Zimbabwe is a paradise for wildlife lovers. Ask me for my tips for the best place to safari, and Zimbabwe would come very high on my list. The top national parks in Zimbabwe are some of the best national parks anywhere in Africa. Zimbabwe is widely regarded as having the… Continue reading
White water rafting beside the thunderous curtain of Victoria Falls – the world’s largest water fall. Mesmerising animal encounters on game drives at Hwange National Park. Walking safaris at Mana Pools. Cultural explorations at Great Zimbabwe, the Machu Picchu of Africa. Glorious vistas over the Matobo Hills. A brilliant infrastructure… Continue reading
Zimbabwe’s main attractions are its 47,000 square kilometres of national parks and reserves, together with Victoria Falls, the world’s largest cascades. But when to visit them? There is no terrible time to visit Zimbabwe. That being said, the best time to visit Zimbabwe depends in some part on what your… Continue reading
Ghost towns are always beguiling places. They seem to call to our sense of what it means to be human. There are some very well-known ghost towns round the world, not least Chernobyl in modern-day Ukraine and Oradour-sur-Glane in France. Given its size, it’s hardly surprising Africa has its fair… Continue reading
The Big Five are synonymous with safaris, and safaris with the Big Five. While the great plains of Africa are teeming with wildlife, it’s these five animals that get much of the attention. So much so, that lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and Cape buffalo have become emblematic of the best… Continue reading
While you can now go on safari in India and South America, safaris began in Africa. The word itself comes from Kiswahili, spoken widely on the eastern side of the continent. Initially meaning a journey, it now specifically refers to wildlife encounters. The word’s Kiswahili origins also hint at the… Continue reading
Think of Africa’s top national parks and thoughts of great swaths of savannah grassland prowled by lion probably come to mind. This iconic – perhaps stereotypical – scene does exist, and really is a bucket list experience. But there are more to Africa’s top national parks that wallowing hippos and… Continue reading
The trouble with Mugabe’s apparent continuing election shenanigans in Zimbabwe – formerly the breadbasket of Africa – is that it tars the entire African continent with the same brush of unfree election cycles, which is simply no longer the case. Mali’s highly-praised presidential election just a few days before Zimbabwe’s… Continue reading
Two hundred years ago this week when Scottish missionary, African explorer and Victorian hero David Livingstone was born public transport was still in its infancy. The London Underground system – the world’s first – was still 50 years into the future; the steam engine had been invented only a few… Continue reading
