The highlights of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is peppered with countless tourist highlights. This selection provides an overview of the country's most popular destinations. We will be happy to advise you on the individual composition of your tour.

Victoria Falls "
Hwange National Park "
Matobo National Park "
Great Zimbabwe Ruins "
Gonarezhou National Park "
Eastern Highlands "
Mana Pools National Park "
Lake Kariba "
Matusadona National Park "

Victoria Falls

In the north-west of the country, on the border with Zambia, the mighty Zambezi River drops abruptly over 100 meters across a width of more than 1500 meters, creating one of the greatest highlights of the entire African continent: the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

During the rainy season in the South African summer, over 10 million liters of water per second flow over the edge of the cliff. The rising spray, called "Mosi-oa-Tunya - thundering smoke" by the locals, has created a small rainforest around the falls. The water level of the Victoria Falls peaks around April.

During the dry season in the South African winter, the water levels drop significantly and the lack of spray provides a view of the entire falls. The lowest water level occurs towards the end of November, when parts of the falls can fall completely dry.

Although the falls can also be viewed from the Zambian side, only a side view is possible from there. The best view is from Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe, where hiking trails also lead through the rainforest along the canyon and always provide impressive photo opportunities.

The small town of Victoria Falls is an artificially created tourist resort with many restaurants, hotels, stores and leisure facilities. The upper part of the Zambezi River is for boating and canoeing, while the lower part is reserved for adrenaline junkies. The Zambezi is considered one of the most challenging rafting routes in the world. Bungee jumps and helicopter flips are also possible.

Hwange National Park

The approximately 15,000 square kilometer national park is located in the foothills of the Kalahari and is the most important nature reserve in Zimbabwe, home to a dense animal population. Over 20000 elephants, 17000 buffaloes, 6000 impalas, 5000 other antelopes and kudus, as well as 3000 giraffes were last counted, but cheetahs, leopards, lions, waterbucks and other animals of southern Africa can also be found here.

The whole area is an almost flat savannah, with few natural waterholes and sparse vegetation, especially in the west. The best time for good game viewing is the dry season in winter from May to October.

Matobo National Park

South of Bulawayo lies the beautiful Matobo National Park, the oldest game reserve in the country. It is home to antelopes, rhinos, big cats, giraffes and zebras, among others. Along the massive rocks of the Matobo Hills, there are well-preserved rock paintings of the San, the indigenous people of southern Africa, to be seen in some caves.

Matobo is one of the most visited parks, not only because Cecil Rhodes and others are buried here in the Matobo Mountains, but also because of the imposing rock formations, the contrasts between lovely grassland and rugged granite. The Mpopoma river valley with its "balancing rocks" is considered particularly attractive in terms of landscape. The deep traces of erosion in these 200 million year old hills are considered breathtaking. There are various small dams in the park, whose lakes are filled depending on the season and are particularly suitable for stalking animals.

Great Zimbabwe Ruins

The historic ruins of Great Zimbabwe are located a few kilometers south of Masvingo. Zimbabwe means "stone house" and parts of this once wonderful stone city can still be seen today. Even though probably only a fraction of the original city remains, the remaining walls and towers only hint at the former wealth and power of this still almost unknown people. The complex was probably built in the year 1000 and had its heyday in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was abandoned in the 15th century. Great Zimbabwe is the largest and one of the oldest pre-colonial stone buildings in sub-Saharan Africa and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.

The remaining ruins of the city cover an area of seven square kilometers and are divided into three areas: the Hill Complex, also known as the Hill Fortress or Acropolis, which is 27 meters higher, the Valley Complex and the elliptical enclosure, the so-called Great Enclosure (also known as the Temple). The walls are built from granite blocks and without mortar. The dry stone walls even lack corner joints. And despite the name, they never had roofs. Huts and houses made of clay and wood stood in the enclosed courtyards. Monoliths standing next to the four-metre-wide stairway to the acropolis, which was carved into the rock, may have been used for astronomical purposes.

Gonarezhou National Park

Gonarezhou National Park in south-eastern Zimbabwe is the second largest national park in the country and part of the cross-border Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which also includes South Africa's Kruger Park and Mozambique's Limpopo National Park. In the Shona language, Gonarezhou means "place of the elephants", and the park is now home to around 4000 pachyderms. Lions, leopards, cheetahs and the rare wild dogs can also be found here. The landscape is characterized by the famous Chilojo sandstone cliffs on the Runde River. The infrastructure in the park is still more or less in its infancy, but there are now some lodges, camps and paved access roads.

Eastern Highlands

The Eastern Highlands are something like the Garden of Eden of Zimbabwe. The eastern part of the country on the border with Mozambique, with Mutare as the provincial capital, impresses with its unique mountain landscapes, countless waterfalls and endless nature. Hiking, fishing, horse riding and mountain biking are just a few of the activities available here.

Highlights of the region include the Mtarazi Waterfall in Mtarazi National Park (Africa's second highest), Nyanga National Park (home to three of the Big Five), the beautiful Botanical Gardens and the famous Leopard Rock in the Bvumba Mountains, as well as Chimanimani National Park a little further south.

Mana Pools National Park

The Mana Pools National Park with the associated safari areas of Sapi and Chewore is located in the north-east of the country. The area is approximately 2,500 square kilometers in size and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. Mana means "four" in the Shona language, due to the four large water basins of the Zambezi, which are filled with water even in the dry season. Every rainy season, the flood plain of the Zambezi transforms into a lake landscape, which dries up again in the dry season.

Mana Pools National Park is home to elephants, waterbuck, impala, buffalo, leopards, lions, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, baboons and various antelope species such as kudu, waterbuck, eland and around 300 bird species. With a bit of luck, you may even spot a pack of wild dogs.

The park is only accessible by four-wheel drive off-road vehicle or light aircraft. Some areas of the park can only be reached in the dry season.

Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba, which lies exactly on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the largest man-made lakes damming the Zambezi River. The walls of the Kariba Dam have a height of 128m and form a lake with a size of 5200 square kilometers at full capacity.

Lake Kariba is a very special place of incredible beauty: set amidst the mountains with the white branches of dead trees jutting out of the water, Lake Kariba is a photographer's dream. On the southern side of the lake with more than 1000 km of shoreline with sun-kissed African hills, tranquil backwaters and numerous islands, the lake covers an area of around 6000 sq km and is rich in flora and fauna.

The small village of Kariba at the eastern end of the lake can be reached via paved roads. Boats or light aircraft take off from here to the most beautiful places in the area, which are otherwise only accessible under difficult conditions with a four-wheel drive vehicle.

Matusadona National Park

Along the southern shores of Lake Kariba lies Matusadona National Park, one of the lesser known parks in Zimbabwe. However, Matusadona can be described as one of the most impressive game parks in the world, as it combines the beauty of the lake landscape with its rich and fertile flora and fauna with the surrounding mountain scenery in the background.

The area is one of the last refuges of the endangered black rhino and is known for the second largest concentration of wild lions in Africa after the area around the Ngorongoro Crater. Other animals that can be seen here include elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs and over 240 bird species.