The Highlights of Zimbabwe

Transcription

1 The Highlights of Zimbabwe Duration: 6 Nights, 7 Days Includes: Return airport transfers, 2 nights accommodation at Ilala Lodge, including breakfast daily Ra-Ikane sunset cruise on the Zambezi River (including drinks, high tea & snacks, transfers & river usage fees) Tour of the Falls (excl. park fees) 2 nights accommodation at Bumi Hills Safari Lodge and Spa, Including all meals, teas, coffees and 2 scheduled game activities per night of stay 2 nights accommodation at Elephant s Eye, Hwange, including all meals, drinks, laundry and game drives Road transfer from Hwange to Victoria Falls Excludes: Visa fees, optional activities, travel insurance, items of personal nature such as souvenirs, etc., park fees unless stipulated, meals & drinks not stipulated, flights to and from Bumi Hills Please note these rates are subject to availability and may change according to the rate of exchange fluctuations. 01 January 30 March & December departures are limited to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

2 ITINERARY Day 1: Overnight: Victoria Falls On arrival at Victoria Falls Airport you will be met and transferred to your accommodation, where you will spend the next two nights. The rest of the day will be at your leisure, to relax beside the pool or participate in in some of the optional activities available. Ilala Lodge or similar (Rooms with private bathroom, pool, restaurant and bar area) For client s own account Day 2: Overnight: Victoria Falls Today you will take a guided tour of the mighty Victoria Falls and have the rest of the afternoon at your leisure to explore the town or participate in the various optional activities available. In the late afternoon you will enjoy a spectacular sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Ilala Lodge or similar Breakfast Days 3 & 4: Overnight: Victoria Falls - Lake Kariba After breakfast you will depart to Victoria Falls Airport, where you will embark on your flight to the Bumi Hills Airstrip. The next two nights will be spent at Bumi Hills where you may enjoy scheduled activities at your leisure. Immerse yourself in this unspoilt part of Africa, and experience a unique, natural spectacle on Lake Kariba which will remain long in memory. Bumi Hills Safari Lodge and Spa (Rooms with private bathroom, pool, restaurant, bar area and spa) Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 5: Lake Kariba - Hwange This morning you will have an air transfer to Hwange Airstrip, where you will be met by a guide and transferred to Elephant s Eye, Hwange Eco-Lodge, which is situated on a private concession in close proximity to Hwange National Park. After lunch and a siesta you will have the option of going on an afternoon game drive, or visit a traditional homestead where the locals will welcome you into their home, and you may experience their lifestyle.

3 Overnight: Elephant s Eye, Hwange (Chalets with open-plan bathroom, double basins and outdoor shower, private veranda, fireplace, pool, restaurant and bar area and viewing deck) Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6: Overnight: Hwange National Park Today is spent on a game drive in the Hwange National Park, the largest national park in Zimbabwe, covering an area of approx km 2. Named after a local chief, Hwange is situated in the northwest corner of the country about one hour south of the Victoria Falls. Due to its close proximity to the Falls, Hwange boasts an incredible biodiversity of flora and fauna, and a plethora of African wildlife. There are over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 bird species recorded here. Specifically, the elephant population in Hwange is considered world famous, as it is one of the largest in the world. Elephant s Eye, Hwange Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 7: Departure Enjoy your last breakfast at the lodge before your 2½ hour drive back to Victoria Falls Airport, where you embark on your onward journey. Breakfast WISHING YOU A SAFE JOURNEY HOME. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN HWANGE Walking Safari $ Painted Dog Conservation Centre $ 5.00 (donation) Elephant s Eye, Hwange, offer complimentary transfers to the Painted Dog Conservation Centre. Please book activities in advance or contact the reception desk.

4 SPA treatments at Elephant s Eye, Hwange 60 Minute Deep Tissue Neck & Shoulder Massage $ Minute Swedish Neck & Shoulder Massage $ Minute Relaxing Neck & Shoulder Massage $ For more information and additional treatments kindly visit the spa. *Please note prices are subject to change 2016 RATES Season Per Person Sharing Single Supplement Flights Green Season: 15 Jan. 15 Jun High Season: 16 Jun. 15 Nov. 2016; 16 Dec. 31 Dec Mid-Season: 16 Nov. 15 Dec USD 2340 USD 370 USD 2925 USD 645 USD 2705 USD 450 USD 858 (VFA Bumi Hills Hwange) ACTIVITY INFORMATION Ra-Ikane Cruise The Ra-Ikane boat was named after one of David Livingstone s guides who led him to the Victoria Falls. The boat is handmade and luxuriously finished with teak superstructure,

5 brass fittings and club chairs, providing guests with a taste of Victorian splendour in the heart of Africa. The boat also has a bar and toilet on board. The cruise is on the Zambezi River, and you will definitely experience a spectacular sunset, natural beauty and many animal sightings. To ensure all guests are satisfied, the boat is staffed with a boat captain, guide, hostess and a waiter. ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION Ilala Lodge Ilala Lodge is the closest hotel to Victoria Falls, with the National Park bordering the front lawns of this elegant boutique style property. Spacious rooms lead out to either a balcony or the manicured gardens, offering a view of the spray from the mighty Mosi-oa- Tunya (Victoria Falls). All rooms have en-suite bathrooms and the in-room amenities include satellite TV, air-conditioning, overhead fan, hair dryer, tea/coffee making facilities, electronic safe and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Palm restaurant gives you the chance to dine under the African stars, whilst enjoying sumptuous cuisine. The crystal clear swimming pool offers a cool respite from the midday sun whilst delicious cocktails await you at the pool bar. Ilala Lodge truly provides distinguished accommodation whilst evoking an ambience of a bygone era. Bumi Hills Safari Lodge and Spa

6 Bumi Hills Safari Lodge opened its doors in 1975 and is located approximately 60km west of Kariba town and along the southern shore of Lake Kariba. All rooms have a view of the lake and the incredible vistas and each is tastefully decorated. Each room leads out on a veranda and consists of a bath and shower, overhead fan, air conditioning, mini-bar, tea and coffee station. The lodge offers a variety of facilities which all guests can enjoy, including an infinity swimming pool, TV lounge, cocktail bar and wellness spa. Activities on offer include game viewing in open safari vehicles, game walks with a professional guide and game viewing by boat. Bird watching, hide sits and casual fishing are also available. Also the Tonga village cultural experience is available and something well worth including. Elephant s Eye, Hwange Elephant s Eye, Hwange is located on a 2500 hectare private concession, a mere 13 km away from the entrance to Hwange National Park. Attention to detail and friendly service in the heart of the African bush will set you at ease as you escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world in immerse yourself in this striking environment. Enjoy the serenity and beautiful views overlooking a busy waterhole frequented by elephants and other resident game, allowing you to feel at one with nature. Spacious, tented en-suite chalets fitted with king/twin beds and decorated in natural hues; provide a comfortable and private abode from the elements. Elephant s Eye provides a thrilling experience in a natural environment. Personalised service is guaranteed with guides accompanying clients to and from communal areas and chalets ensuring that individual needs are met at all times. COUNTRY INFORMATION ZIMBABWE This is a country blessed with great natural beauty, game reserves and mineral wealth. The diverse landscape changes from mountainous to wilderness to typical Bushveld. The country is also home to large animals and a large bird population. Zimbabwe is a country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Victoria Falls, Zambezi River, Kariba Dam and the Limpopo River. Zimbabwe is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the east.

7 Victoria Falls So lovely it must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight said David Livingstone of the supreme Mosi-oa-Tunya ( The smoke that thunders ). This legendary traveller first saw the Falls from the Zambian side and his memory is enshrined in the nearby town of Livingstone. The views from the Zimbabwean & Zambian side are quite different, varying dramatically depending on the season and water flow. The Falls are over a mile in length and boast the largest curtain of water in the world - over 500 million litres of water per minute cascade over the falls and drop 100 m at Rainbow Falls on the Zambian side. Not surprisingly is it the seventh natural wonder of the world and fast becoming one of the top adventure destinations in the world. The river is divided into a series of braided channels that descend in many separate falls. Below the Falls the river enters a narrow series of gorges, which represent locations successively occupied by the falls earlier in their history. Since the uplifting of the Makgadikgadi Pan area some two million years ago, the Zambezi River has been cutting through the basalt base rock, exploiting weak fissures, and forming a series of retreating gorges. Seven previous waterfalls occupied the seven gorges below the present falls, and Devil's Cataract in Zimbabwe is where the next cut back will form a new waterfall that will eventually leave the present falls lip high above the river in the gorge below. Hwange National Park Hwange National Park is one of Africa's finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, and zebra and has a very large concentration of giraffe. It is also home to many predators and endangered species plus very large and varied birdlife. The park is situated on the main road between Bulawayo and the world famous Victoria Falls. Hwange National Park covers just over square kilometres. The Park carries 105 mammal species, including 19 large herbivores and eight large carnivores. Elephant make up the largest proportion of the biomass. All Zimbabwe's specially protected animals are to be found in Hwange and it is the only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers. The population of wild dog to be found in Hwange is thought to be of one of the largest surviving groups in Africa today. The landscape includes desert sand to sparse woodland as well as grasslands and granite outcrops. Due to the lack of water, man-made waterholes were introduced to sustain the animals through the dry season. The park has an interesting variety of landscapes with one part running alongside the North-eastern end of the Kalahari Desert. The south is sandy with extensive forests and open grassland. A feature of the area is ancient fossil dunes - ancient sand dunes held together by vegetation. Lake Kariba Having cascaded over the Victoria Falls, and tumbled and swirled through the Batoka gorges, the old Zambezi River then flowed gently across a flat valley floor to the Kariba gorge. This was the home of the BaTonka people who believed there was a god of the river Nyaminyami. Enter technological man and his desire to put a dam wall across the Kariba gorge to harness the river s flow to generate hydroelectric power. The dream became a fact in December 1958, and the man-made Lake Kariba began to fill, and reached its capacity four years later. In the meantime, about tribes people had to be resettled, and Operation Noah led by Rupert Fothergill, had rescued and trans located 5000 animals.

8 Kariba dam wall has a height of 128 m and produces a lake of 5200 km² in area at full capacity. Then the water surface is at an altitude of 484 m above sea level. On the Zimbabwean side, the water became the Lake Kariba Recreational Park, with an area of 2830 km². During its life so far, the lake has had its share of ecological incidents, and three should be mentioned. In its early eutrophic days, the lake witnessed an invasion of a water fern (Salvinia molesta), named the Kariba weed, but over the ensuing years the weed has greatly declined. In the 1960s several introductions of the Lake Tanganyika sardine (Limnothrissa miodon) were made, and eventually the kapenta fishery has developed to great productivity. Finally, being a sink, the lake has accumulated pesticides and pollution from agriculture and tsetse fly control in its catchment. Fortunately, surveys have shown that the early dire predictions, for example, of Fish Eagles going extinct, have not been realised. Kariba town is one of the hottest places in Zimbabwe, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40ºC. The average rainfall along the lake is mm, occurring mainly in November to March. The main habitats are mopane woodland and grassland in the shore, with shelving or rocky slopes. There are many islands (previously hill-tops) in the lake. The Zambezi water is rather clean and poor in nutrients, having filtered through Barotseland in Zambia, which puts a severe limit on the numbers of water birds that can be accommodated. Nevertheless along the shore one seems never to be out of earshot of a vociferous Fish Eagle, and this bird can surely serve as the emblem for the lake.