Nestled in a valley between blooming clusters of green Zambesi redwoods, the town of Hwange can be found right on the cusp of the Zimbabwe’s iconic Hwange National Park, one of the largest continuous stretches of protected land that the continent has to offer.

Aside from the mechanised mining industries that coalesce around the centre, the town is packed to the brim with Hwange tour guides offering safari excursions out into the rolling savannah and butterfly tree thickets of the nearby reserve. There, intrepid travellers can case out packs of plains lions, elusive African dogs, leopards and rhinos amongst other mammals, as well as more than 400 separate species of bird life. Also not to be missed are the lava flows of the Batoka Formation, and the mysterious human legacies at Bumbusi, Deteema and Mtoa. However, Hwange’s real draw has to be the booming population of elephants now found roaming within its borders, which at last count was well into five figures.