8-Nights Zimbabwe Highlights: Matobo Hills, Hwange & Victoria Falls from $4,166

The town of Victoria Falls is a pleasant place, created for visitors. There are hiking routes and rental bicycles. There are also trinket shops, selling everything from cheap T-shirts to antique African musical instruments. Carvings of masks and animals are a tradition around the area (as is the bargaining required to purchase them for a reasonable price). The Victoria Falls Hotel, a short walk from the falls, still operates in full colonial splendor and should be seen even by those not staying there. Visit Crocodile Ranch and Craft Village - a fascinating glimpse into Zimbabwean culture. Visit Livingstone, just across the border in Zambia— more than just a tourist town and more character than Victoria Falls. Another appealing side trip is to Chobe National Park, in neighboring Botswana. Chobe is one of the finest game parks in the world.

The park at Hwange covers an area of 5,656 miles². Hwange specialties include thousands of elephants, over 100 different types of animals including Africa’s Big Five and 400 species of birds, strategically placed viewing hides, luxury safari lodges with their own 'off the beaten track' traversing areas, and night drives from the private lodges. These sub-tropical thorn and sand flats on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, were once home to nomadic San (bushmen) who lived off the land and feasted on herds of migrating game. It is a place of great contrasts between wet and dry season, with extremes reminding of the life-giving properties of water.