The month of September was an extremely busy month for me.  It started off with my participation in the AZTA (Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents) Awards Ceremony held in Harare.  Every year there is a different theme and this year the theme was “Tastefully Beachy.”  I can only imagine what the people at the gym opposite Jam Tree thought when they saw groups of people arriving in swim wear to the restaurant in the middle

A few years ago I took up running,  although I am by no stretch of the imagination a fantastic runner, I thoroughly enjoy the freedom of being outdoors.  Living in Africa, we are very blessed with great weather for this sport/hobby.  The two most popular marathon events held in Zimbabwe are the Kariba Half Marathon in August and even more popular is the Victoria Falls Marathon in June/July.  This year I was hoping to run

We recently went on holiday to Southern Zimbabwe and there is one thing I’m learning about life in the tourism industry, you are never really “off duty.” Although the trip had been planned months before I started Heartveld Adventures, I took the opportunity to do a couple of site visits to lodges in the area. The reason for our visit to Matopos was because my husband, who is in his 40’s, had never been to

The Kariba Bream Farm, which is located near Chawara Harbour, was originally opened not as tourist venue, but as a provider of packaged bream fish for supply to market chains for resale. During the 1990’s there was an influx of cheap mackerel into Zimbabwe, which threatened to put the bream farm out of business. During this time a relative was visiting from Australia, and asked if he could fish in the ponds as sport for

There is something about Lake Kariba that cannot be explained to a person who has not visited – it just has to be experienced. Woody and I cannot believe our good fortune to be living in such a stunning place, sometimes we have to pinch ourselves just to make sure it’s not a dream. But like living anywhere, you can end up taking it for granted. So, we try to make sure that we do

Even before I moved back to Zimbabwe at the beginning of this year, I have always had a special place in my heart for the animals of Zimbabwe. When I lived in Kwekwe I helped set up the very first MBRC T20 Cricket Tournament in 2012 (MBRC standing for Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy). The profits from this, now annual, eventgo in part to assisting the conservancy in the very important task of looking after our

Here, at Heartveld Adventures we take our responsibility to our local charities very seriously. There are two causes very close to our hearts that we support, the Tony Waite Organisation, and the Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust. Both do amazing work in our area and I don’t know what we would do without the selfless individuals who manage and run these organisations. If you would like to assist us in supporting these two great causes

I was introduced to the Tony Waite Organisation by a local Kariba resident, Maura, who is a retired nurse and has lived in Kariba for many years. She is passionate about the Tony Waite Organisation as she actually knew and nursed the gentleman that the organisation was set up in honour of. Tony Waite was a Kariba resident who suffered full blown AIDS and went public about his HIV status in 1991. After his death

Earlier this year Spurwing Island hosted the Zimbabwe Air Rally which was organised by Marion from Experience Africa Safaris. For those of you that know my husband Woody, you will know he has an insatiable interest for anything that flies. He and his brother grew up learning how to build and fly model planes with their father. Although all grown up now, Woody has never lost his passion for flying machines. A few years ago,

Winter in Kariba brought beautiful clear days that started off pretty chilly but warmed up when the sun came out, to the point where only a light jacket was needed. One morning we found a Tree Frog huddled up on a wooden bench, he stood out like a sore thumb because the bench was painted green and he was white. I’ve always had a soft spot for these frogs, as most Zimbabweans do. Early on

As any successful businessman/woman will tell you, in order to be good at your job, you need to really know the product that you are selling, whether this is potatoes or package holidays. One of the things I pride myself on with my company, is that I make sure I investigate all the products that I am selling MYSELF and I don’t just take someone else’s word for it. I check out the houseboats, participate

Once we had settled in to Kariba life, it was time to start sharing our little piece of paradise with our family and friends. Great timing as Woody’s mom (Moya) was due on a trip out from the UK! One of her favourite excursions was when we went out fishing with some friends, who are very familiar with Kariba – and we were able to feed the fish eagles. She had been desperate to see

Life in Kariba sure was a BIG change from life on a farm in Zambia! I think the 1st big adjustment was the abundance of wild animals! Sadly, the poaching is rife in Zambia, and the farm we were living on literally had NO wild animals except for a couple of jackals and flocks of Guinea fowls. Everything else had been poached and eaten. So, when I went out on one of my first bike

My name is Bryony and this is my very first venture into blogging! I hope you will bear with me as I learn and bumble along. My close family and friends have been hapless guinea pigs for a few years now, with me sending them a “newsy mail” each month – which kept them up to date with the goings on in my life. I have never been one for putting too much out there