zimbabwe: journal

kariba - 18th april

we arrived at the border with limited foreign currency and only half a tank of fuel. we were worried that our zimbabwean dollars might be fake (they looked very suspect but we had no way of checking) and we didn't know if british citizens were welcome. even if the notes were genuine, we had bought them on the black market (22,000 to the pound, instead of 11,000 officially) which is an offence we know the government is currently cracking down on. zimbabwe could end up being more exciting than we wanted it to be.

the border formalities went smoothly and we were issued with a two week visa. we had arrived on independence day and a tv in the air-conditioned office was broadcasting the celebrations. at the end of robert mugabe's speech the crowd broke into cheers and applause. the camera angles alternated between a flock of pigeons wheeling in the sky, mugabe, the crowd and a general standing to attention at his side, looking uncomfortable holding salute as the minutes dragged on. when the applause finally stopped, the dignitaries sunk back onto their comically oversized and overstuffed armchairs and dance troops marched into the centre of the stadium. it seemed like one big carnival as zimbabwean women gyrated in their short white skirts and the cheers erupted again.

the immigration and customs officials were wearing the smartest uniforms seen yet. there was a largish sign telling us that driving without third party insurance was illegal, but when we enquired about buying insurance, the customs official said it wasn't required as we had a carnet. the policeman at the barrier deferred to the opinion of the customs officer, but seemed unconvinced himself. we were not entirely convinced either, so now we had to make a decision, buy insurance anyway or keep the money. under normal circumstances we would not have debated this but as national park fees needed to be payed in american dollars (as, it turned out, did the insurance) and we only had a limited supply, we were not keen to sacrifice entry into a national park for worthless insurance cover. we decided once again to take a chance.

 
rondavels, north-western zimbabwe

we stayed in kariba itself at a lodge's campsite with views over the glistening lake. in the past kariba was a bustling summer retreat for wealthy zimbabweans and ex-pats. today there was little sign of this. there were no signs of the powerboats and jet-skis promised in the guidebook.

we stopped at the fuel station and diesel was available - we were relieved. even better, our zimbabwean dollars were accepted without us being arrested for either forgery or black market currency trading. we filled the tanks, downed a cold coke and then made a quick trip to spar.

throughout southern africa spars have looked pretty much the same from one place to the next; good quality supermarkets, kind of like sainsburys. here, the spar resembled an oversized village kiosk. provisions were limited, and pricey (depending on whether you were using the official or black market exchange rate). the aisles were dirty. we stood at the meat counter and waited. no one came. the bakery was the same. in the end andy popped behind the counter himself.

equiped with a couple of steaks and some cake, we headed back to the campsite for an afternoon around the pool. leaving the spar, we paid the car guard with his tatty, peaked army cap and zanu pf t-shirt before being confronted with the only beggar we would encounter in zimbabwe. the striking thing about the beggar, and this was a first for us in africa, he was a white man. perhaps an uncomfortable vision of true equality in africa, but certainly a sign of the times in zimbabwe.

we sneaked in a quick early morning swim before leaving kariba for chizarira national park. it took a few frustrating attempts to find our way out of the twisting hills around the town. about 100 kilometres into our journey we came across our first police checkpoint. we were still uncomfortable about our dubious insurance situation, but the policeman was very friendly, simply asking where we had come from and where we were going. thankfully, he never asked to see any papers and waved us on.

 
islets, south of lake kariba

the route we were taking to chizarira was the most direct as we didn't want to waste fuel. we had been advised that it would not be sensible to take rural roads due to the extreme poverty in some areas and isolated incidents of violence. we were told that driving an expensive looking 4x4 could be asking for trouble. we considered this but as the park we wanted to visit could only be reached by taking dirt roads through the countryside we didn't really have too many options. plus we weren't too perturbed by this advice, as it's the sort of thing we'd heard throughout our trip; particularly from people who have their own tours to sell.

it was a beautiful drive taking us through one of the more remote regions of the country. there was little traffic. we passed many settlements - each abode had its own handwritten signpost with the name of the owner and the words 'bus-stop' underneath. these are meant to stop passing lifts be it buses, trucks or cars - but we never saw anyone waiting for a lift.

at one point we reached a tsetse fly control point, which involved two friendly wardens walking round the land rover with small nets. they were genuinely and determinedly looking for tsetse fly. it was brilliant.

 
remote and wild, chizarira national park

chizarira national park - 19th april

finally, we reached the turn-off for chizarira. it was still a further 15km to the park and the road was deteriorating. we were aware that this park sees few visitors due to its location and in truth, this is what had attracted us to the park. we had been assured of a true wilderness experience. as we approached we began slowly climbing the escarpment over large, loose stones whose sharp angular edges punished the tyres. at the boom i signed us in, the only tourists to visit this month; there had been a couple of others in march and a few in feb but that was it. this was confirmed when we visited the park headquarters the following morning to be greeted with - "are you the two that should have been here last week?". we camped that night in a stunning location right on the edge of the escarpment with breathtaking views down onto the plains below.

the roads were bad, the grass was high, and the bush thick. we didn't want to use too much fuel looking for game so we thought we would let the game come to us. we spent the next day at a hide watching waterbuck, buffalos and elephant come and go.

we had been assured that there was running water at the campsite and as we hadn't been able to shower the night before we were looking forward to a wash. a quick examination of the campsite revealed a rusty old pump that looked as if it had ceased working eons ago. so we got out our super solar power shower, left it on the roof of the land rover to heat, then hung it from the vehicle and had a shower in the open air safe in the knowledge that we were the only ones in the park.

 
on the buses, nr binga

hwange national park - 21st april

we left chizarira for another national park, hwange also known as wankie. we had heard many woeful tales from south africans that all the game had been hunted, that the park wasn't what it was. from other travellers we had heard nothing but good things. so we were going to see for ourselves. at the headquarters we realised we were $1 short; not being ones to normally beg for money or ask for anything, andy went outside and spoke with some friendly looking visitors. it was with their $1 note we were able to enter the park for a 2 night stay.

 
thirsty elephant, hwange national park

we liked what we saw from the moment we arrived. they had a pub. the waterbucks head welcomed the two of us with cold beer and tasty plates of egg and chip butties. we were happy and content. it was getting quite late in the day and we had c. 60kms to get to our campsite so we reluctantly left the pub and headed into the park. from the moment we passed through the gate we saw no end of animals.

zebra and giraffe grazed at the side of the road, hippos wallowed in a cooling pool, a large breeding herd of elephants was crossing the road in front of us. we waited, not wanting to interrupt their flow. it was a beautiful sight. time was ticking on though and we had only covered a few kilometres. the last elephant crossed and we drove on. within 500 metres another breeding herd crossed again in front. we waited patiently but were keen to move on. driving at night breaks park regulations and we didn't want to face a fine. as we turned the next corner there were five wild dogs again in the road, followed by three hyenas enjoying the warmth of the tarmac. the light was going and we had still only covered a mere 8 kms. by this stage there was no time left to look at the animals. we passed two rhinos just metres from the hyenas. no time to stop.

 
wild dog, hwange national park

it was dark, the tarmac'd road was narrowing. the headlights were picking out wildcats, hares, nightjars, and more elephants. it was only our second night drive but the situation was making it too stressful to enjoy. we found the campsite, the warden was waiting for us. a young lad, he made a fire for us. we gave him a beer. we were too tired to eat after the excitement of drive so we had an early night.

we were woken by the warden. it was already light. we had missed sunrise but there were lions on the road outside. by the time we emerged from the tent and packed up they had gone.

we drove further into the park to masuna dam picnic site, where we would camp for the night. it isn't really a dam, but it does have a waterhole with a comforatable hide overlooking it.

we spent a good six hours watching bull elephants coming down to drink, in ones and twos. they drank for up to half an hour at a time, filling their trunks before tipping back their heads and pouring it into their mouths. we continued to watch as night fell. the full moon providing enough light for us to enjoy the increased activity at the waterhole. more and more elephants began to emerge from the bushes. we lost count around thirty. up to 200 elephants would have been a reasonable guess. the herds moved back and forth in waves, sometimes scattered by a trumpeting bull or chased from the water by the besieged hippos. elephants trumpeted and screeched, splashed and drank. some fought. the flow of elephants didn't cease. we went to bed around midnight whilst the ruckus continued - during the night when i stirred, i could still hear the elephants having the time of their lives.

 
sound advice, hwange national park

to botswana via vic falls - 23rd april

we would have liked to have spent longer in the park but it was not possible. if they had accepted their own currency and ensured fuel was available in the parks pumps then we could have stayed another week. but it was not to be. instead we moved on to vic falls. we had had to use two of our jerry cans and we knew we had enough to get us to botswana. if we could get it we would refuel. we had to try three places before finding diesel. if we had been looking for petrol then i think we really would have struggled. long queues faced anyone in need. with diesel there was only one other car in front. it was running out though, we were told.

we stopped in vic falls long enough for lunch and to check that we had enough money (rand or pula) to get us into botswana. we had used all our foreign currency in zimbabwe and had little left for botswana. we needed 90 rand for the car and we started the day with only 10. by the time we reached botswana we had 110 and this was only because some kind czechs took pity on us and bought some of our zim dollars. if it hadn't have been for their help i don't know what we would have done.

we were relieved to get safely out of zimbabwe, though this was only really due to the difficulties created by their refusal to accept their own currency (except for food, for which they refuse foreign currency) and our own lack of preparation in this respect. we had only seen a small part of the country, still we had enjoyed our visit and it had been well worth the worry. we were about to enter the last unvisited country of our trip, before we returned to south africa. we looked forward to both the promise of well-stocked supermarkets as well as idyllic wilderness camping and legendary game viewing.

zimbabwe: accomodation

zimbabwe: other info

entry checks: a visa costs $55 and is available at the border; only payable in foreign currency. there is a $15 carbon tax charge (based on vehicle size) - again paid in foreign currency. you should also buy insurance at $38.

costs: obtaining zimbabwean dollars at the black market rate will make your stay a lot cheaper but be careful doing this (see below) and only usable to pay for fuel and food. accommodation outside the parks is around $5 a night per person; the national parks are very cheap as the fee is valid for 7 days (chizarira $10/hwange $15 and a one-off car charge of $5); camping in the parks is $10 a night per person. to camp at "picnic sites" costs the same, they are like private campsites and are all in great locations. the picnic site wardens will go out of their way to look after you and appreciate a small tip. there are very few visitors to zim so it is not necessary to book parks in advance. fuel worked out at 15 pence a litre.

money: bring foreign currency and lots of it - dollars and rand are best. the zimbabwe dollar rate is fluctuating all the time rendering the money worthless. if you need zim dollars be aware that there are two rates - the official government rate and the black market rate which is almost double. all accommodation and national parks fees are paid in a foreign currency. changing money on the blackmarket is illegal and if caught by a cop posing as an moneychanger you will be jailed. it is virtually impossible to change leftover local currency back. it's best to avoid atms and credit cards due to the devaluing of the currency.

must sees: we couldn't see as much as we would have liked due to the fuel shortages and a lack of foreign currency. the northern part of zimbabwe is very rural and very beautiful. hwange national park is an absolute must. game viewing is excellent, there are c. 30,000 elephants in a relatively small space. we would recommend booking a picnic site for camping (you can do this on entry to the park); some of the picnic sites have viewing hides next to waterholes.