Zimbabwe Trip Report - June 2005

compiled by Martin Cleminshaw

Vehicles :

Toyota Landcruiser 80 GXL petrol - fuel capacity 220 litres
Toyota Landcruiser 80 GX diesel - fuel capacity 210 litres

Route :  Cape Town - Kimberley - Mafekeng - Gaberone - Pandamatenga - Hwange - Binga - Chizarira - Kariba - Makuti - Mana Pools - Harare - Mutare - Beit Bridge.

Days 1 to 3 :

Highlights :

Kimberley - Hadison B&B - 2 Cronin Rd, Hadison Park
ph 053-8615929 - Loc 28.748726° S 24.742155° E
Double Room R240per room, Breakfast R35
hadisonpark@kimberley.co.za

Vryburg - El Gibbor Coffee Shop - de Kock str
Childs putt putt and garden.
Loc 26.961234° S 24.726790° E

Gaborone - City Camping landflow@botsnet.bw
landflow@info.bw - ph +267-3911912
P180 per 2 bed bungalow.

Ease of crossing at Pandamatenga

Lowlights

R500 per vehicle entry into Zim (Carbon and Insurance 'tax' ).

Crowded campsite at Nata Lodge

Days 4-6 -Masuma Dam - Hwange

Highlights

Plenty of game including large herds of buffalo, many lion in the early pre-dawn, elephant, hippo, crocs, giraffe

Excellent care taken of the camp site by Abiot . Clean ablutions but only cold water in shower. There is a donkey for hot water .

approx 15 USD per person per day

+263 4 706077 - Zim Parks

Lowlights

You have to pay deposit by bank transfer but are ripped off about 30% in bank charges - book for and transfer the minimum.

Days 7-9 - Hwange, Masumu Lodge, Chizarira

Highlights

Breathtaking views at Masumu Lodge - Loc -17.590469° S 27.421838° E
R250 per adult - dinner, bed, breakfast

Luxury accomodation at a very reasonable price - good food, low priced drinks, spectacular sunsets in the open plan bar - sheer heaven ! ( we were the only guests ).

Mucheni View Camp Site - Chizarira

Lowlights

Chizarira - no water at camp sites (even those with ablutions ) - obvious signs of deterioration - very little game. ( 15 usd per night ) .

Hwange - Zim Power Company hostel accomodation very industrial strength and overused. 15 usd per person

Days 10-11 - Tashinga Camp in Matusadonha

Highlights

Sunsets, black rhino, deserted campsite with spectacular views . 15 usd per person.

The warm greetings from people along the road - quite unsolicited .

Lowlights

Tsetse belt to drive through on way in, 5 hour drive in ( 80 kms ), deteriorating ablutions but still workable

We had been warned that the road from Binga to Kariba was a shocker but work must have been done on it becuase apart from some corrugations in places and a bit of a high middle-mannetjie , most of it is pretty average dirt track. The AA in Zimbabwe had a lot of up to date info about the roads and we contacted them via their website just to check ( google AA and zimbabwe ) .

Days 12 to 17

Mana Pools via Makuti Travel Lodge - Kariba

Highlights

Makuti Travel Lodge - 70 kms from Kariba en-route to Mana Pools - 0926363526, 0926363580 - ask for Iona Coetzee - very reasonable and well organised.

Mana Pools - exactly the same as I had experienced it in the 80's and 90's - a paradise and a place that stays in your memory forever for it's isolation, river views,
spectacular camp site and easy anbience ( to say nothing of the animals ). You dont even need to leave the camp site :-) .

Lowlights

Fuel - we had arranged to collect fuel along the way but while we could get diesel there was no petrol. Mark crossed to Zambia to find that it was empty too . We waited a day and then headed off to Mana with the arrangement that we would return to Makuti if we heard no news from Mark. But later on in the afternoon Mark came over the radio to say that fuel had been arranged and they would join us the next day .Fuel is a huge problem in Zim but there are ways around it although they usually involve planning your trip around border crossings to neighbouring countries . Sometimes you can ask the hotel you are staying at if they can arrange some fuel for you but you must have a plan b just in case.

Little Nicole got chicken pox and Mark and Alli thought they would need to abort the trip - but she soldiered on without complaint and was as rigth as rain in a few days.

Days 18 to 20 - Mutare

Highlights

Mavusa Holiday Cottages with Linda and Ian-Guy Campbell Morrison
origenpf@mutare.mweb.co.zw - NB farm may have been taken over by now, check first. Loc 19.161073° s 32.790073° e - horseriding, scenic walks, golf at nearby spectacular Leopard Rock Hotel.

Fantastic views of the Vumba mountains and Burma valley.

Tea and scones at the Leopard Rock Hotel

Stone Carvings at give away prices ( be careful about dealing in foreign currency )

Mutare had everything we needed to buy ( except fuel but it's close enough to Moz) but at a price. Generally with foreign exchange you get a good deal but be wary who you choose to trade with.

Lowlights

Farm take overs and the general economic collapse have introduced enormous stress into the lives of people who really don't deserve it. Linda and Ian-Guy welcomed us and treated us like long lost friends . The Vumba is a spectacular place and while there is no threat of violence , farm takeovers are ongoing here and the situation will change from month to month. You will always find accomodation but check that it isnt on a farm that has been taken over or you might not get what you bargained for.

Conclusion

Zim is a place we were warned not to travel in, in fact someone had accused Mark of 'bordering on the irresponsible' for taking his family there. We were also informed by reputable 4x4 clubs and off-roading fraternity that the game had been shot out .Well nothing could be further from the truth. There is far less chance of you coming to harm here than there is in South Africa and the wilderness is still in good shape . The country is in the grip of a huge economic crisis but strangely enough that has not bred violent crime. In the cities you feel less safe but once in the country there is a peace and a friendliness you cannot quite believe. We did feel uncomfortable about supporting Zimbabwe in the sense that the state would have benefitted in a small way from us being there, but to a much greater extent the National Parks and local people benefitted and that's all positive imho .

Zim is Africa's best kept travel secret at the moment and though you will find the infrastructure a bit worn down you will find it deserted of tourists .

The Thiels, Huttons and Cleminshaws - June-July 2005

Mechanical Problems

Steering Knuckle

Mark's vehicle had been in an accident before he bought it and one of the four studs ( see bottom centre of picture, two are obscured ) had sheered off and in due course fell out. This led to the whole mechanism working loose and causing a second bolt to start to strip. With the movement in the swivel pin housing ( shiny metal thingamy ) the oil seal between the shiny bit and the housing got damaged and oil began to leak out. Mark managed to call Johann Meyer ( cruiser guru ) in Cape Town and he assured us we could just fill the whole housing with grease ( through the inspection hole in the top ) . The only problem we had after that was keeping the housing together with only 3 bolts as the replacements (from the tow hooks ) kept on stripping .. - btw Johann's number is a useful one to know ( 021-9334247 - no business connection )

Unfused electrical connection

Mark had also unwittingly inherited an unfused 12 v electrical connection and early into the trip the neon camping light that he had used started to fray with the vibration in the back of the vehicle by bad roads. The fraying of the wires caused a short and in no time at all the thin wires had burst into flame, directly under 80 litres of petrol . Mercifully Mark saw it in the nick of time and shot over to the back of the vehicle to put it out. A sober reminder that every electrical connection must be fused as close to the battery as possible with no exceptions.

Water in front axle / differential ( below )

Much later in the trip a heavy river crossing resulted in water seeping into the front diff. How it happens is a mystery to me as i have diff breather extensions and there can be no pressure difference as i have fitted fuel filters to the end. It's apparently caused by hot metal contracting as it meets cold water and water is sucked in . Thankfully no damage done as we only did a short distance in four-wheel drive after the crossing but i will be checking this far more often now.

More photos: