More Than Just Victoria Falls

Zimbabwe is blessed with a share of the Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of Africa's most popular attractions.

But beyond "the Falls", visitors will discover a diverse natural heritage. Importantly, a good infrastructure is in place to support tourism

- at affordable prices. In the following pages, Nick Greaves suggests that Zimbabwe is one of Africa's best all-round holiday destinations, and we look at the role of tourism in the country's economy.

The socio-political climate immediately after independence in 1980 did not augur well for the rapid growth of tourism in Zimbabwe. Nonetheless various safari operators laid the solid foundations of today's industry. With the signing of the peace accord and the formation of a Government of national unity in the late 1980's and, later, the implementation of an open-market economy, the tourism industry took full advantage of an improved economic climate. Zimbabwe was firmly on the tourist map.

Tourism has been the fastest growing sector of Zimbabwe's economy in recent years. A sound infrastructure has provided a firm base for the spectacular growth that has seen benefits realised at grass roots level as well as in Government coffers. Zimbabwe has followed a philosophy of quality rather than quantity in a determined effort to avoid the pitfalls of mass tourism as seen in Kenya.

Visitors will, however, get a very limited and possibly jaundiced impression of what Zimbabwe has to offer if their stay incorporates only a day or two in Victoria Falls tagged on to a holiday in South Africa.

Victoria Falls - the magnificent mosi-oa-tunya (the smoke that thunders) - is an awe-inspiring spectacle fully deserving its status as a World Heritage Site. It is well worth being on a tick list of "want to see"! When viewed from ground level or from the air it is certainly an unforgettable experience.

Victoria Falls is also the adventure capital of Africa. It offers world-beating white-water rafting trips; bungee-jumping from the historic 111 metre-high bridge; afternoon, day or multi-day canoe trips; river-surfing and cruises; helicopter, fixed-wing, microlite or ultralite flights over the falls; parachuting; game drives and walks; and horse- and elephant-back safaris.

With all these activities and the tourists they draw, Victoria Falls is earning an unfortunate reputation for being over-exploitive of visitors and the environment. Expensive hotels and lodges (and a burgeoning growth of less expensive guest houses in the suburbs) are continually being built.

Visitors face streets often strewn with litter, piratical taxi drivers, harrassment by street hawkers, money changers, curio sellers and peddlars of illegal substances and pursuits. However, Victoria Falls is not representative of the rest of Zimbabwe's tourist resorts.

International and regional flights arrive daily in the capital, Harare, and at Victoria Falls. Daily internal flights link Harare and Bulawayo with the main tourist resorts of Kariba, Hwange and Victoria Falls.

The main centres are also connected by well-maintained tarmac roads, allowing the option of vehicle hire and self-drive. Rail and coach links to most towns form cheap regular alternatives to getting around. The world-renowned Blue Train and Rovos Rail make regular trips from Pretoria through Bulawayo to Victoria Falls for those who really want to travel in style.

Many visitors who come to see Zimbabwe rather than just the Victoria Falls arrive in Harare. Like most capital cities it is the hub of the nation's economy and is a vibrant city, well endowed with quality international hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Though most people on safari tend to want to get "out there", Harare does have places of interest well worth a visit. A short stay may help to acclimatise one to Africa, or be a way to wind down after an exhilarating safari.

Lake Chivero and the Mukuvusi Woodlands near the heart of the city are both areas of natural bush with a surprising range and variety of wildlife. The Lion and Cheetah Park, Larvon Bird Gardens and botanical gardens in and around the city provide ideal half-day or full-day excursions, whilst Chapungu Sculpture Park, Mbare Musika Market, the National Gallery and the National Archives give an authentic insight into Zimbabwean culture and history.

Kariba, where the mighty Zambezi was dammed in the 1950's, is an inland sea 175 miles (282 kilometres) long and 19 miles (30 kilometres) wide on average. The drowning of this remote wilderness following the dam's construction witnessed "Operation Noah", the rescue and relocation of thousands of animals as the water level rose. From this we began to use and understand the word "conservation". Today Kariba offers a plethora of accommodation choices including camping, self-catering lodges, exclusive safari camps along the lake, houseboats and hotels.

The lake has its own magical qualities and can vary in nature from a tranquil mill pond to a raging tempest. Wildlife abounds around its shores and for the fishing enthusiast the ferocious tigerfish, rightly deserving its reputation as the world's best fighting fresh water fish, is a definite lure.

Kariba also acts as a staging point for safari camps on the Lower Zambezi and in Mana Pools National Park, another World Heritage Site.

A popular adventure is a canoeing safari. These vary in length from one day to a 21 day trip from Kariba, down the Zambezi and through some of Africa's most remote and beautiful wilderness areas, to the Mozambique border.

Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe's premier wildlife area, is the size of Belgium. Its savanna parkland, once the royal hunting preserve of Matabele kings, is teeming with wildlife, most notably vast herds of free-roaming elephants. Hwange also has a range of accommodation from the sumptuous to the most basic, and plenty of safari operators and options to choose from. It is conveniently close to Victoria Falls.

Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, has a great deal to offer. Worth a visit are the Khami Ruins, built after Great Zimbabwe was abandoned, the Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage, National Railways Museum and Natural History Museum. Most unusual are the 1950's pace of life and the city's streets, which are wide enough to turn a fully spanned ox-wagon around in.

The Matobo National Park, just south of the city, is a spectacular and unique jumble of granite hills (kopjies) which supports Africa's highest densities of leopards, black eagles and black mambas. It is also an Intensive Protection Zone for the endangered black and white rhino and home to over 3,000 bushman cave paintings.

Masvingo, in the midlands of Zimbabwe, is a large town supplying the area's commercial and communal communities. It is also the gateway to the south-east lowveld and the private game ranches of the Bubi, Malilangwe and Save Conservancies, as well as Gona-Re-Zhou National Park.

These far-flung and more remote areas may be off the main tourist route but carry a large variety of wildlife in settings of stunning beauty. Some facilities in the area offer levels of opulence and comfort most would believe impossible to find on the African continent. Gona-Re-Zhou is home to the spectacular Chilojo cliffs and some of Africa's more belligerent elephants.

Closer to Mazvingo is Great Zimbabwe, the "houses of stone", whose builders mined gold and traded for Ming dynasty pottery, Indian glassware and Arabic metalware. Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a religious and economic empire. These magnificent stone structures have an eerie, imposing silence, conjuring up visions of early Bantus and their dealings with Arabic and Portugese traders.

On the eastern border with Mozambique, the nation's third city, Mutare, nestles among the foothills of the Eastern Highlands. It is the gateway to Nyanga, Vumba and the Chimanimani Mountains. The spectacular scenery in these ranges is in stark contrast to the Kalahari sands and teak forests of Hwange, the rolling mopane-covered valleys of the lowveld or the thornscrub of Matabeleland. There are spectacular panoramas from "The View of the World", Mount Inyangombe, at 8,000 feet (2,592 metres) the highest point in Zimbabwe. It and the intimidating golf course at Leopard Rock Hotel rival each other for splendour.

The many small dams and crystal clear streams of the Eastern Highlands are stocked with trout. The cold mountain air provides a welcome relief after the oppressive heat of the Lowveld, with its sugar cane estates, or the Zambezi valley with its teeming herds of game.

Though tropical, Zimbabwe has a continental climate. Located in the southern hemisphere, its seasons are the reverse of those in North America, UK and Europe. The summer - November to March - is the rainy season. The dry period, April through to October, is best for game viewing. June and July are the coldest times, it being colder for a longer period in the Eastern Highlands than in the low-lying Zambezi Valley. Many safari areas are prone to cold winter mornings. Hwange especially can stun unprepared visitors with sub-zero temperatures at dawn, yet be sunny and warm during the day. A combination of continental extremes and a blanket of heat-shedding Kalahari sand creates this chilly enigma.

During the summer months the rains bring a proliferation of the mosquito. All visitors to Zimbabwe should ensure they embark on a prescribed course of anti-malarial prophylactics - and remember always to complete the course as prescribed when the holiday is over. Fortunately Zimbabwe is not prone to the more equatorial diseases such a cholera, yellow fever and sleeping sickness.

Zimbabwe has much to offer the visitor. Apart from sight-seeing and the traditional 'safari'-type holiday, the country is leading the way in community and cultural tourism. Many rural areas are now providing facilities for 'overland' tourists wishing to participate in the cultural side of Africa. Proceeds from these ventures are ploughed back into the communities.

A marked impression on most visitors is the notable friendliness and courtesy of Zimbabweans, throughout the population, not just those in the tourist industry. Sometimes this even extends to Customs and Emigration officials!

All in all, Zimbabwe is a lot more than just the Victoria Falls and has a highly varied and enjoyable package to offer its guests.

Nick Greaves' work a professional safari guide takes him all over Zimbabwe. He is a freelance photographer and travel writer, and is the author of four books, including Hwange, Retreat of the Elephants.

A Brief History Of Zimbabwe

Early stone age man first arrived in Zimbabwe from East Africa about 125,000 years ago. His descendants, the late stone-age Khoisan hunter-gatherers, included the artists of "bushman" rock paintings. About 500 A.D. they were largely displaced by iron-age Bantu from the north. These people introduced tool- and weapon-making, subsistence farming, livestock and more sophisticated settlements.

About 900 A.D., people speaking an early form of Shona entered the country from the south and gradually took control of the central plateau. Wealth, including cloth, beads and porcelain, was acquired by trading gold and ivory with Arabs from the east coast. Great Zimbabwe was developed and the influential state lasted until around 1450, when power was dispersed to the Mutapa and Torwa dynasties in the north east and Khami areas respectively.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Angoni, Swazi and Shangaan invasions swept the country. Great Zimbabwe was sacked and trade bases shattered.

The arrival of Mzilikazi in 1837 brought a tyrannical dominance of the area by his Ndebele armies. Soon European missionaries, hunters, traders and prospectors were seeking permission to operate in the kingdom. When Lobengula succeeded to the throne in 1870 he became king of the most powerful state in central Africa.

In 1889 Rhodes acquired the "Rudd Concession" from Lobengula and the pioneer column marched to Mashonaland, believing it to be mineral rich. In 1893 Gubulawayo was attacked and the Ndebele defeated. Three years later they, and the Shona, revolted against white rule. After fierce fighting, Rhodes and leading Ndebele chiefs negotiated a settlement. Shona chiefs settled later.

The British South Africa Company administered what became known as Rhodesia until 1923 when the white settlers gained self-rule. The country developed, but racial segregation and the Land Apportionment Acts of 1930 and 1969 were prime causes of popular discontent. After Federation (with today's Zambia and Malawi), in 1953, black political organisations were permitted. But when Federation collapsed, 'liberal' white politicians were discarded and the right wing Rhodesia Front assumed power. In 1965 the Smith Government unilaterally declared independence. Imposed sanctions proved largely ineffective but, after a protracted guerrilla war, Zimbabwe was granted independence from Britain in 1980.

An Improving Eco-tourist Destination By John Robertson

Northern hemisphere visitors at this time of the year are often surprised to find Zimbabwe's countryside just as resplendent with autumn colour as the scenery will soon be in Europe or North America. Though no less striking, Zimbabwe's dazzling shades of orange, red and golden brown in August and September form the spring-time livery of the widely dispersed msasa trees as the young foliage makes its appearance.

Zimbabwe's indigenous flora is now becoming as widely recognised as its distinctive wildlife and scenery. It is being actively promoted by adventure trail, camera and hunting safari businesses with high quality safari lodge accommodation. A new breed of developers is behind the initiative - mostly large scale commercial farmers.

Many draw successfully upon the support of neighbouring peasant farming populations by encouraging the preservation of wildlife that might otherwise have been shot for food, lost to poachers or driven away from cropping areas.

Now, by sharing the proceeds of careful wildlife management by working through a recently established organisation, Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources, also known as Campfire, the peasant farmers are becoming the direct beneficiaries of their conservationist efforts.

Although ivory sales are yet to be restarted and many tonnes of the current ivory stocks are the property of the existing peasant farming districts, Z$25 million was realised in 1997 from the sale of hunting rights to tourists in these areas.

Tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe have exceeded a million people a year for the last three years and visitors to Zimbabwe more than doubled between 1989 and 1997, making tourism one of Zimbabwe's most promising growth industries.

However, the country is still well behind in world terms. Its tourist industry directly contributes only about 4,5% of gross domestic product compared with a worldwide average estimated at more than 10%. Direct earnings from holiday-makers amounted to about Z$3 billion in 1997 and are likely to top Z$4 billion this year.

Contentious issues that have clouded Zimbabwe's popularity in the tourist business include the changed nature of government support for National Parks authorities and the unpopular two- or three-tier tariff structure applied by most hotels and other tourist facilities.

An unwelcome consequence has been a growing number of day-trippers who, as South Africa's rather than Zimbabwe's package tour customers, are able to avoid some of the effects.

Competition is developing in the shape of new resort hotels, not only at Victoria Falls but on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi River, and the redevelopment of facilities on the Zimbabwean side. More competitive pricing is bound to emerge and the major challenges will then be to properly accommodate, entertain and manage the growing numbers of tourists that will inevitably keep on coming.

ZIMBABWE FACTFILE

Accommodation:

Zimbabwe has always offered a quality product when it comes to hotels and safari lodges. For many years there has been a good hotel infrastructure but money is constantly being spent to improve facilities. In recent years a number of small, luxury "guest lodges" have opened in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, offering a more exclusive option.

But where Zimbabwe really scores is in its safari lodges and camps in wildlife areas. In the long drought in the early 1990's many commercial farmers restocked their land with wildlife and erected tourist camps. Increased competition naturally drove standards higher, but when Conservation Corporation entered into a joint venture with the Zimbabwe government to build the Matetsi safari lodges near Victoria Falls in the mid '90's there began an escalation in investment in such properties.

Perhaps not surprisingly, prices in Victoria Falls tend to be higher than you will pay elsewhere in Zimbabwe. The greatest area for improvement is in service standards, but in the main the country offers good value for money.

Getting Around:

Flying: Between Air Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Express Airlines, there are daily services linking Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, via Kariba and Hwange. Expedition Airways also links the lowveld to the main centres.

Car Rental: Zimbabwe is one of the best countries in Africa for self-drive holidays. It has an excellent network of wide (22') tar roads linking all centres in the country and the main roads in most national parks are well-graded and passable using a saloon car. Visitors often remark on how few vehicles there are on the national highways! Coupled with this, there are a wide range of car rental companies operating in Zimbabwe. Most of the well-known international franchises, such as Budget, are found in Zimbabwe and can offer collection and drop-off at any main centre.

Buses: There are regular bus services between all towns, and the main routes are plied by luxury coach services, some of which (Blue Arrow, for instance) are comparable to those found in Europe.

Main Attractions:

Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Zambezi Valley and Mana Pools, Eastern Highlands, Great Zimbabwe, Matobo Hills.

Published in Travel Africa Edition Five: Autumn 1998. Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)