Smoke that Thunders
ONE of the Seven Wonders of the World, the mighty Victoria Falls can easily be combined with a visit to one of the great nature reserves of Africa, Hwange National Park. Few travelers to Southern Africa would leave out a visit to Mosi-oa-Tunya, the African name for this most glorious of waterfalls, which translated means the "smoke that thunders" - an appropriate term for this magnificent spectacle.
Here, rainbows curve and dance in the mists above thundering cataracts, as the mighty Zambezi River plunges over 300 feet in a cataclysm of cascading water. At high flood, the wall of water is a mile wide, the ground shakes and trembles and mist is thrown hundreds of feet into the air, making this "thundering smoke" visible from 20 miles away.
Victoria Falls is reached most easily by air from Johannesburg or Harare, but charter flights can bring the traveler here from anywhere in southern Africa.
A short flight from Vic Falls is Zimbabwe's famous Hwange National Park - home to one of the largest concentration of elephant in Africa and 106 other mammal species, including numerous antelope, giraffe, zebra, and the full spectrum of predators: Lion, leopard, wild dog and spotted hyena. With a bird list of over 400 species, including several raptors, birding is most rewarding here.
The greater portion of the reserve is managed as a wilderness area, and it is here in small, exclusive lodges, that the visitor can experience Hwange at its best - far from the madding crowds, but close enough to the great herds of Africa!
