Hwange National Park: 15,000km² in the western corner of the country, just an hour’s drive from Victoria Falls. Good for elephant, lion, wild dog and plains game. Hwange can be incorporated into a safari in Botswana, Zambia or Zimbabwe.

Matobo National Park: an eerie landscape of great balancing boulders not far from Bulawayo in the south. A place of great spiritual importance to the Matabele people and the site of Sir Cecil Rhodes’ grave. Game-wise; a good place to see rhino and leopard and great for birds, particularly raptors. Scenically very special – impossible to take a bad photograph here!

Gonarezhou National Park: lying in the southern part of Zimbabwe, this park has possibly suffered more than most in terms of low visitor numbers. There’s still plenty of wildlife to see although possibly a little shy. The best way to see this is by mobile tented safari; ideal for pioneering folk looking to blaze a trail and explore.

Eastern Highlands: a varied stretch of uplands running the length of the country with Inyanga to the north and Chimanimani to the south. Great for walking/hiking and birds particularly, aswell as for those who appreciate lovely scenery and peace and quiet. Not a big game destination.

Mana Pools and Lower Zambezi: this is the part of the Zambezi where it slows after the Kariba Dam and widens into a broad, meandering swathe. The wildlife here is prolific and its inaccessibility is a distinct advantage in maintaining the frontier appeal. Strict rules govern the use of the river and adjacent land, regulating the number of people that can use the place at any one time. The best way to see this area is on foot or by canoe but there are also lodges that cater for game drives and fishing.

Kariba: a huge inland lake, over 200km in length, created by a dam project in the 1950s. Popular for Zimbabwean holiday makers who populated it with luxury houseboats. Well known for a surplus of crocodiles which make swimming a suicidal endeavour. Worth visiting for the wildlife on the banks, and islands in the Lake. The eastern shore is also dotted with conservation areas and National Parks, notable among which is Matusadonha.

Victoria Falls: Victoria Falls (Mosi-au-tunya, or “the smoke that thundersÇ??) is so well known as a destination, it hardly needs any introduction. Popularly incorporated in safaris to Botswana and Zambia, the falls remains popular despite Zimbabwe’s recent problems. While the Zambian side of the falls has benefited as businesses and visitors jumped the fence to Livingstone, the fact remains that the view of this mighty cataract is still better from Zimbabwe! In addition to seeing the waterfall, time spent here can usefully be employed white water rafting, bungy jumping, enjoying lengthy sundowner cruises and seeking out game in the lush Zambezi woodland.

Mavuradonha Mountains: The Mavuradonha range is located in northern Zimbabwe before the great drop-off into the Zambezi River valley. Still very wild, the Mavuradonha is relatively unexploited for tourism, but not for lack of interest. The wildlife is reasonable, if a little shy, and the area benefits from a real “wildernessÇ?? attraction. Best seen on foot or horseback.