Described by the Kololo tribe, who lived in the area in the 1800’s, as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ or ‘the Smoke that Thunders’, the Victoria Falls - one of the seven natural wonders of the world – are a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, bordering Zimbabwe and Zambia.
From many kilometres away you can see the plume of spray rising into the air and hear the roar of the water, as the Zambezi River plummets over 100 metres down a huge chasm in a waterfall almost two kilometres wide. The wide basalt cliff, over which the Falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi from a wide placid river to a ferocious torrent cutting through a series of dramatic gorges.
For many years, Victoria Falls has captured the hearts, minds and adventurous spirits of people the world over. It was David Livingstone who, after that now famous entry in this diary - “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight” - claimed it for the British crown and named it after his Queen.
The Falls and the surrounding rainforest have been preserved as a national park, ensuring that they remain virtually as they were when Livingstone first saw them in 1855. Although small in size, the unique nature sanctuary that overlooks the Falls is rich in wildlife, bird life and botanical glories and is a tranquil setting from which to view the cascades of water thundering over the cliff. The spray can be considerable, so protect your camera and take a raincoat.
The volume of water that flows over the Falls varies considerably. At its lowest, between late October and early November, as little as 20,000 cubic metres of water a minute flow into the gorge below. But when the rains are heavy, the flow increases swiftly and dramatically. The Falls are at their most spectacular between February and May, when more than 500,000 cubic metres of water a minute cascade over the edge.
In April and May, the peak of the flood season, the six falls - Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, Armchair Falls and the Eastern Cataract - form the largest curtain of falling water in the world. At this time of year, visibility from the Zimbabwean side is reduced due to the high level of spray. In the dry season, however, between September and November, almost no water plunges over the Rainbow and Armchair Falls or the Eastern Cataract on the Zambian side.
There are many different activities based around the Falls, including the ‘Flight of Angels’, a short flight over the Falls in a small plane, helicopter or microlight. White-water rafting is run from the ‘Boiling Pot’ downstream of the Falls, through a sequence of rapids. In addition to an adrenalin kick, rafting provides a great opportunity to see Verreaux’s eagle and the African fish eagle, taita falcon, augur buzzard and rock pratincoles. Also on offer are bungee jumps from the bridge that spans the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, boat trips, elephant rides and the popular gorge swing.
Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s largest national park, located in the far west of the country along the border with Botswana. Covering an area of over 14,000 square kilometres, Hwange is one of Africa’s finest havens for wildlife. It is actually sub-divided into three smaller parks, namely Main Camp to the south & east, Sinamatela to the north - near the Hwange coalfields - and Robins to the west. Hwange is named after the hereditary chief of this district.
Situated on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, this vast wilderness area comprises sands, saltpans, acacia scrub, vleis, Zambezi teak and large leaved false mopani forests. Ancient fossilised rivers have since become grassy plains in the region of Main Camp. Red lowveld and black cotton soils support mopani woodlands around Sinamatela and Robins. The semi-arid vegetation makes Hwange excellent for game viewing, and a scarcity of water means that man-made waterholes have been introduced to sustain the animals through the dry season. The game congregates at waterholes as the surface water diminishes making game viewing very easy.
The terrain supports over 100 species of mammals including zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, sable, kudu, steenbok, eland, waterbuck and impala. It is the immense number of elephant that are truly spectacular though. With up to 30,000 elephant, Hwange is rated amongst the finest elephant conservation areas on the continent. The Park is also home to the largest concentration of giraffe in Africa and shelters a stable population of one of Africa’s most endangered species, the wild dog. The specially protected gemsbok, bat-eared foxes, roan, white rhino and brown hyena occur here in reasonable numbers.
Hwange is birders paradise with over 400 species identified to date. Bird life includes the kori bustard, secretary bird, red-crested korhaan, shaft-tailed whydah, violet-eared waxbill, shrike, martial eagle, crimson-breasted bush shrike including the yellow form, little grebe, dark-chanting goshawk, cape penduline tit, red-eyed bulbul and cape shoveller, along with red-billed, yellow-billed and Hottentot’s teals.
Hwange is a year-round destination. The driest months, September and October, are the prime game-viewing months when animals converge at water holes, providing excellent photographic opportunities. During the rainy season, mainly December to March, the game is spread out across the Park. For birding enthusiasts this is a wonderful time to visit, with all the migratory birds present and most breeding. This is also the best time for flora and is an opportunity to examine a variety of other small and interesting ecological features.
After the rains the vegetation is green and lush, with colourful wild flowers carpeting the ground. This is the ideal time to see an abundance of newly born animals cavorting with their parents on the plains. Prey and predator interaction hits its peak at this time, as snacks are readily available for the ever-hungry carnivores.
The Matobo Hills are a visual wonder of giant ancient granite formations and balancing boulders, or “kopjes” as they are called locally. They commence some 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo, in southern Zimbabwe. The area was given its name by the great Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation. The smooth granite boulders apparently reminded him of a gathering of his old indunas or tribal council and he called the area amatobo, “the bald heads”.
The brooding and majestic Matobo Hills have been formed over a period of two thousand million years, as rock and sand on a previously flat and unremarkable surface were washed away by wind and water to reveal the hard granite below. The balancing boulders are the result of natural faults along the weakest lines, and weathering and erosion did the rest.
Although the granite outcrops are a highlight of the region, the 440 square kilometre national park - within which the Matobo Hills lie - is an area of incredible botanical variety with wooded valleys, grassy marshlands and streams. Part of this area has been set aside as a Game Park, which is home to a large population of white rhino and the elusive black rhino, plus a variety of antelope species including the nimble klipspringer, baboon, rock hyraxes and significant numbers of leopard.
Birdlife is prolific with the high cliffs and craggy outcrops a favourite haunt of various raptors. In fact the Park boasts the world’s largest concentration of black eagles. Other raptors include Wahlberg’s eagle, tawny eagle, secretary bird, snake eagle and Peregrine falcon.
The Hills are also an area of considerable historical and cultural significance. San (Bushmen) lived in this region for thousands of years, leaving a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. This rock art is some of the best in southern Africa, showing an incredible diversity and animation. In the many crevices and caves, clay ovens and other historic artefacts have been found. The Hills are still regarded as sacred; the local Ndebele claim this land as a sacred shrine and pray to Mwali, the God of their ancestors, to petition for rain.
The Matobo Hills are also the final resting place of the controversial and famous British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, who requested that he be buried here on one of the massive balancing rocks – a formation called World’s View.
The Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve comprises 105 000 acres of private fenced land in south-eastern Zimbabwe.
Rich in game and bird life, the Reserve is able to boast not only the big five but also the small six: klipspringer, Sharpe’s grysbok, grey duiker, steenbok, Livingstone’s suni and oribi. This combination of small antelope is unique and has not been recorded together anywhere else in Africa. Other game includes rare species such as wild dog, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, roan and sable antelope, and high concentrations of black and white rhino. Over 400 species of bird have been recorded at Malilangwe, with the highest concentration of raptors in the world. Rock art can be found on the sandstone cliffs.
The Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve is funded by the Malilangwe Trust, founded by the donations of concerned conservationists around the world. All of the revenues from tourism are channeled back into the Reserve to further the conservation, research and ecotourism efforts and to provide a source of livelihood and development for the surrounding communities.
In contrast, the neighboring Malilangwe Private Wildlife Reserve in the north of the Park is big five territory. The Reserve comprises 105,000 acres of private fenced land, with scouts patrolling the area day and night.
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