Bidding farewell to Spurwing, we all headed back to Harare – but not before sight-seeing in Kariba, the view overlooking the Lake from the ‘Heights’ and the of course the view of the dam wall.
Two nights back in Harare for some re-stocking and to get laundry done, sadly a few of the group had to get back to Belgium at this point, and we continued the trip heading to Great Zimbabwe, home of the famous ruins. We spent a good few hours hiking around this mysterious site, up onto the Hill Complex overlooking the Great Enclosure, marvelling at its mystery and history, as there is no written record of its origin, and one can dwell for hours on assumption…although recent historians claim to have the ‘facts’ on this great site. In any case, well worth a visit to wonder at its past!
Our accommodation was at National Parks, most of our group in the big family lodge, and the rest in the smaller, one bedroomed lodges. The staff was very helpful, as we all ate in the one big lodge, which meant having to bring extra crockery and cutlery across from the other lodges, but nothing was too much trouble for them as they helped to carry things across for us! This is a classic view from the Hill Complex looking down onto the Great Enclosure below. The Park is fairly small, which makes spotting the very healthy rhino population here very easy. They have around 25, including a few new babies, so if you happen to miss seeing them elsewhere on your trip around Zimbabwe, you are sure to spot them here! From Masvingo we took the Birchenough Bridge Road, direction Chipinge, which is very scenic, driving through some pretty rural villages, surrounded by massive baobab trees, sparse vegetation at this time of the year, goats, donkeys and cattle wander across the roads, so beware of these animals when driving in the rural areas! The baobabs grow at a low altitude and as we made our way higher, towards Chipinge, the vegetation changes and gives way to plantations of tea, coffee, macadamia nuts, bananas and avocados, and also timber. It is here that one may visit ‘The Big Tree’, a giant Mahogany, in the Chirinda Forest, on the road to Espungabera on the Mozambique border. Be warned, this road is currently in appalling condition and a sturdy 4x4 is highly recommended, and yet you can see small Japanese cars plying this route between Chipinge and the border, as taxis, destined for a short-lived career as they carry goods and passengers backwards and forwards – Chipinge is a thriving, heaving town, filled with buyers and sellers of second-hand clothes, shoes, fruits and vegetables, second hand car tyres, scotch carts and everything you can imagine in between! Cars drive all over the roads, there’s no left or right lane, you just drive where the gaps are and to avoid the massive pot-holes and bustling pedestrians! The atmosphere is happy and vibrant! We were lucky to be accommodated in the guest lodges of the Tanganda Tea Estates Training centre and from there we visited the tea plantations which also included coffee, avocados and macadamia nuts – sometimes plantations as far as the eye can see – into the distance, rolling hills covered in tea bushes! The final leg of our journey took us from Chipinge to Mutare and the Vumba and then Nyanga – into the misty forests overlooking Mozambique, where we stayed in private self-catering accommodation with the most spectacular views over the valley into Mozambique. There is a lot to see in the area – and visitors are welcome for meals and refreshments at Leopard Rock Hotel, without having to be paying guests. There is also Tony’s Coffee Shop, renowned for serving the BEST chocolate cake on the planet, and with a tea and coffee selection which beats any international coffee shop!
Accommodation at Nyanga was at National Parks, Udu Dam – where the group went out trout fishing at the Mare Dam, a short drive into the hills, and came back with dinner! Fresh trout, grilled over the coals…. No trip to Nyanga should be without a hike up the famous Inyangani Mountain – surrounded by great mystery – visitors must walk with a guide from National Parks and leave early in the morning to return at lunchtime before the cloud comes up and lays a heavy blanket of thick cloud over the mountain, making the hike extremely dangerous – hence the newly introduced stipulation that a guide accompanies the hikers. Our group, now definitely part of our Zimbabwean ‘family’ left for Brussels after another two days in Harare, shopping for souvenirs in the Avondale Craft Market and relaxing before going home to Europe. Departure was not without hugs and tears all round and we know that we have sent back to Europe NINETEEN new Ambassadors for our beautiful Zimbabwe! And we hope that it will not be too long before they return to see the rest of our lovely land!
Lin (consultant)
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