Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya—“The Smoke That Thunders”—Victoria Falls is one of the world’s great natural landmarks. Straddling the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, it forms a vast curtain of water that fills the air with mist and sound. The Zimbabwean side grants the most dramatic views, where mist rises like ghostly curtains and rainbows arc through the spray. Measuring about 1,708 metres across, it is regarded as the largest single continuous sheet of falling water on Earth. The adjacent town of Victoria Falls provides a convenient base for exploring the region, with a wide range of activities from scenic flights and microlight trips to white-water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking, and safaris into Chobe National Park.
Located between the Chobe National Park and the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana, the 200 000-hectare Khwai Conservancy is an enthralling place of wild landscapes and abundant wildlife. The plentiful Khwai River running through the park and dense Mopani forests in the interior provide the perfect home for numerous animals, and the incredible scenes of animals drinking from the river allow for superb photography opportunities. Visitors can look forward to seeing large elephant herds, and spotting lions, leopards and hyenas quite easily. Other species include wild dog, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo, lions, cheetahs, leopard, hyenas, hippos, Kudu, Tsessebe, and reasonably rare Roan and Sable. Hiking, game drives, guided walks, spa treatments, and open-air camping are just some of the activities on offer.
Encompassing the vast majority of Botswana territory, the sprawling wilderness of the semi-arid Kalahari Desert is characterised by endless open plains, shimmering salt pans, picturesque orange sands and relics of ancient riverbeds. In the heart of the country lies the world's second-largest game reserve, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, its magnificent expanse surpassing the size of the entire country of Belgium. The region offers some of the best wildlife viewings in Africa and is home to abundant roaming wildlife, including rhinos, black-maned lions, and desert-adapted elephants. Keen birdwatchers can spot the secretary bird, pale chanting goshawk, ostrich, black-breasted snake eagle and other species. For the culturally curious, an encounter with the San, the indigenous people who have resided in and around the area for thousands of years, is not to be missed.
