Here, There & Chimanimani...

Dhar-lings, to think I was 4/5 seconds from flying halfway across the world just to walk through ten miles of peach blossoms, I almost feel ashamed. Lol. But thanks to my significant other, I walked through peach blossoms until my heart nearly burst… and only after a few hours’ drive to Chimanimani.

There are so many beautiful places in Zimbabwe, but I fell for Instagram’s tricks that make everything other than where you live look more desirable and “gram worthy”. There’s a long list of places I haven’t been to in my own country, Victoria Falls (yeah, I know right!), Bulawayo… the list goes on.

So I decided to go on a long term adventure, to discover my surroundings.

And I began in Chimanimani.

If this does nothing more for you, may it just encourage you to seek out some beautiful spots in Zimbabwe.

1. Accommodation

We stayed at this very rustic place called Heaven’s Lodge, just a stone’s throw away from Chimanimani the town. In terms of budget, it is very accommodating. There is a suite, which we stayed in, rooms with a shared bathrooms (which are quite gorgeous and very clean) or chalets.

The suite was very rustic, but a bit cold. There was a gas heater though and we had taken an electric blanket because we’re master planners like that. This shouldn’t be a problem now that we are headed into summer. The lodge was clean but we had to request that they clean it on arrival because I am borderline OCD and there were some stains on the headboard. Thereafter the staff did a decent job.

The kitchen was disappointing. It was bed and breakfast for us and breakfast was basic, you cannot go wrong with egg, sausage, beans and toast. Dinner was terrible, food wasn’t well cooked. To top that off, my travel buddy ended up sharing his meal with a cat named George the one night. It was cute to watch but one of them went to bed unsatisfied, difficult to tell whom. Lol. Anyway, we mostly ate out so that didn’t ruin much.

2. Travel

We left Harare at 6am on a Sunday so the roads were clear. 4 toll gates and 5 hours late, we had arrived at our destination via Mutare.

Here’s a general thing to be careful about though, there’s poor network coverage so Google maps isn’t going to be that helpful. The locals are helpful but when my kinfolk tell you a place is “close by because we usually walk there”, don’t be fooled- that could be anything from 100m to 10km.

They also use local names to describe places, for example “kuHot” as opposed to the names Google gives you.

I would strongly suggest you pre-Google the places you want to get to and screenshot so you are familiar with the roads, which by the way are curvier than Nicki Minaj. Oh and I wouldn’t suggest a sedan if you want an adventure, a good off roader will be best for some of those roads that are bumpier than a dimply behind.

3. What to do

This is the fun part. So much to do and see. This is a list of some of the things and places you can visit:

1. Bridal veil falls- swim & picnic/ braai. The fee is $3/person & $3/vehicle to get in and there are braai areas. You may have to bring your own charcoal.

2. Chimanimani National park- hike/ camp overnight at a shared hut. There are springs in the park & there is a fee to enter.

3. Birchenough Bridge- sunset walk across the bridge- Its absolutely free

4. Nyanyadzi Hot springs- $1/person to see the hot spring & hear the guide’s historic recollection. I can’t promise the guide was an actual guide because we didn’t get receipts for our payments and he was dressed pretty casually. You can swim in the warm-baths, dip your feet at the source of the springs, there is an extra charge for this.

5. Dumbura Farm- walk through the peach blossoms.

Most of the places take Ecocash but some did not so it’s good to have some cash when you head out there. The national parks office (close to Chimanimani Hotel) is also a great place to get information.

All in all it was an awesome trip. The air was so clean and fresh and it’s a quiet restful space. The sites are breathtakingly beautiful, pictures just cannot do it justice.

Anyway, that’s about it from me… I will be giving you another travel tale on my next trip to Bujumbura, Burundi. I hope this inspires you to go somewhere new.. oh darlings, let’s be adventurers!

Always,

With love from Zim

#Zimbabwe #travel #Africa #wonderlust #adventure #travelcoupleadventure #traveldestination