Lake Malawi

To the east of the Great Rift Valley lies LAKE MALAWI (also called Lake Nyasa), making up over three-quarters of Malawi's eastern boundary. Lake Malawi is sometimes called the Calendar Lake as it is about 365 miles (587 km) long and 52 miles (84 km) wide. The Shire River flows from the south end of the lake and joins the Zambezi River 250 miles (400 km) farther south in Mozambique. The surface of Lake Malawi is located at 1,500 feet (460 m) above sea level, with a maximum depth of 2,300 feet (700 m), which means the lake floor is over 700 feet (210 m) below sea level at some points.

Lake Malawi is the first National Park to give protection to freshwater life of a deep-water Rift Valley lake. The 88 square kilometere park is located in the southern part of the loake and includes 12 islands and most of the Nankhumba Peninsula. Its crystal clear waters and myriad colorful ciclid fish darting amongst the rocky shoreline entice one to a snorkel and join the fish in their daily activities.

Wildlife that might be seen includes bushbuck, klipspringer, crocodile and hippos. Bird life includes fish eagles, trumpeter hornbill, white breasted cuckoo-shrike, crowned and black eagles, golden-backed pytilia and mocking chat.

Lake Malawi is the country's largest tourist attraction and an irresistable attraction with its beaches, resorts and watersports e.g. swimming and snorkelling. It is also a seemingly endless supplier of protein in the form of fish to the local people. The mostly clear waters of the lake make this an inviting environment for recreationla activities.

The Victoria Falls

In the local language, the VICTORIA FALLS are known as Mosi-oa-tunya, "the Smoke that thunders". Created by Volcanic activity, erosion and the course of the mighty Zambezi River, the spectacular Victoria Falls has captured the hearts, minds and spirits of people everywhere. It wsas David Livingstone who named Victoria Falls after his Queen and stated in his now famous diary entry - “On sights as beautiful as this, Angels in their flight must have gazed” Zimbabwe’s national parks has maintained the Victoria Falls and the surrounding rainforest virtually as they were when Livingstone first saw them almost 140 years ago.

The Victoria Falls and the surrounding rainforest are persevered as a 23.4 kilometre National Park and form one of Zimbabwe’s four World Heritage sites. The sight of millions of gallons of turbulent water cascading over a sheer precipice into a narrow gorge, a hundred metres below is something nobody can ever forget. Considered the largest curtain of falling water in the world, the magnificent Victoria Falls draws visitors from all over the world. The total width of the Victoria Falls is more than one and a half kilometres. The height of the various falls ranges between 100 and 116 metres. The width of the gorge at its narrowest point is sixty metres.



















The volume of water that flows over Victoria Falls varies considerably. At its lowest, between late October and early November, as little as 20 000 cubic metres of water a minute flow into the gorge below. But when the rains are heavy, the flow increases swiftly and dramatically. Between February and May, when the Falls are at their most spectacular, more than 500 000 cubic metres of water a minute cascade over the edge. In April and May, the peak of the flood season, the six falls - Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, Armchair Falls and the Eastern Cataract - form the largest curtain of falling water in the world. But in the dry season, between September and November, almost no water falls over some sections.

The Falls have a continual mist above the surrounding area, creating a rainforest ecosystem for 2 kms. This unique nature sanctuary is rich in fauna and flora.

There are seven Gorges below the Victoria Falls. The first is the one into which the river falls, followed by five others and finally to the seventh (Batoko) Gorge which is about 80km away from the Falls and 120km in length.

These magnificent waterfalls can be viewed either from the Zambian or the Zimbabwean side. For more information on fly-in packages to see this wonderful phenomenon, contact us!

The Okavango Delta, Botswana

The OKAVANGO DELTA (http://www.okavango-delta.net/) is one of the world’s largest inland water systems. It's headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, with numerous tributaries joining to form the Cubango river, which then flows through Namibia (called the Kavango) and finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the Okavango.

Millions of years ago the Okavango river use to flow into a large inland lake called Lake Makgadikgadi (now Makgadikgadi Pans). Tectonic activity and faulting interrupted the flow of the river causing it to backup and form what is now the Okavango delta. This has created a unique system of water ways that now supports a vast array of animal and plant life that would have otherwise been a dry Kalahari savanna. The delta’s floods are fed from the Angolan rains, which start in October and finish sometime in April. The floods only cross the border between Botswana and Namibia in December and will only reach the bottom end of the delta (Maun) sometime in July, Taking almost nine months from the source to the bottom. This slow meandering pace of the flood is due to the lack of drop in elevation, which drops a little more than 60 metres over a distance of 450 kilometres. The delta’s water deadends in the Kalahari – via the Botetle river, with over 95 per cent of the water eventually evaporating. During the peak of the flooding the delta’s area can expand to over 16,000 square kilometres, shrinking to less than 9,000 square kilometres in the low period. As the water travels through the delta, the wildlife starts to move back into the region. The areas surrounding the delta are beginning to try out (the rains in Botswana occur approximately the same time as in Angola) and the wildlife starts to congregate on the edge of the newly flooded areas, May through October.

The delta environment has large numbers of animal populations that are otherwise rare, such as crocodile, red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo, wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals and bird life. The best time for game viewing in the delta is during the May-October period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the vegetation has dried out. The best time for birding and vegetation is during the rainy season (Nov.- April) as the migrant bird populations are returning and the plants are flowering and green.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

South Africa's world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa.

The Park was established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. This natural park of nearly 2 million hectares, is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.
Truly the flagship of South African national parks, Kruger Park is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman (San) cave rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets. Accommodation is available in a variety of units in large restcamps, bushveld camps and bush lodges. Caravan and camp sites are available in most of the large restcamps. Most camps have well stocked shops where food, drinks, general necessities and curios may be purchased.

The Kruger Park forms an integral part of the majority of our tours that we conduct in Southern Africa!

In addition to the abovementioned, the Kruger National Park will eventually form part of the great LIMPOPO TRANSFRONTIER PARK, a joint venture between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. When established the tourist will be able to experience the entire Park within the confines of the Park's borders. This innovative first phase of the venture will increase the total Park area to approximately 35,000km², eventually increasing to a staggering 100,000km² of conservation area. This entire process will however still require a number of years to complete.