Not to miss

Harare

Harare, with a population of over 1.6 million, is the heart of the nation in nearly every respect. It has a distinctly European flavour, and it continues to be Zimbabwe's showpiece city and centre of commerce, with high-rise buildings, jostling traffic and all their attendant bustle.

For the final word on African art and material culture, explore the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Harare Gardens, the city's largest park, has music at the bandstand on weekends, and an island-like stand of rainforest that contains a miniature model of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi Gorges.

Much of Harare's activity focuses on Mbare musika, 5km (3mi) south of the centre, Zimbabwe's largest market and busiest bus terminal. The Kopje, a granite hill rising above the southwest corner of central Harare, is a great place to go for views of the city.

Unfortunately, violent crime is fairly common in Harare and visitors should never walk alone in the city and should keep off the streets altogether at night unless using an official taxi.

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is one of the world's most spectacular plunges: the 1.7km (1mi) wide Zambezi River drops over 108m (330ft) into a steeply-walled gorge. In 1855 Livingstone named them after the English queen, but they are known as Mosi-oa-Tunya in Kololo and Chinotimba by the Nambya: 'the smoke that thunders.' On clear days the spray is seen 50km (31mi) away.

Adrenaline junkies will love Victoria Falls. Here you can indulge in white-water rafting, abseiling, river-boating, jet-boating, bungee jumping and a host of airborne activities. For something really special, time your visit to coincide with the full moon when the park stays open later to allow you to witness the magical lunar rainbow over the falls.

The town Victoria Falls is more recognised and offers better facilities than Livingstone (in Zambia) so many travellers visit the falls from the Zimbabwean side. The town was built for tourism and lies within easy walking distance of the falls.

Fortunately, the star attraction is safely cordoned off by a real jungle of its own creation. To walk along the paths through the spray-generated rainforests that flank the gorge, you'd never suspect the existence of anything other than the monumental waterfall that's giving you such a good soaking.

Mana Pools National Park

The magic of this magnificent 2200 sq km (849 sq mi) national park stems from its remoteness and pervading sense of the wild and natural. The word 'mana' means four in the Shona language, and refers to the four pools here that are popular with crocs and hippos. Book a tented camp through a travel agent or a self-catering lodge through the National Parks.

The central difference everywhere in Mana is that nowhere is fenced in, so there can be elephants strolling by while you have your breakfast. This is what sets Mana Pools apart from just about any other safari park in the world and makes it a truly magical experience. You're also allowed to walk around without a guide, as you can see for miles around.

Nyanga National Park

Scenic and secluded, beautiful Nyanga National Park is 100km (60mi) north of the Bvumba, the central mountains of the Eastern Highlands. Some parts may remind you of Scotland while others are reminiscent of Arizona. Nyanga has Africa's second highest waterfall and breathtaking views over the lush Honde Valley, into Mozambique.

Nyanga National Park has its headquarters at Nyanga (Rhodes) Dam. Most people come here to hike on Mt Nyangani, Zimbabwe's highest peak: we're not talking Kilimanjaro - it takes one and a half to three hours to reach the summit from the car park east of Nyanga Dam. For something more substantial, a three- to four-day walk continues from Mt Nyangani past Pungwe Drift and into Honde Valley.

There are a number of interesting sights near the park headquarters, including some old ruins, and the Rhodes Museum. Nyangombe Falls lies 5km (3.1mi) west of Nyangombe camping ground and 2km (1.2mi) from Udu Dam. At the southern end of the park the spectacular Mtarazi Falls and smaller Muchururu Falls plummet down a sheer cliff face into the Honde Valley.

Great Zimbabwe National Monument

Great Zimbabwe, the greatest medieval city in sub-Saharan Africa, provides evidence that ancient Africa reached a level of civilisation not suspected by early scholars. Today all that remains are old stone ruins and winding corridors. The ancient stone structures are the largest in Africa south of the Egyptian pyramids.

The structure best identified with the site is the elliptical Great Enclosure. Nearly 100m (330ft) across and 255m (840ft) in circumference, it's the largest ancient structure in sub-Saharan Africa. The mortarless walls rise 11m (36ft) and, are 5m (16ft) thick in places. The most accepted theory is that it was used as a royal compound.

The greatest source of speculation is the 10m (33ft) Conical Tower, a solid and apparently ceremonial structure that probably has phallic significance.