Biggest waterfalls in the world?
The big five in wildlife?
Incredible history?
Lovely people?
Amazing food?
Ipshita Sharma ticks all the boxes on her recent trip to Zimbabwe and tells us all about it.
Zimbabwe is a yes on all fronts with an added advantage of not being too expensive. Massively underrated as a destination, this country is not without its beautiful offerings. The biggest highlight that Zim has to offer, of course, are The Victoria Falls. The world’s largest waterfalls, these are at their prime during May to July (which is perfect for those wanting to head out during Dubai summers!). These falls are actually breath-taking! Spread out over land that belongs to both Zim and Zambia, the Zambia side also has a pool area that is called the “Devil’s Pool” which is almost at the edge of the falls.
While there colonial touches everywhere you go in Zim, there is also a firm move to the future that you can truly glimpse here. There is the historical Victoria Falls Hotel that can really transport you back in time and then you can take a helicopter ride around the falls to come back to the present, and finally take a swing on to the wild side with ziplines, flying fox lines and the ridiculously scary gorge swing. Alternatively, have a Zim-lime mojito at the Lookout Café as you watch the thrill seekers go nuts!
Also worth a look is the Victoria Falls national park with its abundant rainforest-like flora and fauna. Talking of national parks, another one worth a visit is Matobo national park near Bulawayo. Home to the critically endangered white rhino (so called because of the Afrikaans word describing its mouth: “wyd”, meaning “wide”). These rhino are so endangered that each of these groups have their own private female rangers – who are not only empowered to defend the rhinos but also allowed to shoot to kill those they suspect of being poachers.
Taking care of their wildlife is very high up on the list of today’s Zim citizen, from well-trained rangers taking on poachers, to better conservation attempts and wonderful initiatives like elephant orphanages that rescue animals in need. There are many such animal conservation areas that you can even visit or volunteer in as well.
Zim also has a lot to offer those looking for history; not only the recent colonial kind but the really ancient kind. Head to North Zim to what is called Great Zimbabwe to find ancient architectures and stories of how the first tribes were formed. Then head over to Lake Kariba to see some of the most picturesque African sunsets that we have ever seen.
Places to see – Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls Bridge and Park, Matobo National Park, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Great Zimbabwe, Harare
Things to do – Helicopter ride over the falls, Flying Fox, Gorge swing, See the white rhinos and the other big 5 wild animals, Zambezi river cruise, Elephant orphanage visit
Things to buy – Handicrafts from registered local sellers, local fruit and vegetables, spice mixes
Time to visit – May to September is the best time to visit though the monsoon season at the end of the year is also wonderful
Best Hotels – Mykles hotel in Harare, Villa Thabiso in Bulawayo, Bomani tented lodge in Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls hotel and Elephant Hills hotel in Victoria Falls
How to get there – Emirates has direct flights to Harare with a hour long stopover in Zambia or Air Kenya, Rwanda Air and Ethiopian Airlines all have flights with stopovers.
Approximate tour cost – 4k to 6k AED for 5 to 6 days