Blogs from Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa
February 26th 2012
After having no idea of what to expect in terms of safety and the people we headed to Zimbabwe and are very glad that we took the time. First port of call was the Eastern section of this country which is meant to be one of the highlights in Zimbabwe. Of course it has been intense to cross the Mozambique/Zimbabwe border because we didn’t have a clue how the situation is over there. From the minute we entered Zimbabwe you could feel the difference from Mozambique in terms of development and how nice the people are here (we thought that Mozambique people were nice but Zimbabwe has something special). If only the media put some positive news back into Zimbabwe this country would be bustling with tourists once again but until then we are able to ... read more
August 7th 2011
I was stood in the pitch black, in the middle of the main road in the village of Chimanimani, in Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands, and I was pleading to be allowed to go back to my hotel. After three days of trekking in the mountains, I was shattered, and with aching legs I could think of nothing but bed. The only person in my way was Livingstone, a drunk local who, while still clutching a scud of Chibuku (think: vomit in a thermos flask), wanted to buy me not one, but two, beers, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He had, almost literally, dragged me from the bar I was in, and I pleaded and pleaded, until almost to shut my new found friend up, I reluctantly followed him down the dark road, towards the thumping ... read more
August 19th 2010
Harare to Mutare is 4 hours by the express route, which is a minibus which stops every 20mins to pick up or drop off, rearrange baggage, get papers checked by police, get papers refused by police, bribe police and generally faff about. Lucky I did not take the local minibus option which would have been much slower. This is at least a high class minibus so even though the seats and body are falling apart, it has a large screen with music videos... For some of the journey I sit next to a woman and her 1yr old son, he is mesmerised by me which stops him crying. She is on her way to a women's convention, so is with her mother, they have left her husband and 2 older children at home in Gweru. Seems ... read more
May 8th 2007
Well I wasn’t going to tell anyone I was going to Zimbabwe until I got back to Mozambique; I know how some of you worry. I’ve been here since Saturday and it is so different than what anyone could have expected. It is really the first place I’ve been in Africa that really feels safe to walk around at night. The people really do seem genuinely nice. They offer help and don’t expect anything in return, or at least don’t ask for it blatantly like they do everywhere else. It is nice. The last couple of days, Ben and I spent in the Bvumba Mountains, just outside of Mutare. It is beautiful up there. But that isn’t the really amazing part. We first had lunch/tea at this really posh tea room. It was the best chocolate ... read more
Zimbabwe-Hwange NP-Bulawayo-Gweru-Masvingo-Mutare
Published: August 10th 2007Africa » Zimbabwe » Mutare
March 19th 2007
Zimbabwe!!! Wir haben zu diesem Land so viele verschiedene Meinungen, Ansichten und Eindruecke gehoert, dass es fuer uns selbstverstaendlich war uns ein eigenes Bild von Zimbabwe zu machen. Mittlerweile sind wir jetzt seid ueber einer Woche im Land und koennen nur eines sagen: Wunderschoen!!! Zimbabwe ist das landschaftlich schoenste und interessanteste Land, das wir bis jetzt durchquert haben. Ueberall ist die Landschaft in ein wunderschoenes Gruen getaucht umgeben von Huegeln und jetzt hier in den Eastern Highlands von Bergen. So stellt man sich Afrika eigentlich nicht vor. Und die Menschen hier? Super! Nett und freundlich. Ich muss ja sagen, dass ich anfangs schon meine Zweifel hatte, allein auf Grund der politischen Lage hier. Und einfach ist es nicht. Wir sind fast die einzigen Touristen hier, was nicht schlimm sein muss. Dennoch ertappen wir uns ab und ... read more
