some of those to be found, Mana Pools is one of the few places left where black rhino can be seen. This is where canoe trips and canoe safaris come into their own. Where you may quietly approach the animals and observe what would be impossible in a noisy 4x4. This is the complete antithesis to the Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe makes sure that it offers something for all tastes.

Map of Zimbabwe

 

 

Zimbabwean Weather