Zimbabwe, situated in the heart of southern Africa, is one of the prime safari destinations. After leaving Lake Kariba, the Zambezi flows through a huge rift in the earth’s crust – into the Lower Zambezi Valley. Beyond Kariba Gorge, the Zambezi River flows through a wide and game-rich floodplain hemmed in by towering escarpments in both Zimbabwe and Zambia. Over the millennia, old river meanders have formed ox-bow lakes in the mineral-rich volcanic soils. These are surrounded by lush vegetation and tall, old trees – mahoganies, ebonies and particularly acacia tortilis and albidia. The undergrowth here is sparse, so it’s perfect for walking safaris. The best time to visit the Lower Zambezi River Valley is during the dry season from June to November. The weather starts off warm and dry with quite cool nights, then progresses to hot and dry with warm nights by October/November.

Mana’s abundance of greenery accounts for its wealth of birds and game, and it is sufficiently unique to be designated as a World Heritage Site. There are beautiful national parks on both sides of this river – Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe and the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. The larger animals swim across, browsing on the islands as they go, meaning superb game in both parks. During the rains (Jan to Mar) the game disperses, moving away from the river and up into the escarpments but returning around April. As the year progresses, large herds of elephant and buffalo are seen, as well as kudu, eland (more readily seen here than in most parks), waterbuck, zebra, impala and many other antelope. There is always a wide variety of bird species. The relaxed game makes Mana one of Africa’s best parks for walking.

For well over a century, the Zambezi Valley has been considered a Mecca for big game hunters. Early hunters like Selous explored this area in their quest for adventure. The ‘Valley’ with the Zambezi River as its northern border and the escarpment as its southern, is made up of a wide variety of contrasting habitats: large flood plains, thick Jesse bush, mopane forests and rolling hills. The ‘Valley’ is known for its classic big game including huge herds of elephant, and one of the highest concentrations of Cape buffalo in Africa. The remoteness of the Valley combined with the abundance of prey species and limited quota’s makes this an excellent area to hunt the greats cats; lion and leopard. The numerous islands and marshes that abound along the Zambezi, also provides the opportunity to hunt Africa’s two aquatic species; hippo and crocodile. Read more on hunting areas in Africa on the World to Africa Hunting website.

Tags: Africa, big 5, Botswana safari, Hunting, safari tour through africa, South Africa Wildlife, Travel, Zambezi Valley

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