ZIMBABWE
South Africa’s controversial neighbour, Zimbabwe is
blessed with spectacular variety and beauty, and remains
a spacious haven for the discerning visitor. Tourism has
suffered significantly in recent years due to political
and economic disruptions in this country, but Zimbabwe
still offers fantastic leisure and cultural
opportunities, particularly for wildlife enthusiasts,
historians and extreme sports fans.
Situated on a
high plateau between the Limpopo river in the south and
the Zambesi river in the north, Zimbabwe offers visitors
majestic landscapes, impressive ruins of sophisticated
ancient civilisations, excellent game viewing safaris,
hotels and restaurants of international standard, and
much more.
Zimbabwe's
most famous landmark is undoubtedly the Victoria Falls –
created by the Zambesi river cascading over a rocky
ledge some 1 700m wide in a gorge 100m below. Boat
trips, Grade 5 white water rafting, canoeing, elephant
back safaris, close-up game encounters including lions
and elephant, golfing, helicopter flights, microlight
flights, fishing, bungee jumping, gorge swings and game
viewing are some of the activities available.
Equally
stimulating are the 700-year old Zimbabwe ruins, one of
the most impressive archaeological sites in southern
Africa. The site museum houses most of the Great
Zimbabwe archaeological finds.
The eastern
highlands running north/south along the Mozambican
border offers exhilarating hiking and trout fishing in
the cool mountain air, while enormous granite glacial
deposits lie in the westerly Matobo National Park where
Cecil Rhodes lies buried.
Lake Kariba,
a vast manmade lake, serves as a source of countless
leisure activities with excellent fishing and house boat
holidays.
In this land
of contrast, the visitor will find side-by-side the old
and the new, but what remains a constant, however, is
the friendliness and hospitality of the locals.
Land mass:
390 580 sq km
Capital: Harare
Population: 13-million
Language: English, with Chishona and Sindebele
also widely spoken
Climate: Despite its situation in the tropics,
the country's altitude assures a temperate climate which
does not vary greatly during the year. The warmer dry
season is during September and October. The rainy season
is from Nov – March. Average temperatures are lower in
the highland regions and much hotter in the Zambesi,
Sabi and Limpopo valleys.
Safety:
The usual precautions are needed in inner cities. Hide
valuables and use loose change where possible and ignore
beggars and the services of unsolicited guides.
Accommodation: Except in remote villages and towns,
Zimbabwe has a full range of three- to five-star hotels,
lodges and B&Bs available. Camping, caravanning and
back-packer facilities exist in abundance.
