Cats Galore & Much More in Zimbabwe
Travel Consultant Helen Cox went on a wildlife holiday to Zimbabwe last year where she enjoyed excellent sightings of the country's famed big cats, rare mammals and avian delights. Below she describes what you can expect on a Zimbabwe safari.
What’s that?! I challenge my Zimbabwean guide, not expecting that he’d know what the obscure insect was. Having been fortunate to travel on safari multiple times in Southern and East Africa, I wanted to learn about the more unusual, seldom focused-on wildlife. My guide excelled. Not only did he know the species, but also its fascinating life history and connection to the environment and web of life around it. It was the same for any creature or plant that we came across. I also learned more about the more commonly seen animals than ever before. Zimbabwe’s guides are exceptional, having been through a more extensive training programme than any other, taking four years or more to qualify. Their depth of knowledge makes for a more connected and enriching experience with the African bush, allowing for an eye-opening understanding of the environment as a whole.
Their tracking skills were also second to none. “A hyena was here last night. He rested here, then got up about an hour ago and started running …” Invariably, we’d find the animal we were tracking. Not only was this impressive, but it meant we had many more fantastic sightings as a result.
As for sightings – just wow! On this occasion I visited Mana Pools, Matusadona, Hwange and Victoria Falls, with excursions including game drives, walking safaris and boat cruises on the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba. All locations provided something different in terms of wildlife and landscapes.
Highlights included numerous dramatic encounters with lions – coalitions of magnificent males, and prides with several females and cubs - roaring, hunting, leaping, mating, playing and devouring!
Cheetahs grooming, hunting, purring and digesting. Leopards stalking, marking their territory and generally looking exceptionally beautiful! Hyenas thieving and denning. Wild dogs socialising, hunting and playing in puddles.
Not to mention the vast array of birdlife including some fantastic courtship displays, huge raptors and vibrantly colourful species; enormous crocodiles displaying alarming intelligence, chuckling pods of hippos, fantastic game species including magnificent nyala, sable and roan and smaller creatures such as lesser bushbabies, African wild cat, porcupine, genets, African civets, and much, much, more.
Altogether, Zimbabwe is an often overlooked, enlightening and stimulating destination, where even experienced safari-goers are bound to learn something new. The camps are superb, the people are very welcoming and interesting, the food was fantastic, and combined with the high-quality wildlife experience, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to return.
View all our wildlife safaris to Zimbabwe, or for more information, get in touch with a member of our team.
