Why Go to Zimbabwe?

Too often, if you think of Zimbabwe, you may conjure images of hyperinflation or dictatorial authority. Robert Mugabe’s thirty-year run as president (plus his time as prime minister before that) had long-lasting economic and social effects. And all those bad things affected this beautiful country and its wonderful people, and—let me be clear—they shouldn’t be ignored in the scope of history.

But today, Zimbabwe deserves your attention. And the Zimbabwean people deserve to be met. Not because they have suffered and endured, but because they are friendly, welcoming, and truly resilient.

But for most of us, the reason to come to Zimbabwe is the abundance of natural wonders. In the far northwest, Victoria Falls crashes and thunders as the mighty Zambezi River flows between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Kalahari sands have blown in from Botswana, covering much of Hwange National Park, making a safari through the forests and scrubland feel a bit strange as you drive over sandy ruts. And Mana Pools, formerly a giant delta that would flood and recede along the (still) mighty Zambezi River, is now a flood plain without flooding, providing a unique wildlife sanctuary unlike any other in the world, allowing you to walk with elephants. 

Ah, elephants. Yes, animals are another wonderful aspect of Zimbabwe’s natural environment. They range from traditional safari encounters—elephants, lions, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, and plenty of varieties of antelope—to the surprises you don’t expect on safari (be they animal or otherwise). All of these things are fabulous to behold, and I haven’t even mentioned the UNESCO World Heritage site of Great Zimbabwe, the ruins of a medieval city thought to be the capital of a great kingdom from the 9th Century up until it was abandoned in the 15th Century.

But back to animals. I had the pleasure of experiencing a pride of lions, fifteen strong, lazing about in the afternoon. Our guide had been given their location just as we were arriving on the Elephant Express train; without a beat, he loaded our group up and lead us to them. Like big house cats, they lolled about under a big shady tree, napping or stretching or nuzzling their compatriot. The entire open-sided vehicle sat in silence, watching these ferocious creatures act like sleepy kittens after a playful day.

Three days later, staff from Bomani Lodge arrived at each of our tents’ around 5 AM with a change in plans: meet at the lodge in 30 minutes (or less if you could) for a quick coffee and pastry before we set off to find the kill. The kill? The herd of waterbucks we had seen at the watering hole at dinner the night before had lost one of their members to the pride around 4 AM. The kill had occurred just on the edge of camp, so we piled into the vehicle and easily found the pride with the kill. Most had finished already, and the subadults were energized and playful. One old lioness—not a priority for the pride to feed—stayed behind to continue eating before the jackals moved in to take the scraps. 

In Mana Pools, we had been told about the lone pack of African Painted Dogs, a pack that roamed far and wide and was not always found when safari-goers were looking for them. Our hosts at Vundu Camp had played host to Sir David Attenborough when the BBC filmed Dynasties about this very pack of dogs. We were even shown the tree where Sir David filmed one segment along the banks of the river.

But the dogs eluded us during our stay. The stories of the filming of the BBC special were great, but each of us had silently come to the conclusion that we were not destined to see the pack … until our last day. We had gone out early that morning specifically to find the dogs (but loving each animal encounter along the way). Our intrepid guide David had finally turned back towards camp. After almost three hours, two in the rain, we were twenty minutes from camp and hot coffee and a big, well-deserved breakfast. 

Around the bend lay the entire pack of dogs right next to the dirt track.

We slowly climbed out of the vehicle and, listening to our very experienced guide, made our way to a position close enough to be comfortable but not too close (either for them or us). It was quite magical to simply sit on the ground and watch these animals in their natural habitat, doing what they do on a typical morning. David, our guide, pointed out all the full bellies. The pack had recently (probably the night before) had a successful hunt. They were going to lounge in the area most of the day.

He was right, of course. We found the pack twice late that day. Seeing them in person has nothing on watching the TV special.