Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe offers some of southern Africa’s most exciting wildlife, many fascinating historical sites, and, in Victoria Falls, a natural landmark of staggering grandeur. But some have balked at making the trek here due to the country’s hardships under many decades of Robert Mugabe’s iron-fisted presidency. The political situation and troubling human-rights issues continue to make life difficult for everyday Zimbabweans, and travelers shouldn’t turn a blind eye to these blighted realities, but there is still much splendor to appreciate firsthand.

Nature-lovers discover in Zimbabwe some of Africa’s great safari parks, showcasing the country’s sweeping scenery and stirring fauna while offering well-developed facilities for tourists. On the Botswana border not far southeast of Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park protects a woodland- and grassland-bound archipelago of pans, or seasonal waterholes, which attract large concentrations of big mammals during the dry months. For “classic” African critters—elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, lions, spotted hyenas, etc.—Hwange delivers in spades. Equally renowned, but less developed, Mana Pools National Park in the north is anchored by animal-magnet wetlands, courtesy of the Zambezi River. In the park's airy river-terrace woodlands, independent hiking is possible—a rare treat in an African preserve home to lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, and other potentially dangerous beasts. For a commensurate thrill, try a guided canoe safari on the Zambezi, where you’ll paddle (gingerly) past heaps of hippos and piles of Nile crocs.

You’ll surely never forget the sight of Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Tonga name for Victoria Falls), a cataract that, for sheer scale, has no equal on the planet. Nearly 6,000 feet wide and some 350 feet tall, the falls—shared between Zimbabwe and Zambia—mark the glorious plunge of the Zambezi River off a basalt escarpment. You can appreciate the 19,420-cubic-foot surge as sedately or adventurously as you'd like—from the safety of a distant overlook or via thrill-seeker’s vantages such as the Devil’s Pool, where, at points during the dry season, unflinching swimmers can peer over the very lip of the cataract from a natural pool. And the water show isn’t the only draw to Victoria Falls National Park: Spray from the falls nourishes a luxuriant mist forest with grand figs, mahoganies, and ebonies—a beauty- and mystery-filled place.

The royal waterfall and the buzzing waterholes may attract the most attention, but there are other charms to be uncovered in Zimbabwe: the Harare International Festival of the Arts (one of Africa’s great cultural fiestas), for example, or the ruins of a mighty Bantu empire at Great Zimbabwe National Monument.

Will Zimbabwe someday shake off the shackles of its authoritarian regime and enjoy a richer, fuller, and freer society? Time will tell, but one thing's for certain: The caliber of its attractions will always impress those undeterred by the political imbalance and ready to experience the landscape and people on their own terms.