Places to Visit

Harare
The capital Harare, was known as Salisbury in colonial times, and today it is a colourful metropolis with parks and gardens, wide boulevards, and modern and colonial architecture. Harare, the name adopted after independence, refers to an ancient chief famous for never sleeping, or at least for being constantly alert. Should time permit consider a visit to The National Art Gallery for its collection of modern art as well as traditional masks and carvings; Queen Victoria Museum offers a preview of Zimbabwean wildlife; Ewanrigg Botanical Gardens, 40 km (24 miles) northeast of Harare, has beautiful landscaped gardens as well as unspoiled bush or bird-spotters would enjoy the Larvon Bird Gardens. For shopping there are plenty of galleries and the Mbare Markets is fun for a wander. Between April to October the Tobacco Auction floors are an rather unusual and interesting place to visit.

Bulawayo
Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, was the capital of the powerful Ndebele king Lobengula. Today it is an easy-going city of beautiful parks and gardens. A tall white clock tower marks the City Hall, in the very centre of town where you will find the tourist information office an art gallery and a market dealing in handicrafts and flowers. On the edge of the central district in Centenary Park is the modern Museum of Natural History, a good place for a briefing on the country's wildlife. Bulawayo's Railway Museum displays some grand old steam locomotives, along with a perfectly restored passenger carriage dated 1904, a museum on wheels.

The Eastern Highlands
When the highveld terrain is too warm most of the country, head for the Eastern Highlands and some mountain air. Splendid waterfalls, pine forests and Zimbabwe's highest mountain, Inyangani, rising to 2,592 m (8,500 ft), contribute to the feeling of refreshment. There are plenty of mountain trails for hiking, trout streams to fish and golf courses to play. The capital of the Eastern Highlands is Mutare (formerly Umtali), a provincial town of less than 100,000 residents. Surrounded by mountains, the town has broad streets lined with flowering trees and a local museum dealing with the area's prehistory and history.

Hwange National Park
In the northwest corner of Zimbabwe, the country's biggest game reserve, Hwange National Park, extends over 14,650 sq km (5,600 sq miles) of Kalahari sand country which supports grassland plains, scrub and forested areas. Hwange has no permanent streams but there are plenty of waterholes and the Park is home to more than 100 animal species and over 400 bird species have been recorded. The star attraction is the elephant - huge herds are spotted wherever there's a waterhole. Regularly seen species include giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and antelope of all kinds. Lion, rhino and hippo all reside in the park though they can be elusive.

Mana Pools National Park
Situated on the southern side of the Zambezi River, downstream from Lake Kariba, during the dry season the park has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. The park is uniquely characterised by fertile river floodplains reaching from the slow moving river inland for several kilometres. Small ponds, pools and lagoons have been formed as the river has changed course, drifting slowly to the north over centuries. Huge mahogany and acacia trees near the river give way to dense mopane woodland to the south. The park is home to good numbers of elephant, big herds of buffalo and commonly seen species also include kudu, zebra, eland, impala, lion and crocodile. In the river large pods of hippo and crocodiles are seen and naturally a variety of both woodland and water birds call Mana Pools home.

Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi oa Tunya - "the Smoke that Thunders", are truly a magnificent sight. Here the Zambezi pours 545 million litres (120million gallons) of water per minute into a narrow chasm more than 100m (330 ft) deep. The mist and the spray may reach 500m (over 1500ft) into the sky and may be seen up to 30 kms away. David Livingstone is reputably the first European to see the Victoria Falls and in 1855 he wrote "On sights as beautiful as this, Angels in their flight must have gazed " .

Today you too can experience the Falls in the way that Angels do - with a scenic helicopter, light aircraft or micro- light flight over the Falls. Once your appetite for adventure has been whetted you have a great selection to choose from - sun downer cruises on the gentle river bends above the Falls, white water rafting or boogie boarding the rapids, bungee jumping, Spencer's Creek crocodile farm for a wildlife experience you may not have anticipated and game viewing in the nearby Zambezi National Park. The village is also a great place to shop, eat out and wander.