Is Zimbabwe a tourist country?

I was fortunate enough to discover Zimbabwe on a business trip which gave me enough time, especially on weekends, to explore the country. I have to admit that I probably would never have visited Zimbabwe without this opportunity ... and I would have missed something!
This southern African country has unfortunately suffered from political choices that have exacerbated tensions and impoverished the population. The tourism and environment poles have inevitably suffered and it is a shame because Zimbabwe has a lot to offer tourists looking for a change of scenery.

Tourism activities in Zimbabwe

It seems difficult to me to organize a whole trip dedicated to tourism in Zimbabwe. Indeed, during my two stays I had the opportunity to spend 15 days in Harare, the capital, 1 week in Bulawayo, the second largest city in the country, and 1 week in Victoria Falls ... It is only in this last place that I found something to satisfy my tourist curiosity.

It is therefore in Victoria Falls that I was able to do the following tourist activities:

• Observe Victoria Falls
• Fly over Victoria Falls by helicopter
• Take a cruise on the Zambezi
• Take a photo safari in a national park
• Stroll freely along the banks of the Zambezi, upstream from Victoria Falls, coming across wild animals here and there.

Other activities, sporting these, are very popular, but I did not have the opportunity to participate

• Bungee jumping from the bridge that spans the Zambezi River and connects Zimbabwe to Zambia
• Rafting down the rapids of the Zambezi
• Kayak down the rapids of the Zambezi

Zimbabwe National Parks

Yes, there are national parks in Zimbabwe, and there are three of them. I had the opportunity to visit all of them: Victoria Falls Park, Zambezi park and Hwange Park.

Hwange park

The latter could be compared to Etosha park in Namibia or Kruger park in South Africa because you can take photo safaris there. Unfortunately the comparison ends there due to the poor general maintenance of Hwange Park compared to Etosha or Kruger. Nevertheless, wild animals are very present there which allowed me to do two very pleasant photo safaris.

Victoria falls park

It is the most visited park in Zimbabwe and for good reason, it is home to one of the wonders of the world: Victoria Falls. The competition is tough with the two other most beautiful waterfalls on the planet, Iguazu Falls and Niagara Falls.
However, my choice fell on Victoria Falls because they are the ones that have remained the most authentic. Indeed, for the moment, no big hotels which distort the site and no mass tourism.

The Victoria Falls are often on the program of stays which take place in Botswana and which make a hook in Zimbabwe only for the observation of this fantastic waterfall which sees the peaceful and wide Zambezi river flowing with fury into a narrow fault creating a cloud of fine droplets which rises so high that it is visible from far away.

Zambezi park

During my visit to Victoria Falls I had the chance to stay at the Azambezi Hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River, upstream from Victoria Falls. This hotel is located in the Zambezi National Park which encompasses a large part of the river and its banks upstream from the falls.
My room, on the ground floor overlooked the gardens in which the warthogs came to seek food. food. The monkeys invited themselves to breakfast, so much so that we had to be careful not to have food stolen!
The Zambezi Park is suitable for beautiful walks along the banks of the Zambezi where it is common to see hippos, monkeys and antelopes. One of the best tourist attractions is to take a cruise on the Zambezi, preferably at dusk, to admire the beautiful landscapes and the activity of some wild animals.

What type of tourism in Zimbabwe?

As stated above, in the current state of Zimbabwe, tourism is not the priority, and it shows. The political system changed a few years ago, but no one knows how long it will take for the country to recover.
Under these conditions, tourism in Zimbabwe is most often done episodically during a tour planned in Botswana or Zambia and is limited almost exclusively to visiting Victoria Falls.

I can only encourage you to visit Zimbabwe, and in particular Victoria Falls where I discovered magnificent landscapes, photographed many wild animals observed during photo safari, and met Zimbabweans with whom I exchanged a lot.