Dense biodiversity, sporting activities, safari, historical wealth ... Zimbabwe offers travelers a subtle blend of nature and culture. In What if we left? on Europe 1, the columnist and author at Lonely Planet , Jean-Bernard Carillet, gives you his tips so as not to miss anything about this country both unknown and intriguing.
Victoria Falls, synonymous with thrills
High above the Zambezi River, right next to Victoria Falls, the more intrepid can live the experience of a lifetime: a bungy jump from 111 meters high. Of course, the area is also suitable for other activities such as rafting trips. It is also one of the best places in the world for rafting. The adventurers hurtle down the rapids of the Zambezi, in the gorges, where there are, in principle, no crocodiles ...
For those who want to savor Victoria Falls and its surroundings with more tranquility, it is possible to fly over the site aboard a helicopter or a small plane. Indelible memory guaranteed: seen from above, we see a white curtain or wedding veils, water droplets as if in suspension, the forest surrounds the river and completes this dream landscape.
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The safari, alone or accompanied
Hwange National Park is great for seeing elephants. Located 180 kilometers from Victoria Falls, it has around 40,000 pachyderms. From June to October, the vegetation has lost its foliage and visibility is maximum around the 60 water points of the park to see the giants with majestic defenses. Safaris can be done by car, independently or accompanied by a guide. The latter increases the chances of seeing animals. Finding them is not as easy as you think, you have to know the meeting points well.
Another method to go on a safari: walking. The rangers take you on foot to the heart of the reserves. Strolling offers a better connection to the nature that surrounds the traveler. Especially since it is possible to walk during the day ... but also at night! In the light of the moon, wildlife is very different and leaves a lasting imprint.
Canoe and bivouac on the banks of the Zambezi
The Zambezi offers many possibilities for exploration. In the Mana Pools park in the north of the country, for example, you are sure to see hippos. But it is possible, here again, to take a more sporty route by canoeing down the river with overnight bivouac at each stop. With the guides, the immersion is complete. We see the animals from a different perspective when they come to drink ... crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes, elephants ...
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Great Zimbabwe, a unique example of an African city of this magnitude
It is the cultural site not to be missed in Zimbabwe: the medieval city of Great Zimbabwe, in the south of the country. The site is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What remains of it, ruins, is the legacy of a powerful kingdom that radiated between the 13th and 14th centuries. This is a unique example of an African city of such magnitude south of the equator.
Another cultural site to see: rock art in Matobo National Park. The traveler discovers there more than 3,000 engravings in caves which give the feeling of being the first to discover them. The scenes were painted between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago by the original people of Zimbabwe, the San. The paintings represent scenes from life but there are also many animals including giraffes, elks, kudus, ostriches, as well as abstract shapes ... still enigmatic today.