![]() Despite what the media tell you it is safe to travel in Zimbabwe. Visitors also come from the west, usually through the Caprivi Strip or Chobe to Victoria Falls. Drive or take a bus north from Johannesburg then start exploring. The most common overland travel route comes from South Africa. There’s a growing network of international flights to Victoria Falls and you can also fly to Harare, the country’s capital. Getting there has been made easier by the redevelopment of Victoria Falls Airport. That means loads of options to extend the safari. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique. Where is Zimbabwe and how do I get there? So read on because one of the world’s most enchanting destinations awaits. ![]() But Western countries have crazy presidents as well and that doesn’t stop people travelling. Sure, it has a bad reputation because of a crazy president. Oh, and the people are probably the friendliest on the continent. Of all the countries in Africa, Zimbabwe is the one where you can most effortlessly connect with your wild side. It’s so wild here that most overland travel companies have taken if off their itinerary (Victoria Falls aside). It’s where you can walk (safely) with black and white rhinos. This is where elephants drink from the camp swimming pool. Yet the wildlife experiences defy the imagination. ![]() You just need to work a little harder than elsewhere in Africa, especially if you are an independent traveler. Less people, fewer rules, more wilderness and a country that confounds perceptions. The park is contiguous with Zambia's Lower Zambezi National Park on the opposite side of the Zambezi River, and the larger UNESCO area is contiguous with the Urungwe Safari Area (287,000 ha), the Dande Safari Area (52,300 ha) and the Doma Safari Area (76,400 ha).A Zimbabwe safari is different. Recently, the area was again saved from the Mupata Gorge hydro-electric scheme, where the chosen project was the Batoka Dam instead. The area's ecology is affected by the regulation of the Kariba Dam and there are concerns that another potential dam on the Zambezi River, in the Mapata Gorge, might dramatically undermine the value of the area. The area was saved from a hydro-electric scheme in the early eighties which would have seen the flooding of the area. By 1994, poaching had reduced these to just 10 remaining rhinos, which were removed to another area for their protection. ![]() When the area was inscribed by UNESCO, it was one of the most important refuges for eastern black rhinoceros populations in Africa, with about 500 animals. The area is also home to other threatened species including the lion, cheetah, Cape wild dog, and near-threatened species including leopard and the brown hyena. It has the country's biggest concentration of hippopotami and crocodiles and large dry season mammal populations of the zebra, elephant and Cape buffalo. These 2,500 square kilometres of river frontage, islands, sandbanks and pools, flanked by forests of mahogany, wild figs, ebonies and baobabs, is one of the least developed national parks in Southern Africa. Mana means ‘four’ in Shona, in reference to the four large permanent pools formed by the meanderings of the middle Zambezi. It is home to a wide range of mammals, over 350 bird species, and aquatic wildlife and is one of the world's wildest and best preserved natural ecological areas. Mana Pools National Park is a World Heritage Site based on its pure wilderness and beauty. The Mana Pools were designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance on 3 January 2013. The park was inscribed, in conjunction with the Sapi Safari Area (118,000 ha or 290,000 acres) and Chewore Safari Area (339,000 ha or 840,000 acres), as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site (for a total of 676,600 ha or 1,672,000 acres) in 1984. As the lakes gradually dry up and recede, the region attracts many large animals in search of water, making it one of Africa's most renowned game-viewing regions. It is a region of the lower Zambezi in Zimbabwe where the floodplain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. ![]() Mana Pools National Park is a 219,600-hectare (543,000-acre) wildlife conservation area and national park in northern Zimbabwe. Location of Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe ![]()
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