Bulawayo
Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, lies at a much lower altitude and is generally hotter and drier than Harare. For much of the time the place tends to look parched, its street covered by a thin film of Kalahari sand, but the well-watered central area and its adjacent parkland - a broad "green lung' that flanks the AmatsheumhlopeRiver - remains gloriously verdant throughout the year. The residential gardens, too are lovely and the wide thoroughfares, originally designed to allow a full span of oxen to turn, are lined by old British colonial buildings and a gorgeous profusion of jacarandas and crimson flames.
Inviting an hour's stroll is Bulawayo's Central Park, decorated by a magnificent variety of tall trees and an exquisite rose garden; and adjacent Centenary Park, a shady expanse of lawns, flowering shrubs, aviary, game enclose and, on the perimeter, the Natural History Museum.
The museum boasts the southern hemisphere's most extensive animal collection (75,000 exhibits), the world's second largest mounted elephant, a recreated mine including a display of gold and emeralds, and the fascinating Hall of Mines.
Well worth visiting, too is the open-air vintage train museum, the earliest of whose steam locomotives first took to the tracks over a hundred years ago.
Passenger steam trains still do honourable duty on Zimbabwe's rail network, operating under the aegis of a company called Rail Safaris. A truly memorable run is the Zambezi Special rail safari: elegant 1920's coaches afford luxurious game-viewing as the train skirts the Hwange National Park on its way to the Victoria Falls.
Animal lovers are welcome at the Tshabalala Game Sanctuary, where visitors can walk, ride and picnic as well as watch wildlife such as zebra, giraffe and kudu.
Those in search of local arts and crafts should make a point of visiting the Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre, in the suburb of the same name, northwest of the city centre, where potters, painters, sculptors and other craftsmen display their considerable, and in some cases internationally renowned, talent.
Recommended excursions farther afield include those to the Matobo Hills and the national park that they encompass, and to the walled terraces of the Kame ruins, the remains of a city-state established in the 17th century. Situated to the west of Nulawayo, the ruins, second in size only to great Zimbabwe are a proclaimed World Heritage Site.
Bulawayo J F M A M J J A S O N D Average 72 72 70 66 63 57 57 63 68 72 72 72 Temp F Average 22 22 21 19 17 14 14 17 20 22 22 22 Temp C Hrs of Sun 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 10 9 9 7 7 Daily Rainfall 5 4 2 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 1.5 4 5 ins. Rainfall 134 104 52 38 8 2 1 2 8 35 96 128 mm Days of 12 11 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 5 10 13 rainfall
Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park, a vast, wedge-shaped expanse of rugged, heat-blistered terrain in the far west of the country, ranks among the aristocrats of Africa's game sanctuaries. it covers nearly 14,620 km (5645 sq miles) of dry Kalahari sandveld - mainly grassland plain with scattered bush and trees - and it sustains a greater variety and density of large animals than any other conservation area in the country. Specifically, Hwange is home to around 15,000 buffalo, 3m000 giraffe, 3,000 zebra, 16 species of antelope, including 5,000 handsome kudu and 200 sable, and an impressive 25 different kinds of carnivore.
Hwange National Park is especially know, though for its elephants. During the rains, which in good years fall from November through to February, the herds are dispersed, many of them migrating across the border into Botswana's Chobe, Linyanti and Moremi areas. But in the dry winter season more than 20,000 of these gentle, but environmentally destructive giants are drawn to Hwange's sixty-odd natural pans and pump-supplied waterholes.
Among the predators in the park are lion and leopard, the beautiful cheetah, and the spotted hyena and wild dog. birdlife is prolific and around 400 species have been identified, notable mong which are the raptors.
Visitors have a choice of three major camps located in the northern sector and a number of smaller campsites and lodges, all linked by around 480km (298 miles) of dirt roads along which there are picnic sites, and waterholes overlooked by viewpoints.
Main Camp is the principal entry point for the park and serves as the administrative headquarters. It has a shop, petrol station, restaurant and a variety of fully equipped cottages. A short distance from the camp is Nyamandhlovu Pan viewing platform - an ideal vantage point for seeing a variety of wildlife, including elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, impala and buffalo.
Sinamatella Camp situated to the north-west overlooks sweeping plains famous for their elephant, and offers accommodation in luxury two-bedroom cottages. Robins and Nantwich lie farther west in prime lion, hyena and cheetah country. robins has game-viewing hides at Big toms and Little Toms, situated on a tributary of the Deka River. To the east of the camp is a fossil forest and Manzinchesa hot springs.
The northern parts of the park are characterised by rocky outcrops, extensive teak forests and mopane woodlands, but the remainder of Hwange - about 80% of the park - is fairly flat and open, which is ideal for game-viewing but which, in the interests of conservation, is accessible only to specialist or private camping and photographic safaris.
Matobo National Park
The name Matobo means 'bald heads', an epithet said to have been conferred by Mzilikazi, founder of Zimbabwe's Ndebele nation, in one of his more whimsical moods: the landscape characterised by ancient and massive granite domes, reminded him of an assembly of his aged councillors.
Among the jumble of rugged hills, too, there are (whale-back mountains), and caves and cliffs adorned with the paintings and engravings of those finest of prehistoric artists, the Bushmen.
It was here, in these mysterious and hauntingly beautiful hills, that the elders of the ancestral Shona communed with their great god Mwari through human oracles; here, in the 1890's that the Ndebele warriors made their last stand against Cecil Rhodes' well-armed horsemen, and here that peace was finally negotiated at a succession of dignified indabas. Mzilikazi chose to be buried in the Matobos; so too did Rhodes, whose hilltop resting place, known as World's View, is a natural amphitheatre embraced by colossal boulders.
Visitor amenities, are focused on the Mleme Dam, where there are one- and two-bedroom lodges and chalets available for hire. The road network is well maintained, and walking routes, pony trails and picnic spots have been established.
At least five of the so-called Painted Caves have been documented in detail. Especially recommended is the museum at the Pomongwe site, where thousands of Stone and Iron Age artefacts are also on display. Some of them are thought to date back as far as 14,000 BC. At the Nswatui cave there is a fine interpretive exposition of paintings, while the Inanke's decorations are exceptional in their beauty. Silozwane, just to the south of the park, contains a fascinating range of painted subjects, including a 2m(6.5ft) tall giraffe and a snake with an antelope's head.
A wealth of treasures surrounds the park and includes the Bambata Caves, and Fort Usher, where Lord Baden-Powell conceived the idea of the Boy Scout Movement.
Matobe J F M A M J J A S O N D Average 72 70 69 66 59 54 54 59 66 70 72 70 Temp F Average 22 21 21 19 15 12 12 15 19 21 22 21 Temp C Hrs of Sun 8 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 7 Daily Rainfall 5 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 4 5 ins. Rainfall 134 97 50 28 7 2 1 1 8 36 99 131 mm Days of 11 9 6 4 1 1 0 0 1 4 9 11 rainfall
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls, or 'mosi oa tunya' (smoke that thunders) as the Kololo people called it, is arguably the most spectacular of all the world's natural wonders. The volume of water that flows over the falls varies considerably, but during peak flow, between February and May the Zambezi River thunders over the 17808m (5604 ft) wide rim in a series of grand cataracts at the rate of 500,000m (17.6 million cu ft) per minute. The tumultuous waterfalls create a rising cloud of spray that, on clear day can be seen from 80 km (50 miles) away. at night during the full-moon phase, an eerie lunar rainbow arcs across the great gorge.
Visitors to the Victoria Falls can take in the awesome spectacle from a number of strategically sited viewing points, the best of which are accessible long winding paths cut through the fame 'rainforest', an enchanting place of subtropical birds, butterflies and secretive little animals, of tangled undergrowth and trees whose dense foliage glistens in the fine mist.
Above the falls is the Zambezi National Park, many of whose animals - together with a splendid array of birds - can be seen on the drive along the riverbank. Here, crocodiles bask in the sun, hippos snort and, among the high-tufted ilala palms, fish eagles cry as the sightseeing cruise vessels float gently by. These popular sundowner cruises are just one of the many ways to explore the Zambezi to either side of the Falls.
Highly recommended is the trip on a small outboard-driven pontoon that glides past the lush riverine reaches, skirting the rapids and islands (largest of which is Kandahar, 10 km, or 6 miles upstream) to offer superb game and bird-viewing. More adventurous are the canoeing and rafting safaris that ply the river both the relatively placid stretches from Kazungula eastwards to the falls, and the white waters that race through the 19 narrow gorges downstream. Other options include horseback and walking trails along the banks, and the 'Flight of Angels" a light-aircraft flips over the cataracts and their surrounds.
There's plenty to see and do in the immediate vicinity of the Falls. This is Zimbabwe's prime tourist destination, served by hotels of international standard, restaurants, a modern shopping centre, curio stalls, a busy airport, and superb golfing facilitates.
Special drawcards include the Crocodile Ranch and Nature Sanctuary which is home to over 2000 of the giant reptiles, and the multicultural craft village. The latter is a fascinating exposition of traditional life styles, customs, architecture, ornamentation, dance, music and drama
There are regular performances of Makishi folk dancing - the African Spectacular - at the elegant colonial-style Victoria Falls Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1904, and visitors can also listen to the vibrant sound of marimbas played on the hotel's patio every lunch time. Nearby is the plush splendour of the Makasa Sun Casino Hotel
Victoria J F M A M J J A S O N D Falls Average 75 75 82 70 64 59 59 64 72 77 77 75 Temp F Average 24 24 28 21 18 15 15 18 22 25 25 24 Temp C Hrs of Sun 7 7 8 9 10 10 10 10 10 9 7 7 Daily Rainfall 5 5 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 5 ins. Rainfall 125 138 71 23 2 1 0 1 2 24 77 138 mm Days of 14 13 7 3 1 0 0 0 1 3 10 14 rainfall
Lake Kariba
Dowmstream from the Victoria Falls, across one of its deepest and most precipitous gorges, the mighty Zambezi has been dammed to create an inland sea - a vast expanse of water which until fairly recently, ranked as the world's largest man-made lake. It stretches 282 km (175 miles) from end to end; to skirt its perimeter involves a 4000 km (2,486 miles) trip, and its usually placed, occasionally stormy, waters serve as one of Africa's most popular playgrounds. The dam, which was formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 17 May 1960, is Zimbabwe's major source of electrical power.
More than a million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of Kariba's massive dam wall during the 1950's and over 50,000 Gwembe Tonga were displaced by the rising waters. So, too, were countless animals large and small, many of them saved from drowning by the renowned conservationist Robert Fothergill and his rangers in an inspiring, and internationally acclaimed, exercise known as Operation Noah. The village communities and the wildlife now draw life-giving sustenance from the lake. The drowned forests of the shallows encourage a proliferation of insects and provide perches for cormorants, kingfishers, darters, herons and fish eagles.
Kariba is a magnificent wilderness of water, of lush islands and secret inlets and of charming little harbours that, together combine to create a paradise for the yachtsman and the boating enthusiast, the fisherman and the water sportsman. And for the lover of wildlife, flanking the lake's southern shores are two of Africa's finest game sanctuaries.
The Matusadona National Park occupies nearly 1500 m2 (579 sq miles) of wild and scenically spectacular Zambezi escarpment countryside extending southwards from the lake's lower reaches - a pristine wilderness of bush-covered hills and woodlands that supports elephant, rhino, buffalo and a wide variety of antelope. Matusadona has two camping sites and accommodation is offered at Ume and Mbalabala close to Tashinga, and Muuyu near elephant Point.
Chizarira National Park, set 50k (31 miles) inland from Lake Kariba, is the finest wilderness area for backpacking in Zimbabwe. National Parks operates six exclusive camps and offers two five-day wilderness trails, and daytime walks. The park is home to sizeable elephant populations, and other wildlife includes tsessebe, black rhino and zebra.
Commercial venues are dotted along and near the lake's shore and on two of its larger islands. Bumi Hills, set high on a bluff west of Matusadona National Park, and the attractively Mediterranean-style Caribbea Bay Hotel and Casino, to the east of Kariba, are the most sophisticated.
Sanyati, set in a forested river-gorge, is good for bird-watching, painting and for those who like to commune with the quieter spirits. Spurwing and Fothergill islands are for big-game aficionados, and Tiger Bay attracts the serious fisherfolk.
An enticing alternative to terrestrial living is offered by the 50 or so lake houseboats and cruisers available for charter, spacious and well appointed, even luxurious, craft that vary from six-berthers to huge multi-deck Mississippi monsters.
The Kariba Ferry is an especially attractive means of travel from one end of the lake to the other and, at the same time, of taking in some memorable sightseeing. The two largish car-ferries ply the 282 km (175 miles) route between Andora harbour - a busy little place of leisure yachts and cruisers, house-boats and fishing rigs - and Mlibizi at the western end. The voyage lasts 22 hours, and the vessels offer full bar facilities, comfortable saloon chairs ( there are no cabins), good food and superb viewing from the deck.
Fishermen come from afar to try their luck, and test their skill, on Kariba's waters. The lake is home to 22 types of bream and to carp and black bass, but the real star of the show is the tigerfish, a razor-toothed fighting species that can weigh up to 15 kg (33 lb).
Kariba J F M A M J J A S O N D Average 78 78 78 76 71 65 65 71 80 85 83 79 Temp F Average 26 26 26 21 21 19 19 22 27 29 29 26 Temp C Hrs of Sun 7 7 7 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 8 7 Daily Rainfall 8 6 5 15 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 3 7 ins. Rainfall 196 160 121 35 5 0 1 0 1 16 80 189 mm Days of 17 14 10 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 16 rainfall
Zambesi Valley
The 300km (186 miles) stretch of the Zambezi River from below Kariba northeastwards to the Mozambique border rates as the wildest part of Zimbabwe. The great river, its islands and broad flood plains, and the woodlands, jesse bush and hills of the scenically dramatic escarpment that flanks the river's reaches, combine to form one of the last of Africa's true wilderness areas. The valley is a sanctuary for a profusion of wildlife and sustains elephant, buffalo, a myriad zebra and antelope, together with their attendant predators. Hippo wallow in the muddy waters and crocodile guard the river islands.
In addition, there's the small Vundu rest camp and four remote campsites, each restricted to 12 persons (two vehicles) and available on a block-booking basis.
On the park's western boundary is Ruckomechi, an exceptionally attractive 20-guest private riverside venue set among majestic mahogany and acacia trees and recently voted Zimbabwe's finest safari lodge. Elephant and buffalo wander past the thatched chalets and the bar lounge, a companionable deck structure where guests relax at the glorious sunset hour.
Downriver, near the confluence of the Zambezi and Sapi rivers at the other end of the park, is Chikwenya Island and the Chikwenya Safari Camp, popular among true bush-lovers for its isolation, for the beauty of the surrounding wilderness and the deep commitment of its owners to the conservation of the environment. Visitors are housed in thatched, Batonka-style semi-open chalets - sited along the river bank to allow unrestricted views of the wide waters - and dine beneath a canopy of huge handsome trees overlooking the Zambezi and the distant plains.
Mana Pools occupies a relatively small part of the Zambezi valley; much of the rest has been set aside as proclaimed safari areas - Urungwe, Sapi, Chewore and Dande - extensive, virtually untouched wilderness expanses that are used for controlled hunting but otherwise left along.
Nyanga National Park
For sheer scenic beauty there are few regions of Africa that can compete with the high mountain rampart that runs down Zimbabwe's eastern border. it stretches for 300 km (186 miles) in three mountain groups - Nyanga, Bvumba and Chimanimani - to divide the highveld of Zimbabwe from Mozambique's tropical lowland plain. Nyanga is the northernmost part, much of it protected within a national park - an enchanting expanse of rugged hills, pine forests, waterfalls, rivers and swathes of moorland slopes. Its lakes - Rhodes, Udu and Nyangwe - are fringed by reedbeds and lilies, and overlooked by sweeps of mountain terrain.
The park attracts walkers, pony-trekkers and climbers. Highest of the peaks and a favourite ascent ( a two-hour hike to the top has been charted) is Mount Nyangani, which soars 25j93 m (8508 ft) above sea level and dominates the skyline, its crest often mantled in cloud, its distinctive form discernible from a distance of 100km (62 miles).
Tucked against the mountain's flank is the Nyazengu Nature Reserve, known for its proteas and other wild flowers, its salmon-trout pools, its wildlife - lion and leopard have been spotted - and for its walking trail. This last meanders through mountain forest, and then grassland and more forest, to emerge onto a plateau, thereafter descending through a fairyland of trees and streams.
On the Nyanga plateau, one can see the debris of ancient iron workings. Other, more prominent relics of long-gone days are scattered throughout the park - stone-walled hilltop enclosures that once served as corrals, stock-pits and "kopje forts', and terraces designed to retain the previous soil in this mountainous region of heavy rains.
Special points of interest are the ruins at Nyahokwe and the Ziwa field museum, surrounded by the stone structures of a community of iron-smelting craftsmen, builders and farmers that lived here about 300 years ago. There are picnic shelters nearby.
Of the park's 17 rivers, the Pungwe is the largest. Its 10 km (6 mile) gorge is lushly vegetated, and its waterfall, tumbling over the escarpment's lip in an explosive tumult of water is most spectacular.
The cataract is rivalled, however, by the Mutarazi Falls, set in the Mutarazi National Parkj at the southern end of the Nyanga mountains. The falls plunge, in two stages 760m (2494ft) to the lovely, fertile Honde valley below. The vistas from the lofty promontory are breathtaking. A National Parks campsite offering basic facilities is situated above the falls.
The Nyanga region is well developed for tourism. The roads are generally in excellent condition and accommodation is plentiful. Especially attractive is Troutbeck Inn, an enchanting resort hotel that is situated beneath National Trust's World View and the Connemara lakes. it has a trout-stocked dam, golf course, charmingly appointed rooms, and a foyer log fire.
Nyanga is fine trout-fishing country; the upland dams and clear, ice-cold streams are stocked from the local hatchery, the country's largest. The average catch is around
1 kg (just over 2 lb); the record is 3.8 kg (8.4 lb). The best rivers are the Nyamaziwa and the Nyangombe, and the Gulliver and Purdon are good quality dams.
Mutare Area
No town in Zimbabwe can match Mutare for visual attractiveness and the enchantment of its setting. Located in a natural amphitheatre of the Sakubva river-valley, it is girded on all sides by the splendour of forested hills, and for much of the year its streets and suburbs are ablaze with the glory of jacaranda and flame trees and multicoloured bougainvillea. Mutare serves both as the exit point for travellers to the northern Mozambican port of Beira, across the low-land plain to the east, and as the gateway to Zimbabwe's eastern highlands - Nyanga to the north , the Bvumba and Chimanimani mountains to the south.
Travellers approaching Mutare from the east cut through Christmas Pass, from which there are fine views of the little city. An even more breathtaking panorama unfolds as you make your way up the gravel road leading to the 1520m (4987 ft) crest of Mutare Heights.
Until fairly recently, Christmas Pass was graced by a monument to Kingsley Fairbridge, a South African-born Rhodes scholar and poet who launched, at the turn-of-the-century, a scheme to settle disadvantaged British children in various parts of the Empire (including Zimbabwe, which was then known as Rhodesia). The monument, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth (to-day the Queen Mother) in 1953, was removed after independence in 1980 and now resides in Mutare's Utopia Museum, located in the house where Fairbridge was born, and whose various exhibits depict the lifestyles of the region's early white settlers.
Among the area's prime attractions is La Rochelle, an elegant private residence 13 km (8 miles) from town, bequeathed to the nation by wealthy philanthropists Sir Stephen and Lady Courtauld. La Rochelle's 14 ha (35 acre) tiered gardens are graced by an exquisite show of orchids, rare trees and ornamental shrubs.
To the south are the Bvumba mountains, a mist-wreathed and beautifully forested range traversed by a road that starts at Mutare's industrial sites and ends among the coffee plantations beyond the handsome, pink-turreted Leopard Rock Hotel, which is framed and shaded by ancient gnarled trees. The entrance foyer of black marble and white Grecian columns has a two-storey high glass panel offering a splendid view of a botanical wonderland, and the hotel's rooms are Camelot-sumptuous.
The Bvumba region offers some splendid scenic drives. Recommended destinations include the fertile Burma valley and the Bvumba Botanical Gardens.
The latter encompasses 30 ha (74 acres) English country garden of azaleas, fuchsias, hydrangeas and annuals in superbly landscaped grounds embellished with pathways, pools, streams and wooden bridges. The Bunga Botanical reserve, close by, is notable for its indigenous rainforest.
Chimanimani
Almost the entire length of eastern Zimbabwe's southernmost mountain range is encompassed within the Chimanimani National Park, a magical region of craggy massifs, deep valleys streams and waterfalls, of forest, grassland and heath. The region's highest peaks - Kweza, Mavenje and Dombe - rise more than 2200 m (7218ft) above the surrounding countryside. The park is known more for its scenic beauty than for its wildlife. Even so, it has its animals, the largest of which is the eland. Baboons are common, shy blue duiker can sometimes be spotted, and agile klipspringers scale the rocky outcrops.
Like Nyanga and the Bvumba mountains to the north, this is fine walking terrain. Indeed, most of the park is accessible only by foot, and it is crisscrossed by pathways, some of the more interesting ones leading to skeleton Pass, the Southern Lakes ( this is known as the Banana Grove trail) and to the wildness of the Bundi plateau.
There is the three-hour climb up to Mount Binga (2437m; 7996ft) and the rock formations and enchanted waters of Tessa's Pool will refresh you en route to the Mutekeswane Base Camp, the usual entry point into the mountains. Chimanimaniu also boasts some of the earth's deepest caves, one of them - the Jungle Pot - tunnels 250 m (820 ft) down into the ground.
At the southern extremity of the park, in a valley that nudges the Mozambique border, are the two Haroni Rusituy botanical reserves, splendid showcases of rainforest, small mammals such as the tree civet, and rich birdlife that includes the chestnut-fronted helmet shrike and red-winged warbler.
To the west of the park and close to the tiny village of Chimanimani is the eland sanctuary, an expanse of mountainous terrain that serves as haven to a remnant population of the species ( which is the only large antelope to thrive among pine plantations), together with a number of waterbuck and zebra. it also embraces the exquisite Bridal Veil Falls.
South of the small lowveld farming centre of Chipinge you'll find the Chirinda forest Botanical Reserve, centrepiece of which is the mission station of Mount Selinda. Chirinda contains one of the country's last patches of primeval forest and some magnificent hardwood trees - more than 100 species in all, including ironwoods and red mahoganies. One specimen, a 1000-year old red mahogany, is nearly 60m (197ft) high and 16 m (52ft) in circumference.