Zimbabwe travel guide

Fancy the chance to get close to elephants and wild dogs on foot – without a guide? Mana Pools is a very, very cool place. It’s absolutely gorgeous, located on the Zambezi River, but it’s the activities on offer that are the park’s real drawcard. Canoeing will allow you to get very close to elephants in particular, but with some luck also other animals as they come down to drink. Most people come here to get close to wildlife on foot, however. While this is always safer with a guide, it’s quite exhilarating to do on your own. A few of the elephants allow people to come very close indeed, something that’s bound to get your adrenalin rushing. And those photos you might have seen of bull elephants up on their hind legs? That’s also likely to be from here.

Without actually holding any record, Victoria Falls is considered to be the greatest waterfall on the planet. Though its measurements are impressive - 107 m high, 1737 m wide and gushing out 1746 m³ of water every second - it is beaten in all categories by other falls. Angel Falls is 979 m high, Iguazu is 2700 m wide and 2407 m³ flows over Niagara Falls every second. But Victoira Falls is not about records, it's just one of those places that have to be seen. The Zambezi River flows between Zimbabwe and Zambia acting as the natural border. Wide upriver, but suddenly plunges into a deep narrow chasm at Victoria Falls before it winds its way hidden at the bottom of the gorge. At the end of the rainy season (November to March) the falls are almost obscured in spray, and during dry season (April to October) and right after, large sections are almost dried up. But no matter which season you come, you will be blown away by its sheer size and beauty.

Victoria Falls Bridge spans from Zimbabwe to Zambia over Zambezi River right below Victoria Falls, one of the wonders of the world. The view of the falls from the bridge is just spectacular, making it one of the most scenic border posts on the planet. The 124 m high steel bridge, which was constructed in 1905, is mostly famous for the 111 metres bungee jumping, which many backpackers consider a must-do. In 2011, the cord snapped for an Australian woman, who miraculously survived the accident. Afterwards, the Zambian tourism minister did the bungee jump to prove that the money-making-attraction was again safe. There are border posts at each end of the bridge, but it's possible to walk out without getting stamped out (and the trouble of getting another visa).