13 May Beyond the Falls: The Wildlife of Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Region
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Most people come to Zimbabwe for the Falls. And yes, standing at the edge of one of the world’s great natural spectacles, soaking wet and slightly terrified, is every bit as incredible as the photos suggest.
But here’s what the postcards don’t tell you: the wildlife watching in this region is extraordinary.
The Zambezi River corridor is one of the most ecologically rich stretches of water in southern Africa. What lives in it, around it, and above it would keep a dedicated wildlife enthusiast busy for weeks and still leave them wanting more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16221″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672292874{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DNONwgiNwAm/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Elephants: The Zambezi’s Most Iconic Residents
If there’s one animal that defines the Zambezi experience, it’s the elephant. The herds here are large, relaxed, and completely at home in the riverine habitat. Watching a breeding herd pick its way down to the water – matriarch leading, calves stumbling, teenagers jostling – is the kind of wildlife encounter that stays with you.
Their river crossings are sight to look forward to. Elephants are strong swimmers, but watching a 5-ton animal wade chest-deep into a crocodile-patrolled river with apparent total confidence in its own invincibility is one of nature’s more entertaining performances.
Guests at Chundu Island, set on a private island in the middle of the Zambezi, often watch these crossings from the deck of their Riverview suites. The elephants, as we’re sure you can imagine, are entirely unimpressed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16232″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672312448{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DLnBtVDJEzN/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Hippos: More Than Just Yawning
The Zambezi supports one of the highest densities of hippo in Africa, and the river around Victoria Falls is no exception. Pods of twenty, thirty, sometimes forty animals are not unusual – a wall of pink-grey bulk, communal grunting, and the occasional dramatic territorial dispute.
What visitors seldom appreciate is just how dangerous (and how fascinating!) hippos are on land, especially at dusk and dawn. The territorial bellowing that rolls across the water at night is one of the great sounds of an African evening. It’s deeply primal. We dare you to try sleep through it![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16238″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672332593{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DLnBtVDJEzN/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Nile Crocodiles: Ancient and Unhurried
The Zambezi’s Nile crocodiles are among the largest in Africa. Some of the big bulls here have been cruising these waters for sixty, seventy years – older than most of the lodges, certainly older than most of the guests. They move with the kind of unhurried authority that comes from being at the top of the food chain for most of a century.
Cruising the river in the late afternoon, you’ll spot them on every sandbank – perfectly still, perfectly positioned, absolutely aware of you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16234″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672353001{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DLnBtVDJEzN/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Buffalo: The Underrated One
Buffalo don’t get the credit they deserve in this part of Zimbabwe, but large herds, sometimes hundreds strong, move through the Zambezi Valley seasonally, particularly in the dry months when the river is the only reliable water for miles.
Watching a herd come down to drink at dusk, the dust rising, the sheer mass of horn and muscle, is a reminder of what is so special about wild Africa.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16225″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672373650{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DLnBtVDJEzN/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
The Birdlife: Prepare to Lose Hours
For birders, the Zambezi region is incredible. The diversity here is staggering, with well over 400 species recorded in the broader area, with some world-class signature sightings.
The African fish eagle is everywhere, its call so quintessentially African that it’s been described as the sound of the continent itself. You’ll hear it before you see it, and then you’ll see it constantly, perched on dead branches over the water, or executing that dramatic dive on an unsuspecting tilapia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16177″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672244220{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://seolo.copperleaf.co.za/plan-your-journey/”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Then there are the carmine bee-eaters. Between August and November, these extraordinary birds nest in the sandy riverbanks in their thousands – a riot of vivid crimson and turquoise. Watching them dart and swoop over the river in the afternoon light is one of southern Africa’s great spectacles, and one that most non-birding guests are amazed by. “I didn’t know I cared about birds,” guests tell us. The carmine bee-eaters fix that.
Other highlights for serious birders: Pel’s fishing owl, African skimmer, rock pratincole, and a wealth of kingfisher species along the river.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16352″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672397964{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/C5vxBi5NC5G/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Wild Dogs: The Rare and the Lucky
Wild dogs are the animals that even safari guides get quietly excited about. They’re rare and very charismatic. Sightings in the area around Masuwe Lodge, which sits in the wildlife-rich buffer zone between the town and Zambezi National Park, do happen but these are seasonal, when the pack feels like swinging through.
We won’t promise you wild dogs. No honest lodge will. But if you’re lucky enough to catch a sighting – the painted coats, the fierce social bonds, the organised chaos of a hunt – you’ll understand immediately why this species inspires such fierce devotion in the people who spot them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”16246″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” css=”.vc_custom_1778672417896{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;}” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DMdBHPaM5EW/?hl=en&img_index=1″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
The Bigger Picture
What makes Zimbabwe’s Zambezi corridor special is the variety. In a single afternoon you might watch elephants cross upstream, drift past a hippo pod at eye-level from a boat, hear a fish eagle scream overhead, and end the day with a gin and tonic on a deck as crocodiles slide silently into the current below you.
The Falls are extraordinary. But they’re the beginning of the Zimbabwe story, not the whole of it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#FFFFFF” up=”30″ down=”10″ css=”.vc_custom_17884463302715{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 10px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]
Hungry for More Zim Magic? Check out these Posts Below
Best Boutique Safari Lodges in Zimbabwe: Chundu Island & Masuwe Lodge
How to make the most of Victoria Falls
A new beginning for the Zambezi: Angola revealed as its true source
Elephants – How Do Such Large Creatures Manage to “Snorkel”?
Southern Carmine Bee Eater[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
