Zambezi National Park is a National Park located upstream, just 5km from Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe and comprises 40km of Zambezi River frontage. It was split off from Victoria Falls National Park in 1979 and is 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres) in size. The park is bisected by a road to Kazungula, dividing it into a riverine side and a Chamabondo Vlei side. Most of the park is within the ecoregion of Zambezian and Mopane woodlands, while a small portion in the south is within the Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands.
The Zambezi National Park plays host to a wide variety of larger mammals including African elephant, lion, Cape buffalo and leopard. In addition to these charismatic members of the "big 5" there are herds of sable antelope, common eland, common zebra, Southern giraffe, greater kudu, waterbuck and impala. In addition, many species of smaller wildlife can be seen here.
Located in western Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park (formerly Wankie Game Reserve) is the largest natural reserve in the country and is famous for its rich diversity of wildlife. The northern and western areas of the park are different - the northern area is encompassed by the Zambezi watershed, while the western part consists of grasslands, marshes, and scattered woodlands. The natural seeps such as Nehimba and Shakwanki, where animals dig for water, are particularly notable. The park is home to one of the biggest elephant populations in the world, as well as around 100 mammal species, and several protected animals including the endangered wild dog, critically endangered black rhino, and rare roan and sable. Around 500 bird species also inhabit the area. Visitors can look forward to bush hikes, game drives, and horse riding safaris.
If you have dreamt of an Africa with expansive plains and wide horizons, where elephant and buffalo traipse in huge numbers towards waterholes and giraffe browse from flat topped acacias while a blazing sun sets behind them… you can find it in Hwange.
As Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange has a sizeable reputation that it wholeheartedly deserves.
The sight of hundreds, if not thousands of elephants and buffalos streaming towards you as you sit at a waterhole is indescribable. There is nothing like the sound of elephants' peaceful rumbling or the deep thundering of buffalo hooves on hard ground when they spook, wary of lions that may lie in wait.
This sight and sound of a waterhole in the midst of pristine wilderness visited by huge numbers of animals is typical of Hwange. Beyond the sights and sounds, the feeling of Hwange is what will remain with you: awe and peace from spending time in a true, preserved wilderness.
Hwange’s diverse habitats mean that it offers large numbers of desert adapted, plains and woodland animals. The famed elephant population is one of the largest in the world and it has plentiful predator populations such as lion, leopard and cheetah. Hwange also boasts one of Africa’s last strongholds of endangered African wild dogs.
Hwange offers the opportunity to see a variety of rare antelope such as eland, sable, roan and if you are lucky the desert-adapted oryx (gemsbok).
Apart from the variety of species and its beautiful setting, Hwange is unique in its ease of access. The park begins a mere hour from Victoria Falls and there is a range of accommodation across every price point. The North typically offers a mix of private lodging and National Park chalets, as well as a well-maintained road network. Hwange’s more southern concessions are generally private, offering luxury lodges and camps.
It is Matusadona’s landscape, which sits like a carefully painted backdrop to the park’s abundant wildlife, which will stay with you long after you leave. At Matusadona, the blues of the lake reflect up into yellow grasses and green shrubs before fading into the dusky purple hues of the Zambezi Escarpment. Throw a few great, grey elephants into the foreground and sprinkle in some buffalo and a crocodile or two (probably even more) and you’ve got yourself the kind of beauty typical of Matusadona.
When the Kariba Dam flooded the middle Zambezi Valley in the late 1950’s to create Lake Kariba, the valley’s impressive wildlife was concentrated on its islands and southern shore. In this magnificent area, where water and wilderness meet, Matusadona National Park was formed and quickly became one of Africa’s best spots for walking safaris and lion watching; with some lion prides even preying on hippo for a feed.
The park’s remote location, bounded by two rivers, makes Matusadona truly wild and inaccessible. Despite its remoteness the park offers some truly luxurious lodges and houseboats to enjoy the area from and the shoreline of the lake is one of the best places for game viewing. Elephants, buffalo and other herbivores congregate by the water to take advantage of the sweet grasses by the lake’s edge with lions following close behind them.
For the adventurous, walking or canoeing with a professional guide comes highly recommended and allows for thrilling encounters with the park’s ‘big five’. Highlights of visiting the area also include the smaller things, and a cornucopia of aquatic birdlife flanks the shoreline. A huge number of African Fish Eagles call Matusadona home, as well as herons, storks, plovers, waders, geese, pratincoles, darters, cormorants and numerous raptors.
