A few years ago now, I finally got to realize a life-long dream …. to go on safari in Africa! Much like our dilemma with the Greek Islands, it is difficult to decide where in Africa to go on safari…. so many countries to choose from! Our decision this time was easy. My travel companion was from Zimbabwe and was keen to show me around. Also, I was very interested to see the country where my mother was born. It was called Southern Rhodesia back then, but the hospital she was born in, in Harare, still exists.
Up until 2017, Zimbabwe was ruled over by president Robert Mugabe, for almost 4 decades. During that time, Zimbabwe struggled through severe droughts, failed land reform projects and crippling inflation. It was, and still is, a crime in Zimbabwe to criticize the head of state. Mugabe had quite the reputation and to say I was a little apprehensive about going there, is an understatement.
Harare
Reassured by my travel companion, we landed in the capital, Harare. As we waited in line to get through customs and security, we struck up a conversation with a fellow traveler waiting in line. When he started talking about the president and we were getting looks from people nearby, I started to panic. ‘Just shut up!’ I wanted to yell. We made it through unaccosted and were greeted by local friends. Phew!!
First stop was the Lady Chancellor maternity hospital where my Mum was born. We were welcomed inside and had a little look around. Not much to add about the capital, it was pretty dirty and run down and I was happy to move on.
Chikwenya Safari Lodge
We spent a night at a friend’s house before making our way to the Chikwenya Safari lodge (now called Chikwenya Wilderness), on the eastern boundary of the Mana Pools National Park. We passed through several armed check points along the way. I was nervous and my companions thought it would be hilarious to make up stories about the guards to scare me even more. I HOPE they were making up the stories!
We arrived!
The lodge was beautiful, and we were upgraded to the presidential suite – amazing! There are strict rules when staying in a safari lodge. You are not to walk anywhere at night without being accompanied by an armed guide. The wildlife walk freely through the campgrounds and at night it can be very dangerous. In fact, one night, a lion took down a kill in the middle of camp! I wish I had seen it, alas, there was not much left of the poor victim by morning.
There are elevated boardwalks between buildings that intermittently drop to ground level to allow elephants to walk through without destroying them. So cool!
It was dry season, so the wildlife looked undernourished and thirsty! They were constantly wandering down to the water, while we sat back and watched them with beverage in hand.
Safari Drive
The safari drives and walks were amazing! I was disappointed however, to not see any lion. They were there, a whole pride lived in a place nicknamed ‘Lion Alley’, a golden grassy savannah, so perfect for camouflage that we couldn’t find them! We did see plenty of elephants, hippos, zebra, buffalo, wild dogs, waterbuck and impala.
Night Safari
The highlight was spotting a leopard in the wild on our night safari drive. It dropped down out of a tree right in front of our jeep – unbelievable!
Walking Safari
Another highlight for me was going on a walking safari. Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us all sorts of interesting information about the African wildlife.
Fun fact – the nickname given to zebra over there is disco donkey and the collective noun for them is a dazzle ….. a dazzle of disco donkeys! Love it! Can’t help it, I’m a teacher, I love my collective nouns! Our guide told us when a group of zebra feel threatened, they slowly form into a set line with a dominant male zebra in front and one at the back, with young and pregnant females protected in the middle. Sure enough, as we took a few steps towards them, they slowly formed into their line and walked away.
Fun fact #2 – the hippo highway is so named because the hippos drag their bottom lip along the ground, causing that groove in the ground. They do this to leave their scent, as they travel inland at night to find food, then they can find their way back to the water!
On the Water
We spent some time out on a boat dodging hippos and crocs, and fishing for Tiger fish.
Victoria Falls
Where to Stay in Victoria Falls
We left our safari lodge and checked into the delightful Ilala Lodge near Victoria Falls. They advise you to keep your room locked and windows shut at all times because of the cheeky baboons and monkeys. They will get in and trash the place if you are not careful.
Things to Do in Victoria Falls
See the Falls
As I said, we were there in dry season, but the Falls were still magnificent. I understand now why the Falls have the nickname ‘The smoke that thunders’. I can only imagine what they would be like at the peak of wet season. You can tell when you are getting close to the falls, because you start to break out in sweat from the high humidity in summer near all that water! Looking across the gorge to the Zambian side, we were able to see crazy people planking on the edge of the Falls! Planking was a thing back then.
High Tea at Victoria Falls Hotel
We are getting closer to the thing I was dreading about the whole trip, but first, high tea at the very colonial looking Victoria Falls hotel. Don’t mind if I do! Sipping on tea, watching warthogs graze on the lawn, while crazy people leap off a perfectly good bridge in the background ….. lovely afternoon.
BOMA Dinner & Drum Show
For a fun and interactive night out, I highly recommend going to a Boma dinner and drum show. You are fed a delicious 4 course meal including many traditional local dishes. I tried some unusual dishes like Impala and even a sautéed worm! The main course is a large BBQ or Braai buffet full of every kind of meat you can imagine! Throughout the meal traditional dancers entertain you and the entertainment becomes interactive when guests are given drums to join in.
White water rafting
Now the thing that I was dreading…..I am NOT a thrill seeker at all. Perfectly happy watching other people do adrenaline rush activities, but I usually will give them a hard pass. I was talked into doing this and was so nervous beforehand, I felt physically sick. But OMG, it was so much fun!!
White water rafting down the Zambezi is not something I thought I would ever do. I don’t think I have ever gripped anything so tight as I did that rope and there was no way I was letting go of it to hold onto a paddle! Yes, I screamed for most of it, but with rapids nicknamed ‘the washing machine’, ‘the gnashing jaws of death’ and ‘the terminator’, do you blame me??
We went for a ‘swim’ as they call it, after our raft flipped. To tell you the truth I didn’t even think about the possibility of crocs in the water by this stage, I was too worried about getting back in the raft! Our guide assured us that the Nile crocodile posed no threat to us. Indeed, I saw a few sunbaking on the rocks, they were quite small compared to the ones we get in Australia, and they did not seem interested in us at all.
Gorge climb
I felt so scared before the rafting, but little did I know, that the climb out of the gorge at the end was what would nearly kill me! It was summer, so very hot, and I had hardly eaten anything that morning because I felt slightly nauseous about it all. I was struggling, the climb was long and steep in places. Our guide kindly offered to carry me out! How embarrassing….no thankyou, I’ll be fine. I since discovered there is a lift of some sort on the Zambian side of the Gorge …. might be a better option if you think you will struggle like me.
There is an option to buy a video of your day on the rapids, which we did, some of which is mixed with GoPro footage in the video above. I definitely wanted evidence that I actually did it…. and survived!
Having recovered from our efforts we ended our epic day with sundowners at the Gorges Lodge overlooking rapid 19, where we ended our rafting earlier that day.
Matobo National Park
Our last stop on our Zimbabwe trip was to the Matobo National Park, Bulawayo. We stayed at the beautiful Big Cave Camp. Our room was gorgeous with stunning views over the National Park. The park itself is other-worldly, with large rock formations and cave paintings dating back 60 000 years, it is fascinating. The grave of Cecil Rhodes, whom Rhodesia was named after, is there, watched over by a large number of colourful lizards.
Our African adventure continued onto South Africa. You can read more about our South African experience here.
I loved my visit to Africa, but have vowed to return, to see all the animals we didn’t get to see this visit – lions, Rhino, and giraffes. Tanzania is our next safari destination ….. watch this space!
