Zimbabwe

For a small, landlocked country in southern Africa, Zimbabwe offers an astounding variety of natural beauty and spectacular scenery. The country holds great appeal for active adventurers, outdoor enthusiasts and those with an appreciative eye for exquisite beauty - from the majesty of the famous Victoria Falls, to the giant marble-like boulders of the Motopo Hills, and the verdant mountains of the Eastern Highlands; and from national parks teeming with wildlife, to the Great Zimbabwe ancient ruins and the country's impressive capital city, Harare.

The Victoria Falls are Zimbabwe's most popular tourist destination and one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Their mile-wide (2km) curtain of water plunges deep into the Zambezi Gorge creating a cloud of mist that can be seen up to 20 miles (32km) away. The area is renowned for being the 'adventure capital of Africa', offering a variety of high adrenaline activities, including one of the wildest days of white water rafting on earth, and a 364ft (111m) bungee jump into the Zambezi River gorge from the bridge linking Zimbabwe to Zambia. If relaxing is more to taste, there are scenic flights over the area, game viewing and tranquil sundowner cruises above the falls.

The ongoing social and political unrest in Zimbabwe, together with a deteriorating economy, has deterred most potential travellers from visiting Zimbabwe and experiencing some of the most breathtaking scenery and first-class game viewing safaris in Africa. Although visitors to the country are urged to exercise caution at all times and to remain aware of recent developments, the main tourist areas, and national parks in particular, have been largely unaffected by the political situation, being far from the cities where much of the instability exists. In a desperate attempt to attract business, many game lodges are offering extremely competitive prices to travellers.

Travel guide content sourced from wordtravels.com