Zimbabwe Habitat Guide

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country that sits in the southern part of Africa, flanked by Mozambique in the east and northeast, Zambia and Botswana in the west and South Africa in the south. Most of the country consists of a high plateau, of which the central region is dotted with hills and granite rocky outcrops and the eastern part consists of high mountain ranges called the Eastern Highlands. This is where most of the country’s coffee is grown (although, following the export policy of the government, you will be hard pressed to find a decent cup of the stuff anywhere in the country!). Southern Zimbabwe contains a lowveld of savanna, all the way down to the Limpopo River on the South African border. Africa's biggest man-made dam, Lake Kariba, fed by the Zambezi and other smaller rivers is situated in northern Zimbabwe.

There is an absolutely mind-boggling range of wildlife in Zimbabwe including buffalo, lion, elephant, hyena, jackal, monkey, rhino (both black and white) and cheetah. The chances of seeing the ‘big five’ game animals in one day are delightfully high here. Many species here are unique to Zimbabwe including the king cheetah and the nyala. Despite immense pressure on the land, the Zimbabwean government attempts to set aside more than 11% of the country for conservation areas. However, the overgrazing caused by huge numbers of elephants remains a serious challenge. The government also believes in the somewhat controversial policy of allowing hunting in designated areas (especially around certain settlements where animals have encroached upon farmland) in return for the valuable foreign exchange earned, which can in theory be used for conservation purposes.