MATUSADONHA NATIONAL PARK
Situated on the shores of Lake Kariba, Matusadona National Park
occupies a lakefront wilderness which is home to a multitude of
animals, among them elephant, black rhino, buffalo, eland, sable and
roan, impala, girraffe, and hyena.
Waterbucks are at home on the floodplains where hippo graze
at night. Crocodiles lurk and lie in wait, and the air is alive with
expectancy.
It provides the adventurer with a scenic combination of wildlife
roaming grassy plains, and secluded bays and inlets which are
home to a plethora of animals and birds.
Matusadona is famous for the dramatic sight of viewing
a combination of wildlife & a sunset over the lake - one of
the most beautiful sights in Africa.
PEACE reigns at Matusadonha as nature takes its course
against a backdrop of wildlife.
The photographs below tried to capture the beauty of watching
animals over sunset or sunrise, over a bright full moon or on a
misty morning.
Game Viewing from a houseboat at Matusadona National Park .
This really captured the unique beauty of the experience at
Matusadonha.
Here yellow fades to orange and orange bursts to reds, crimson and
black, while the silent whisper of night creeps up from behind a lone
elephant. This is hauntingly beautiful.. nature in its full glory.
Impala on a misty morning, just look at how the animal blends
in with the surroundings. The bushes, the grass, the mist and
the impala, they just look perfect together.
A giraffe silhouetted against the sunset, a stunning rendition,
showing off the powerful natures of Earth and creature
when they merge. So beautiful that it almost looks surreal.
A beautiful sight at Matusadonha as the glowing moon shines
across a cloud speckled sky when a hyena is sniffing around for
a scent that can lead it to prey. Who said moonlight was not as
beautiful as sun light.
MANA POOLS
A trip to the lower Zambezi's great wildlife reserve at Mana Pools
is for travellers who wish to see Africa untamed and truly wild, to
live in nature and to be more than a mere observer. For this is
Africa at her best, a remote wilderness in an exquisite corner of
Zimbabwe - a place of solitude, a meeting place of man and the
great beasts, a place of water, big trees and big sky.
Mana Pools is ranked as one of Africa's outstanding wildlife
reserves. Set against a backdrop of hills and with magnificent
trees creating a park-like effect, it deserves its designation as
a World Heritage Site. The riverfront scenery is exceptionally
grand. Here, the wide Zambezi flows steady, but a series of
meandering waterways wind through grassy flats and low lying
islands. During the winter months it has the highest concentration
of game in the entire continent. Mighty herds of elephant and buffalo
are drawn to the sweet Zambezi waters, followed by lion, hyena, kudu,
nyala,impala and a multitude of game.
Paddling in a canoe down the Zambezi at Mana Pools is one of the most
unique safari experiences in Africa - coming close to great herds without
feeling like an intruder, warm African sun beating the brow, the beauty
of great raptors soaring and circling above, the stillness, serenity and awe.
What is so striking at Mana Pools is the LOVE the different couples
of animals and birds show to each other, which is what the photographs
below captured.
Witnessing the LOVE-in-action by animal couples at Mana Pools leaves
you agreeing with I-Jah-Man in his song, "Two sides of love," when he
says, "Love makes the world go round, how sweet is love, it blooms as it
pleases."
A sublime portrait of intimacy is shown by these buffalo dream
lovers. This is so sweet, lovers sleeping tight, holding on to each
other. This is a cosy kind of love.
"Honey please can you message my back in that special way of
yours that makes me feel relaxed and peaceful. Yes, like that,
Ummmm!!!!" the lioness seems to be saying to the lion.
This is heart-warming love.
Love is in the air for these elephants seen here touching & feeling
each other in their own special way. This is beautiful love.
Zebras exploring each other's bodies. "Honey how does it feel if I
touch you here and like this." This is love in action.
The kiss on the beak that says, "I love you babe, and am happy
you are by my side at this moment in time." This is lovely love.
GONAREZHOU
THE glorious Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe sweep southwards
and slowly give way to the lowlands and the wildlife reserve of
Gona-re-Zhou - a wild, rugged "place of elephants". Among
Zimbabwean conservationists, Gonarezhou enjoys a long-standing
reputation as one of the most interesting wilderness havens in the
country.
The park is home to some of the most unusual species of game, such
as Lichtenstein's hartebeest, nyala and suni antelope, and its wooded
bushlands house a healthy population of elephant. Other animals include
giraffe, buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, roan, sable and impala, followed in
their paths by the predators, lion, leopard and hyena.
Gonarezhou has always been appreciated as much for its wilderness
atmosphere as its wildlife. There is a diversity of terrain, from mopani
tree savanna and acacia woodlands to riverine forests and fine old baobab
trees.
What is so interesting at Gonarezhou is the HAPPINESS exuded by the
animals as they play with each other in their natural habitat
The experience will leave you feeling so happy having caught on the
HAPPINESS from the animals, you know how HAPPINESS is contagious.
Happiness abounds as these elephants swim and bath each other
or is that making love in the river. What ever it is, the elephants
are showing that they feel at home in their habitat and are happy.
Side by side, through thick and thin forests, this is reason enough
for these zebras to be happy to be at Gonarezhou National Park.
The wild, untamed beauty of these two animals as they shared
some quality time together gripped me by my throat for a second,
(literally!) No wonder they look so happy.
Even the most powerful predator of them all gets time away from
the hustle and bustle of hunting for prey and gets down to the
basics of relating to the finer issues of life, like love and happiness.
Happiness is an attitude that makes even the most mundane things
in life like eating food together very enjoyable. Look at those
corkscrew antlers, God is the best artist ever.
HWANGE GAME RESERVE
A short flight from Victoria Falls is Hwange National Park., one of
the great nature reserves of Africa which boasts one of the largest
concentration of elephant in Africa, as well as kudu, sable, roan, eland,
antelope, zebra and waterbuck. Also present are large populations of
buffalo, giraffe, rhino and zebra. The abundance of prey attracts the
full spectrum of predators - some 25 species - including lion, leopard,
wild dog and hyena. Birders and twitters will delight at the 400 species
of feathered friends which grace the park.
The greater portion of the reserve is managed as a wilderness camp area
which is only accessible to visitors staying in small, exclusive lodges. It
is here in these camps, that the wildlife lover will have a true wilderness
experience and come face to face with the great diversity and quantity of
Hwange's wildlife.
An early game drive, to watch as the sun rises on another day in Zimbabwe
while the great creatures begin their daily quest for food and water will
enable you to observe the wonderful CO-EXISTENCE exihibitated by the
different animals and birds as they share life in Hwange Wildlife Reserve.
The CO-EXISTENCE experience at Hwange leaves you wondering if
humans are indeed more civilised than animals.
Coexistance in practice, as this girraffe tries to belong to the same
level of height as the wildbeast by bending its front legs so that it
doesn't tower too high above the wildbeast and make it feel inferior.
The birds are saying to the buffalo, "Hey fellow Hwange citizen
even though we have different political views concerning life
in our mutual habitat, it's nice to co-exist in harmony despite our
differences." Note that this is Hwange Game Reserve, not the
Garden of Eden.
Elephants and egrets taking a leisurely walk together in the Hwange
wildlife reserve. The elephant could easily trample on and crush the
egrets if it so chooses but it doesn't because its small brain knows that
there is no point in doing that, so it opts for the joys of co-existance
instead. This is an amazingly beautiful shot. The elephant, the egrets,
and those beautiful mountains behind. Wonderful!!!
It sure is sweet, how one of the most dangerous mammals, the
crocodile, is posing no danger at all to the egyptian geese. Look
at how the geese don't look worried at all. Co-existance at its best.
An antelope having a leisurely trot within the environs of its home
in the Hwange National Park. Look at how beautiful it looks with
birds perched on its back. The kind of oneness and neighbourliness
between birds and animals potrayed by that photograph is a common
feature at Hwange , which shows how the animals have mastered the
harmony of co-existance
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