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SAFARIS:
BOTSWANA
:: Highlights
of Botswana
:: On
the Delta's Edge
:: The Botswana Mobile Adventure
NAMIBIA
:: Desert Dream
:: Landscape
Adventure
ZAMBIA
:: Plains and
Rivers
ZIMBABWE
:: By the Water's
Edge
:: Forgotten
Land
:: Mana
Sojourn
:: Moods
of Mana
:: The Big 5 Tracking Adventure
CROSS-BORDER
:: Desert and
Rivers
:: Sands
of the Kalahari
SPECIAL
INTEREST
:: Mana
Sojourn
TENTED ADVENTURES
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Most known for the legendary Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe has a truly
spectacular variety of natural assets from ancient cities to
pristine wilderness areas. Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s
largest national park and one of the finest elephant conservation
areas in Africa with an estimation of up 28 000 elephants.
This is vast wilderness area of Kalahari sands, saltpans, acacia
scrub, vleis and grassy plains. The west of the park has black
cotton soils and mopani woodlands. This area supports one of
Africa’s widest diversities of wildlife and over 400
species of birds, providing an exceptional game viewing experience.
To the north of the country, the remote Mana Pools National Park
on the banks of the Zambezi is a designated World Heritage site.
Wild and remote, the park supports large wildlife concentrations
and numerous species of bird life. A guided canoe safari down-river
is an unforgettable experience as you weave your way past territorial
hippos and drift slowly as elephant herds swim across the river
in front of you. Almost 40% of Mana Pools is a designated wilderness
area that is set aside for walking safaris only allowing for up
close encounters with wildlife on foot.
Located in a region packed full of history, the bewitching Matopos
National Park in the south-western part of the country combines
history, scenery and wildlife. Famous as the burial place of the
British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, who described his burial
site as the “World’s View”, the park enjoys a
spectacular landscape of balancing granite rocks. Bushman rock
art dating back several hundred years can be seen in caves throughout
the park. The hills are now home to the country’s largest
population of white rhino.
Formed by the continent’s third largest dam built in the
1950’s, Lake Kariba is famous for its water activities and
fishing. There is also plenty of wildlife on the banks of the lake,
including buffalo and elephant, and the bird life is prolific.
The bleached trunks and branches of the dead trees drowned by the
dam make a stunning foreground to amazing sunsets. Matusadonha
National Park, on the shore of the lake is a beautiful park with
a wide variety of wildlife, including one of the last wild populations
of the endangered black rhinoceros. The park is bordered by the
Zambezi Escarpment, providing a scenic combination of flat plains
and rugged mountain country creating great hiking terrain.
Perhaps Zimbabwe’s most scenic park, however, is Chizarira
National Park, which lies astride the Zambezi Escarpment. Highly
remote, Chizarira is the least visited of Zimbabwe’s parks
and facilities are limited. For many the silence and isolation
are part of the attraction of this stunning location, with high
escarpment views, green gorges, natural springs, dense woodlands
and floodplains. The park is rich in wildlife, including elephant,
lion, leopard and buffalo.
The rugged and impressive Gonarezhou National Park is a region
of baobabs, scrublands, sandy rivers and sandstone cliffs. The
second African Peace Parks project is aiming to join Gonarezhou
with South Africa’s Kruger National Park and the Limpopo
National Park of Mozambique, leaving the animals with no political
boundaries.
Despite being in the limelight too often in recent times, Zimbabwe
remains a prime safari destination with a very high safety record.
A further attraction is that the country probably offers the best
value safaris in Africa at present. Zimbabwe’s guides, who
have a well-deserved reputation for being the most highly trained
and qualified on the African continent, complement luxurious lodges
and bush camps in prime game-viewing locations. Hospitable and
friendly people guarantee you a warm welcome to this breathtaking
country. |
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