The Rough Guide to Zimbabwe 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Where to goObviously, your own personal interests – and time – will dictate where you travel. The  capital, Harare, is enjoyable simply to stroll about, taking in markets, parks, beer gardens,  street life and local style; high-energy guitar sounds from bands such as Thomas  Mapfumo's Blacks Unlimited and Oliver Mtukudzi burst out of the city's clubs. If this is  your first visit to the country and you have only a few days, Zimbabwe's top attraction,  Victoria Falls, is the obvious place to head. Not only does it have good regional  connections, but Hwange and Chobe, among the best game reserves in the subcontinent,  are within easy striking distance. With a week or more you could fly on to safari in  Botswana's beautiful and game-rich Okavango Delta, or launch out from the Falls on a  walking safari led by one of Zimbabwe's excellent licensed hunter-guides in the remote  Chizarira National Park. Lake Kariba, with its prolific waterside game viewing and  fishing, can be reached from Victoria Falls by air, or by car and ferry across the lake.  Kariba Town is the launch pad for canoeing trips down the Zambezi to the thrillingly  wild Mana Pools National Park. From Kariba, it's five hours by road back to Harare.With more time, you could rent a car to circuit the country, taking in the marvellous  Matopos Hills and their rock art near Bulawayo, the country's sepia-toned second city,  then strike three hours east to Masvingo and the magnificent ruins at Great Zimbabwe. A  further three hours' drive east takes you to the Eastern Highlands, the 350-kilometre  mountainous rampart along the border with Mozambique. This is an area where you can  see tea and coffee estates, take in waterfalls, wallow in mineral baths at Hot Springs,  relax at mountain resorts or hike in Chimanimani's spectacular wilderness. From the  Eastern Highlands' mountain-encircled capital, Mutare, it's four hours by road back to  Harare.When to goThough technically a tropical country, Zimbabwe doesn't conform to hot, sticky  stereotypes. The highveld climate (Harare and Bulawayo) is as close as possible to  perfection, with dry-season temperatures similar to those of the Mediterranean, but  without the humidity. Surprisingly, Harare's highest recorded temperature peak of 35°C  (95°F) is below that of London. Altitude is the most important determinant: the low-lying  areas off the plateau – Kariba, the Zambezi River Valley and Victoria Falls – get  considerably hotter than the higher towns, and can be uncomfortably humid in the  steaming rainy season. Botswana's weather follows a roughly similar pattern, although it  can be very hot in the summer months in Maun and Kasane. Deciding when to come is  really a question of what you're after.• For game viewing, the dry season (roughly May–Oct) is recommended, as wildlife  concentrates around scarce water; it's very cold at night and in the early morning, but  warm enough for T-shirts in the middle of the day. Temperatures climb towards  September – an optimum spring month, which combines good wildlife with vegetation  coming into flower amidst the dust. October, the hottest month, is the prime time for  wildlife, when animals are restricted to a few waterholes.• The arrival of the rainy season in November does much to dampen temperatures. The  rains, which last till March, are a time of new growth – a lush and beautiful period. Rain  usually comes in the form of afternoon thunderstorms, leaving most of the day clear.  There can be several days, or even weeks, between falls. The Eastern Highlands receive  the highest rainfall, where you may experience a series of cool wet days.• April and May, the autumn months, are perhaps ideal for general travels – warm and  dry, with the land still fresh from the rains, though long grass may make game viewing  more difficult.• November to mid-March. Rainy summer season: thunderstorms; hot• Mid-March to mid-May. Post-rainy autumn season: limited rainfall; cooling off• Mid-May to mid-August. Cool, dry winter season: virtually no rainfall; cool to  moderate, but very sunny and clear• Mid-August to November. Warm dry spring season: virtually no rainfall;  temperatures rise to peak