Touring Zimbabwe
Inyangani, the highest Zimbabwean mountain
From Harare to Victoria Falls
After spending a couple of weeks in Harare and considering all the options for touring the place we finally agreed on hiring a car. Not a cheap thing in Zimbabwe - we might be better off just buying an old wreck, good for a couple of thousand kilometers... Anyway, there we were at the Hertz office and we drove away with a Mazda 323. We headed straight to Bulawayo, the 2nd largest metropolis in Zimbabwe.
We just stayed in Bulawayo for a night, for a quick view and for some shopping; then we continued towards Victoria Falls. Once there, there was just enough time to pitch a tent & have fun with the elephants on the other side of the fence... And next morning, we went to see the falls. Equipped well for wet conditions, we took a stroll along the falls all the way to the border with Zambia. This was dry season, we were told, so the water was low! I'd love to see the falls when the water was supposed to be high - or maybe I couldn't see anything but spray. Well the falls were wonderful, truly amazing place, but there was a lot more to be seen around there. We went upstream, along the Zambezi shore. Apparently, there should be crocodiles lurking in the river - we couldn't see any. And hippo as well, which are not really vicious animals, but are very dangerous because they are big.
Hwange National Park
The same evening, we drove to Hwange,entered the National Park and stayed there for a night. Next day, early in the morning, we headed right into the park, with our camera and camcorder prepared for game viewing. Hwange is supposed to be one of the most wildlife-packed places in Africa. The very first animal we spotted was a big lion, who strolled away into the bush. Not very quick, but too quick for us to take any pictures. "Don't worry, there will be more! That was just the first one," we assumed, but it was the only one we saw that day.
We went on, watching impalas, zebras and baboons, until we found a leopard, who was feasting on a giraffa carcass just next to the road. It was amazing, that beast was just 10 meters away; and we were watching it from the safety of our car. Eventually, the smell of the carcass became so imbareable that it chased us away. As we went on, we could see an approaching hyena, who probably smelt the carcass and was going for its share. Continuing through the park, there were less and less animals around. It was getting too hot. As they say, the best times for viewing are early morning and late evening. However, we spotted a herd of elephants, having fun in the water pan. They came closer and eventually they were walking in front of us along the road. "Let's hope they won't turn around," we thought to ourselves as we were following them slowly.
They didn't... In the evening, we drove back to the park gate and, shortly before reaching them, there was another water pan. Its shores were heavily populated with all sorts of beasts. We spotted hippo and impala, but baboons were the funniest. After a while, the whole herd headed away and across the road right in front of us. We must have looked suspicious to them, because a giant male approached us and sat in front of our car with great self-confidence. He waited until everybody got across the road safely and then he followed.
Bulawayo and Masvingo with Great Zimbabwe
The same evening, we almost reached Bulawayo again. There was a wonderful spot some 20 km before the city, a campsite where we pitched our tent and stayed for the night. It was July, wintertime and not really a high season in Zimbabwe, so we were one of just a few guests again. Jenny, our friend from Harare, was staying in Bulawayo, so I phoned her next morning. We met Jenny an hour later, had a nice lunch in Bulawayo's art gallery and then we left for Masvingo.
A cold and rainy day followed; and we went to see the Great Zimbabwe. An ancient city was the largest man-made place in Sub-Saharan Africa. Once it could accomodate several ten thousand inhabitants, but it has already been deserted when it was discovered by Europeans. The first European explorers were amazed by the ruins; but they were not prepared to accept the bantu origin of the city. Instead, they began inventing fantastic theories of aliens and such as the ones who built the place. Even in the 70's, when Zimbabwe was still Rhodesia, such theories were pretty much alive.
From Mutare to Nyanga
Our next stop was Mutare, a city close to Mozambique border, beautifully situated in a valley amidst the mountains. We drove to a spot above Mutare, where we found a great view into Mozambique, more than 1.000 m below. We didn't stay long in Mutare, we drove up into the mountains and followed the winding road to Nyanga. Nyanga area was our favourite place in Zimbabwe. It was green, with huge pine trees, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and with cool mountain scenery. Two spots were truly amazing: the World's View and Mt. Nyangani, the highest mountain in the country.
It is well worth visiting the two places on a clear day, because the views can be very rewarding. We had luck with the World's View, but not with Mt. Nyangani. The altitude of the World's View is some 2.500 m and there is a vertical drop of almost 1.000 m. So it's quite a spectacular place and one can see a large part of Zimbabwe from the top, almost to Harare. A bunch of little lakes with clear blue water on top contributes to the beauty of the place.
Next day we challenged Mt. Nyangani. It isn't really a problem for regular hikers, although people have to be careful up there. It is essential to stay on the trail, as there are areas with quicksand. It can be dangerous and navigation can be difficult in fog. Many people never returned from the mountain and many locals believe that Mt. Nyangani swallows careless hikers. As said, we were embraced by clouds so we couldn't see much from the top. But on a clear day, a large part of Zimbabwe and Mozambique can be seen.
Back to Harare
Mt. Nyangani was our final adventure in Zimbabwe. All that remained was the trip back to Harare, where we have stayed for additional couple of nights, met our friends again and then took a Zimi Bus to Johannesburg.
After touring South Africa, Brigita flew home and I returned to Harare for some more of Zimbabwe. I had the most enjoyable time again, thanks to wonderful people I met there: Jenny, Jimmy & Suzanne, Tapiwa & Rose and many others.
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