Zimbabwe

*Driving into a wild camping spot in the Eastern Highlands*

We entered Zimbabwe with some trepidation. We expected extreme poverty, lack of infrastructure and crowds of people competing for tourism dollars wherever we went. These fears were exacerbated by memories from a trip to Victoria Falls years ago when we remembered being harangued by very persistent vendors and the fact that many of the people we spoke with in South Africa (Uber drivers, guides, waiters, hair stylist etc.) were from Zimbabwe, seeking better economic opportunities away from home but missing their country. Hyperinflation caused by the previous government over printing money meant the local Zimbabwean currency was hugely devalued and now is rarely in use. US dollars have become the most commonly used legal tender. We came prepared with enough USD to cover our expenses (mostly gas and national parks ) including a lot of smaller bills as we had heard it was difficult to get change.

Contrary to our low expectations, in Zimbabwe we found dramatic landscapes, extraordinary access to wildlife, some of the most stunning national park camping we have experienced and warm hospitable people with a proud heritage. Three places quickly became African highlights for us: Gonarezhou National Park, Great Zimbabwe, and Mana Pools National Park. USD were definitely the currency of choice and accepted everywhere from gas stations to road side vendors selling avocados. We even found that people generally had change - although in some of the oldest and most worn out US dollar bills we have ever seen in circulation.

*Rock formations in the Eastern Highlands*

We entered the border at Mutare and were astounded by the 5 km line of container trucks as we approached the border. In true Zimbabwean kindness, as we were soon to learn, drivers and helpers moved aside and pointed us around them so that we could avoid the commercial line. The border was simple but slow and we managed to avoid having a fixer attach themselves to us. We have gotten better at this, learning that if we smile, say firmly that this is our 25th (and growing) African border crossing and we don’t need help, we get a smile in return and no more attention. Visas on arrival were simple and we had filled out the Temporary Import Permit form for our truck online beforehand so that was simple to obtain. (We have still successfully traveled all of Africa without a Carnet de Passage for the truck but know they will change when we hit Kenya.)

*Drive into one of our favorite all time wild camping spots*

*Top of a granite not with a valley view for miles*

But at first not all was rosy in Zimbabwe. We quickly realized we were encountering, for the first time, exorbitant East African tourism fees. Even for the most basic national park, rates for foreigners were $30 per person plus a vehicle fee, usually $15. This meant to explore a park with very limited attractions and amenities we were charged $75 for a day. Camping in parks ranged from $30 per person up to $130 per person, on top of park fees. This added up quickly and made us grumpy at the beginning. As a comparison, Kruger National Park, a world renowned wildlife destination, charges $27 per person for foreigners, no vehicle fee and camping averaged $25 for a site.

We headed for Nyanga Nationa Park as a first stop, but when after bumping our way along an atrocious road for an hour we were told it was $75 for the two of us to visit the waterfall, we decided to skip it. It would have been different if we were on a two week Zimbabwe holiday as many visitors probably are, but traveling is our life and spending $75 on one day’s adventure is a huge commitment that we do not take lightly. But on the upside, we found glorious scenery and wild camping outside the park in the nearby hillls.

We understand that the country desperately needs foreign dollars and park fees are one way to get them. But we also fear that people with limited time and money to spend on vacations in Africa will end up skipping Zimbabwe as the prices are higher for less value than surrounding countries.

So, not having actually entered Nyanga National Park, we made our way to see the Chimanimani Mountains.

*Lovely farm camping at the base of Chimanimani Mountains*

Researching the cost of more of the national parks, we decided to skip some of them and focus on staying in what we thought were probably the two best, Gonarezhou and Mana Pools. For Gonarezhou National Park, we committed to the investment and booked in advance through ZimParks. We paid $360 total for two nights, inclusive of all park, vehicle, conservancy, VAT and camping fees. We opted for an “exclusive” campsite at Chilojo Cliffs for one night and a “developed” campsite at Chinguli for one night. You pay more to book in advance and choose sites. There is a more budget friendly option to show up and take what is left for a campsite fee of $60 for two people plus all the standard people and vehicle fees. It ends up being about half price. But we knew where we wanted to camp and had not stayed in a hotel in months so decided to splurge. We absolutely loved it but felt the irony that we were spending more on a campsite with a pit toilet than we would ever spend on a hotel.

*Typical wet river crossing in Gonarezhou National Park*

*Lookout over the rapids, Gonarezhou National Park*

*Chilojo Cliffs towering above the Runde River*

We could not capture the beauty of the Chilojo Cliffs campsites with photos, but they were truly extraordinary. The “exclusive” site meant you had your own private spot on the river with a pit toilet and no barriers to the wildlife wandering through.

*And the sun goes down . . . lullaby of the hippos grunting all night*

*Still in love with the Baobab, each one so unique and magnificent. The scarring on the lower trunk is from eons of elephants eating the inner bark for food and water.*

Our second night in Gonarezhou we opted for the slightly less expensive developed site at Chinguli - meaning still no barriers to wildlife but a shared campground with flush toilets, showers and a host.

*Chinguli Camp - another beautiful site*

*Complete with a private gazebo overlooking the hippo pools*

Andy channeling his inner Bear Grills (every time we see elephant poo we think of the survival episode on his show when Bear Grills told everyone if you are thirsty in the African bush just squeeze the liquid out of fresh elephant poo)

*Beautiful “tusker” (self explanatory South African term) along the road*

We did a loop drive in the park but overall felt the highlight of being in Gonarezhou was simply setting up camp in extraordinarily beautiful locations and see what wildlife came to you. Despite the sticker shock, we were glad to have spend the time there.

Our next stop was completely different - our first true ancient African ruins. Described as the “heart of Zimbabwe,” Great Zimbabwe is the country’s namesake. We happily paid the $15 each for the monument (great value) and the $6 for a guided tour (worth many times that).

Home to many kings over the centuries, building at Great Zimbabwe began in the 11th century by ancestors of the Shona people, still the predominant tribe in Zimbabwe today. We spent three hours with our guide, Steven and deeply appreciated his knowledge and teachings about the site and the history of the country.

The area now known as Zimbabwe was colonized by British mining magnate Cecil Rhodes in the 1890’s. In 1965, the white minority government declared independence from the United Kingdom as Southern Rhodesia. After a 15-year war with black nationalist forces, a peace agreement was reached that established Zimbabwe in 1980 under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. Prime Minister and then President Mugabe led the new country for almost 40 years. Under his regime, the state security apparatus dominated the country and was responsible for widespread human rights violations. He was also responsible for the hyperinflation the country is still recovering from. Since 2017, Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leader of the coup against Mugabe, has served as Zimbabwe's president..

Zimbabwe has great economic potential with mineral and natural resources and poverty is on the decline. Recent elections did not bring a leadership change and the results are internationally held suspect. But the poeple we spoke to said they are focused on jobs and supporting their families and not too concerned about who is in power - there is a general sense that it is up to the people in general to make a difference through hard work and ambition. The sense of desperation we had first experienced as tourists in Victoria Falls eight years ago is not widespread throughout the country. Although food is expensive for everyone, subsistence agriculture is common.

Great Zimbabwe both intrigued and amazed us - a testament to the ingenuity, talent and aesthetics of the early Shona people.

*Origin of the name Zimbabwe, Zi=Big, Mba=house, Bwe=stone. Big house of stone.*

*Walking in the steps of kings up the hill to the king’s palace built into and around the rocks high atop a hill - an engineering feat over 1,000 years old.*

*Our guide Steven leading the way up “blood passage,” th only way into the fortress, a narrow walkway in the rocks designed to keep enemies out*

*Exterior walls of the king’s palace on the hill*

*Looking down on the “Great Enclosure” below*

*Approaching the Great Enclosure - home to the kings’ wives and children. The kingdom was thought to have flourished from 1200-1500 AD.*

*Incredible spiral walkway between dry stone walls - more impressive engineering*

*The classic Great Enclosure shot - including the decorative grain tower*

It was an incredible site and visit. Sadly, we were the only ones there that day. Very different than exploring a European castle and fighting the crowds. We promised Steven that we would sing the praises of the monument so that hopefully more people will come.

Next stop, Matobo National Park, known for San rock paintings and intriguing rock formations. Also the gravesite of Cecil Rhodes (but we were not really interested in that). Unfortunately, once again we felt overcharged for minimal value. It does not escape us that we are foreign tourists with a lot more financial resources than most people in the country which is experiencing economic hardship and yet we were somehow focused on what we were spending more than usual. We know it sounds whiny. We track our expenses closely, both to budget and to plan. Zimbabwe cost us about 15% more than any other country to date - with the exceptions of Iceland and Norway. Gas, camping, national parks and food were all expensive for us. Mostly, it just took us for surprise and made us think carefully about what we spent money on. Usually we like to support smaller businesses and entrepreneurs over large government run national parks.

Our primary complaint about Matobo was that after sucking it up and paying our $50 in entrance fees ($20 each plus vehicle) when we showed up at the cave with the most rock paintings which we were looking forward to seeing, we were told it was another $20. Once again this was after bumping our way along a slow frustrating road. Oh well. We did see some paintings in another cave and called it a day.

*White Rhino cave at Matobo NP, beautiful painting with hunters and rhino*

*Camped at a beautiful place outside the park '“The Farmhouse”*

*Visiting ancient grain storage bins and kiln in a cave at The Farmhouse*

*Another beautiful painting, this one in another cave at The Farmhouse*

*Rock formations typical of the area around Matobo*

In retrospect, we felt we saw more at The Farmhouse than in the nearby national park. To be fair we did not visit the game park section with all the rhinos as we had seen them recently in Eswatini.

So we set off for our final destination in Zimbabwe, Mana Pools National Park. It was an extraordinary experience. This time we went with the last minute rate - $30 per person for camping at Nyamepi Camp plus all the associated fees which worked out to $100 a night for the two of us. We did not stay at Chitake Springs, the most famous area as it is locked in at about $300 a night for two people with no same day rate.

Nyamepi Camp sits right on the Zambezi river. Sites are pleasantly spread out and wildlife wanders through at will. We will never get tired of camping with elephants wandering through camp and the back of the mind thrill of knowing that any animal can turn up at any time.

*Nyamepi Camp, Mana Pools National Park*

*Gazing at the Zambezi, hippos swimming by at your feet (there is a bit of a drop off so it would hopefully be too much work for them to come up right at the campsites)*

*But they are only a five minute walk down the river*

*You never know what you will see walking around camp*

*Breakfast with a view of the Zambezi river - does it get any better?*

*A minor setback, Andy’s camp shoes disappeared overnight. He found this one, the other one vanished presumed consumed by a hyena. (This will come up later.)*

As our final splurge in Mana Pools, we signed up for a guided walking safari. Reputed to be the only place in Africa where visitors are allowed to go on guided walking safaris where lions roam free, we decided to have an adventure with a paid expert.

Our guide, Talent, was super. Knowledgeable about wildlife, he took us on a four hour walk to explain the flora and fauna of the park. He was armed, but assured us he had never had to shoot his rifle at an animal on a walking safari.

*Cape Buffalo checking us out - Talent did not have us get too close*

And then - extraordinary, Talent heard excited hyenas and led us to a clearing where two male lions were taking down a buffalo. We have seen similar sites from our vehicle, but it is different on foot! We hunkered down to watch the circle of life.