Our National Beauty

12/03/09

Beauty n. 1. Combination of qualities, as shape, proportion, colour, in human face or form, or in other objects, that delights the sight.

Anyone who has been to any, or all of Zimbabwe’s National parks would be hard pressed to say they did not wholly deserve and support this descriptive characteristic. From the rainbow laced, spray drenched skies of the Victoria falls to the pastel smudged mopane forests of the lowveld the word beauty is never far from hand or expression. The truly remarkable nature of it is the bounteous forms, each in its own right a masterpiece, that beauty takes. Each National Park is similar only in the feelings of contentment and awe that are felt by visitors both new and old.

The country boasts a crown of natural splendour studded with 27 prime jewels consisting of National Parks, Recreational Parks, Botanical Gardens, sanctuaries and conservancies. Each of these in their own right offer the traveller bountiful opportunities to see, experience and delight in a myriad of exclusive and unique sights and sounds.

One of the most celebrated gems in Zimbabwe’s crown is the mighty Victoria Falls which is accordingly one of the world’s seven natural wonders, a status it wears proudly as the only natural wonder from Africa. In full flood the might Zambezi hurls 500 million litres of water per minute over the 1700 meter length of the falls, this constitutes the largest body of falling water known to man. The impact of the water 100 metres below causes a magnificent spray cloud to rise at times to 1000 metres above the falls forming a white plume that heralds the might of the Zambezi to travellers up to 30 km away. There is no better place on earth to stand in the sun drenched to the bone while the rumble of cascading water drums into your soul the inherent beauty of the moment.

The nature of the Zambezi’s past course through weak structures in the basalt rock have left no less than 6 previous waterfall sites, now known as the cataracts which have been labelled by UNESCO as one of the world’s most unique forms of river capture and erosive characteristics.

In addition to the mighty beauty of the Victoria Falls are a number of less grand but uniquely significant natural heritages. The cataracts and gorges below the falls harbour the breeding grounds and homes to one of the largest densities of the critically endangered Taita falcon (Falco fasciinucha). The large volumes of spray created by the falls sustains a large, but extremely fragile riparian vegetation forest. Known as the spray forest it contains plant and tree species that are endemic only to the Victoria Falls National park, a fact that accords the Victoria falls an even greater natural significance.

Further downstream on the mighty Zambezi lies another of Zimbabwe’s priceless gems and an additional world heritage site; Mana Pools National Park. The 676 000 hectare world heritage site includes the 219 000 ha Mana Pools National Park, the 339 000 ha Chewore and 118 000 ha Sapi Safari Areas.

The area’s distinctly localised flora consists of Brachystegia forests on the escarpment and miombo woodlands (comprising Colophospermum mopane, Faidherbia albida and Combretum) on the valley floor which, when combined with the areas 380 bird species and 300 mammalian species forms one of the most unique, and densely populated ecosystems in the region. The Mana Pools area used to home to more than 500 black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) the densest population in Africa, sadly these numbers have been reduced by poaching to almost nothing. Today Mana Pools forms one of the few strongholds of the critically endangered African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) and is the only National Park in the country where visitors can search for the elusive painted dog on foot without the presence of a National Parks ranger or guide.

The park is named after the four pools, past ox-bow lakes carved out by the Zambezi’s former meandering through the valley floor, that dominate the floodplain south of the current river. This area of the Zambezi river shelters a large and significant population of Nile crocodile and is one of the most idyllic places in Africa to let the sun contentedly warm your heart while a chorus of Hippo’s serenade the beauty.

On the southern end of Zimbabwe’s string of natural pearls is the less visited but comparatively breathtaking Ghonarezhou National Park. Its most pronounced uniqueness could be considered its name, a derivative of the Karanga dialect of Shona, which has no definitive translation. The closest arguable translation into English is “stronghold of the Elephants” and constitutes the parks most notoriously held characteristic; its inherently grumpy elephants.

Ghonarezhou is one of the foremost refuges for Elephants in the country and is outranked in size only by Hwange National Park. Although estimates are not definitive experts believe there could be anywhere between 2000 and 6000 elephants in the park. The lowveld elephants are unique for two things, the above mentioned dislike for human contact and their significantly larger average tusk size.

Ghonarezhou has been home to some of the regions largest tuskers, with some reputed to have in the region of 150 pounds per side an anomaly that has not gone unnoticed among natural historians as the rest of the countries Elephants carry proportionally smaller tusks.

The opportunity to see mammothly large tuskers is not Ghonarezhou’s only mammalian draw card, the National Park is the only place in the country where a discerning game viewer can see the ‘small 6’. The six smallest antelopes, namely; common duiker, steenbok, oribi, Sharpe’s grysbok, klipspringer and Livingstone’s suni can be spotted in the park, with a larger density near and around one of the parks distinguishing natural landmarks; the confluence of the Rundi and Save rivers. At this junction one is able to see some of the countries smallest antelopes near two of the countries largest rivers. The diversity and beauty is almost unparalleled.

These magnificent rivers together with the Mwenezi and all their tributaries hold a distinctively unique, localised and diverse fish population. These fish vary in form and habitat from the fierce Zambezi shark, to Sawfish, the Ox-eye tarpon, the estuarine Seabream, little pipefish, Soft-shelled Turtle, all of the four species of Eel to be found in Zimbabwe and the unique and fascinating lung fish.

The lung fish is unique in that it has both gills to extract oxygen from the water as well as lungs that enable it to absorb oxygen from the atmosphere when seasonal water levels drop.

However, unarguably the crowning beauty of the Ghonarezhou is the majestic and mystifying Chilojo cliffs. Towering over the Runde river the cliffs mysteriously seem change tone and hue in the shifting light, possibly as an indication of the ephemeral and mystical qualities of the region. The cliffs are named in the local Shangaan language and the closest English translation likens the diverse colours of the cliffs to the intricate composition of flesh and veins that form an elephant’s gums.

The beauty and intricacies of Zimbabwe’s numerous National Parks could fill volumes that would still not do justice to the romantic beauty of its sights, sounds and sensations. Only beauty can truly be known to those