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. As a religious and secular capital, this city of 10,000 to 20,000 people dominated a realm which stretched across eastern Zimbabwe and into Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa between the 13th and 15th centuries. 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 and, in places, are 5m (16ft) thick. The most accepted theory is that it was used as a royal compound. The greatest source of speculation is the 10m (33ft) high Conical Tower, a solid and apparently ceremonial structure which probably has phallic significance. The monument is in south-eastern Zimbabwe, accessible from Masvingo by bus.

Harare, with a population of over 1.6 million, is the capital and heart of the nation in nearly every respect. The city was bequeathed a distinctly European flavour by its colonisers, and it continues as Zimbabwe's showpiece city and centre of commerce, with high-rise buildings, traffic and all their attendant bustle. Having said that, violent crime is fairly common and visitors should never walk in the city alone and should keep off the streets altogether at night unless using an official taxi.The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is the final word on African art and material culture. Its displays range from earthy African art to colonial and post-colonial painting and sculpture. Harare Gardens, the city's largest park, has music at the bandstand on weekends, and an island-like stand of rainforest which 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 south-west corner of central Harare, is a great place to go for views of the city.Central Harare is compact, making it a breeze to get around on foot. Cheaper shops and hotels and much of Harare's nightlife is concentrated just west of the trendy central shopping area. The Kopje area is the best place to look for a pungwe, an all night drinking and dancing performance by top musicians

During the 19th century, the area now known as Hwange National Park served as a hunting reserve for the Ndebele kings. When Europeans arrived on the scene, they realised the area's richness in wildlife and set about overhunting it. Hwange was accorded national park status in 1929, settlers created artificial water holes fed by underground water and, by the 1970s, Hwange had one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Animals you can expect to see include elephant, monkey, baboon, impala, lion, giraffe and zebra.Although Hwange is Zimbabwe's most accessible and wildlife-packed national park, it's not overcrowded and most vehicles stick to short loop drives within 10km (6mi) of Main Camp. The best time to visit is the dry season (September and October) when animals congregate around the water holes (most of which are artificially filled with petrol-powered pumps). When the rains come and rivers are flowing, successful wildlife viewing requires more diligence because the animals spread out across the park's 14,650 sq km (5700 sq mi) for a bit of trunk and antler room.

You need not be a woman who runs with the wolves to sense that the Matobo Hills are one of the world's power places. Dotted around the park are a wealth of ancient San paintings and old grain bins, where warriors once stored their provisions. Some hidden niches still shelter clay ovens which were used as iron smelters to make spears used against the colonial hordes. Some peaks, such as Shumba, Shaba and Shumba Sham are considered sacred and locals believe that even to point at them will bring misfortune. Hidden in a rock cleft is the Ndebele's sacred rain shrine, where people still pray to Mwali and petition for rain. During the drought of the early 1990s, even government officials came here to pull some strings.With the history comes a superb array of wildlife. You may see the African hawk eagle or the rare Cape eagle owl. Matobo is also home to the world's greatest concentration of black eagles. The Whovi Game Park portion of Matobo is best known for its zealously guarded population of both black and white rhino, but its inhabitants also include antelope, zebra and giraffe. Matobo's precarious and imaginative pinnacles and boulder stacks mean the scenery here is as interesting as the wildlife.

World-famous Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe's contribution to the world's great attractions, and miles and miles of film and videotape are gobbled through cameras every year here. The falls measure a whopping 1.7km (1mi) wide and drop between 90m and 107m (300-350ft) into the Zambezi Gorge. An average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummet over the edge every minute, but during the flood stage from March to May, up to 5 million cubic metres per minute pass over the falls.Victoria Falls town was built on tourism and has now developed into an archetypal tourist trap. 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. For something really special, time your visit to coincide with the rising of the full moon when the park stays open later to allow you to witness the magical lunar rainbow over the falls.The town is quickly becoming the greatest adrenalin capital-cum-tourist playground west of New Zealand. Heartstoppers include scenic flights, white-water rafting, one of the world's highest bungee jumps and parachuting. If the batteries in your pacemaker are on the tired side, the walk along the Zambezi above the falls is excellent and is packed with wildlife. Don't take this walk too lightly; you may see warthog, crocodile, hippo, and even elephant, buffalo and lion. Avoid walking too close to the shore - the crocs are thick along the riverbank and can appear without warning.