Aussie tourist missing in famous national park could have been gone for a week

A new twist in the search for a missing Australian man reportedly visiting a famous waterfall in Zimbabwe has been revealed.

A new twist in the search for a missing Australian tourist in Zimbabwe has been revealed, with authorities reportedly not announcing the man’s disappearance for an entire week.

A desperate search for a 67-year-old Australian man missing in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park is currently underway, after Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said the tourist went missing in the vast rainforest on Friday.

However it has now been revealed that the man hadn’t been heard from since February 17, almost a week before local authorities made the announcement.

The man, who had been staying at a luxury lodge about three kilometres from the national park, had bee travelling alone.

It’s now been reported the man hasn’t been heard from since February 17.

Authorities announced that a “fully fledged team that includes the police” have been out looking for the tourist, with authorities also deploying “sniffer dogs, drones and trackers on the ground”.

A spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Tinashe Farawo, said CCTV at the entry of the park has not shown the tourist enter or exit.

“CCTV footage at the park was reviewed and found the man had not entered the park and was not among the visitors who were recorded going into the area which is normally carried out for security and accountability reasons,” Farawo said.

Victoria Falls is one of the greatest attractions in Africa.

“We have replayed the CCTV footage, physical records at the entrance of the falls have no record of him entering and our search team has been checking the rainforest. There is no sign of him.

“We are looking at other leads because it seems he never entered the rainforest.”

The identity of the man has not been released.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told news.com.au it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian reported missing in Zimbabwe.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” the spokesperson said.

Smartraveller outlines what to do if an Australian is reported missing overseas.

The Victoria Falls website said the waterfall is “one of the greatest attractions in Africa and one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world”.

The natural wonder, which sits between Zambia and Zimbabwe, attracts thousands of tourists but missing persons cases within the national park are understood to be rare.