Overlanding Through Zimbabwe

---

Driving through the infamous Tete Corridor (well known in the days of Mozambique's long running civil war as the Gun Run) we entered Zimbabwe, our first stop the capital, Harare. Here we camped along Lake Chivero for two freezing cold nights.

During the night zebra and horses would stroll around our tents and in the afternoon giraffe and sometimes rhino could be spotted across the lake. There were two zebras in particular that we often saw running around with a sheep that they had befriended. The camp grounds were also home to Zimbabwes biggest bird park, we were able to hold some of the birds and even nurse a young hawk.

After the first freezing cold night and equally as freezing shower a group of us decided to venture into Harare city to purchase some warmer clothes. We found a market where I purchased a massive hoodie and beanies. In the evening we had a warm bonfire where we toasted marshmallow and enjoyed the warmth of the fire, the extra layers made a difference and the second night was at least bearable.

Our next stop was Chimanimani, located in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. Here we were able to upgrade to a little cottage for five dollars a night which was an absolute bargain! We fell asleep to the flickering of the fire place at night, comfortable and warm. The surroundings were absolutely beautiful and many of our group took a walk through the Chimanimani national park after what was a big night in the local pub. We had picnic lunches in the hills over looking the area and soaked up what sun there was before layering up for the cool nights.

Our next stop was the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, which was once the greatest medieval city in Sub Sahara Africa. We camped right outside the site of the ancient ruins and took a tour through them in the afternoon at the sun was setting. Without the tour guide the site looks rather like a large pile of rocks but in fact what is left is quite amazing especially when viewed from above and worth a look.

After driving across Mashonaland we stopped in Gweru where our residence would be antelope park, a privately run game ranch, for three nights. The park was set along side the Gweru lake which was absolutely beautiful. This was definitely a highlight for us both, I rode an elephant through the park spotting zebras, antelope and giraffe and we both spent a morning walking with lions. The lions are part of their program which is aiming to increase the lion population in the wild. The two lions we walked with were 17 months old and learning to hunt which we witnessed when they stalked antelope. Our group was really small with only Aaron, myself and two others which enabled us to be in close proximity to the lions, at times they brushed up against us which was a little nerve trekking. While in the beginning we were both a little worried as it was easy to forget that these cute cats were in fact man eaters, Aaron was even able to hold the large ones tail. While we had a great time in Gweru much of the people on our truck got the runs, myself included, which did not make for a fun drive to Bulawayo where we had to stop on the side of the rode far too many times. (I still remain it was the dodgy sausages one cook group cooked on our first night at the camp site).

While our stay in Bulawayo, with Mikaela still attached to the toilet, Aaron spent the day in Matobo National Park trekking rhino. While their plight was unsuccessful, they had a fantastic day identifying animal poop and footprints and even saw cave painting that were 6000 years old. The old tracker turned out to be a former hunter and had some very suspect ideas on what and how he thought hunting actually helped the country and the animals....the Conversation during the expedition dried up after that. We are looking forward to our next and final stop in Africa, Victoria Fall

---

Photos

Cave painitng
Bulawayo

Marshmellos and Bomb fire
Harare

A day of rhino trecking
Bulawayo

Sunrise at Antelope Park
Gweru