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.
At Victoria Falls, the earth splits open and swallows one of Africa’s greatest rivers, the mighty Zambezi, creating the largest sheet of falling water on earth. As the water hits the narrow depths of the Batoka Gorge beneath, it blasts a cloud of mist skywards, lending the falls their local name ‘mosi-oa-tunya’ (the smoke that thunders). When the Zambezi is its fullest, the mist hangs a permanent raincloud above the falls, showering visitors on even the sunniest of days and visible for miles around.
Above the falls on the upper Zambezi, boats cruise the tranquil water at sunset while the distant spray catches the fading light downstream. Below the falls, the Batoka Gorge’s rocky walls funnel the lower Zambezi into a chain of world-class rapids, prime for white water rafting.
Aside from being a UNESCO world heritage site and a natural world wonder, Victoria Falls also forms a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The falls can be seen from both countries, and for the most part the same activities are offered on both sides, from helicopter scenic flights to village visits and souvenir shopping.
Whether your idea of getting away from it all is a relaxed high tea in colonial grandeur or a heart-stopping bungee jump off a bridge, Victoria Falls keeps both the faint of heart and the most insatiable of adrenalin junkies busy for days.
From Zambia, a side on view of the falls is on offer with views into the Batoka Gorge, as well as the possibility of perching yourself at the edge of the falls on the vertigo-inducing Livingstone Island.
From Zimbabwe, you’ll get a full-frontal view of three quarters of the falls’ 1.7km wide curtain of water from viewpoints and footpaths meandering through a rainforest kept hot and humid by the spray of the falls.
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.
As previously described
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.
Lake Kariba is a vast manmade lake stretching for over 5000 square kilometres, and is 220 kilometres long and over 40 kilometres in width. It is one of the largest dams in the world. The dam was constructed on the Zambezi River along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and is owned by the two countries. By flooding Kariba Gorge and the Zambezi River between 1958 and 1963, Kariba Lake was born. One of the world’s largest animal rescue attempts took place in the area, under the name “Operation Noah”. The team rescued more than 6,000 animals and relocated them to Matusadona National Park and the surroundings of the lake. The lake generates hydro electric power for both countries and has a very good commercial kapenta fishing industry. The sheer size of it makes it easy to forget it’s a dam and in certain places it almost feels like an ocean. The name “Kariba” is derived for the Tonga word karive, meaning “trap”. It is well named as the river has been trapped by the dam across the gorge.
Lake Kariba is a very popular destination for both locals and tourists. It offers spectacular views, walking safaris, game drives, fishing for the feisty tiger fish, as well as canoeing. This large man-made lake is bordered by some of the finest parks on the planet and offers a remarkable safari and wildlife experience. Around the lake, the healthy populations of hippo and crocodiles dot the waters and the sun-bleached trees that drowned all those years ago are still standing strong, breaking the surface to become birdlife magnets, especially for fish eagles, cormorants and other water birds. Sites to see within Kariba include the dam wall - a feat of engineering.
A particularly atmospheric and beautiful lake, Lake Kariba enchants with spectacular sunsets and dramatic vistas. Most of all, you will remember the smells of Africa. The dust of the day, the moisture of the lake and, most evocative of all, the smell of advancing rain.
