After all our gallivanting about the bush, it was quite nice to be heading to Victoria Falls for a few days to catch up with friends and do a bit of shopping before heading back home. We had never been to Shongwe Lookout Guest Lodge because it is quite a recently built lodge and in fact one of the first things that struck me upon our arrival was how well established the gardens are. Lovely thick flower beds and bushes give a very intimate feel to Shongwe. We were met by the manager Jamie and after the usual Covid protocols were shown to our gorgeous room, which has been tastefully decorated, as has the rest of the lodge. After quickly unpacking we made our way to the bar, and as luck would have it we had arrived on ‘international gin day’ and therefore received a very tasty flavoured gin and tonic on the house – how was THAT for good timing?!
Due to a special celebration, we had invited a group of friends to join us for sundowners and then dinner. For those of you that don’t know, Shongwe has a VERY unique sunset or sunrise venue in the form of a 2 storey tower (lookout). We ensured we had both sundowners and breakfast coffee in this location and I can tell you it is a real winner. Also located in the lookout tower is a small gallery selling artwork by the locally based artist Nicole Sanderson which is well worth a look. We all had a special evening filled with scrumptious food, fine wine and lots of laughter, definitely one for the memory bank.
After a lovely few days in the falls, enjoying the sights we started the long journey homeward. We had been asked to view a new houseboat for our listings in Binga and so had made plans to break the trip there. Abangane Houseboat is a great boat for larger groups and especially handy, being based in Binga, for families living in Bulawayo. Obert the captain met us and we had a good look around the boat and are excited we will be adding it to our portfolio later this year after a few additions have been completed by the owners. Watch this space!
A favourite stop over location of ours in Binga is Hippo Cottage, owned and run by Wayne and Cheryl Coombs. It had been a couple of years since we had last stayed and we were excited to see that the Coombs have decided to add another cottage to the 3 they already have. Sunbird cottage will be complete by mid-February and it was great to be able to share in their excitement and see the “before” vision. We can’t wait to seeing how this new double story self-catering cottage turns out! As always, Wayne and Cheryl treated us like gold, and we enjoyed our evening with them, watching the sunset over the lake, before having one of Cheryl’s famous fish and chip dinners on the deck next to the pool.
After a comfortable night’s sleep we were up VERY early to get a head start on the long trip home. I have lost count of the number of times clients have asked me what the road from Binga around the lake is like. It has always been something Woody and I wanted to do and see for ourselves. Well, all I can say is never again! It started off alright with a beautiful sunrise and we came across a flock of Ground Hornbill not too long in to our drive. They are always a pleasure to watch and this lot ended up escorting us quite a long way up the road, walking and flying ahead until we caught up, we were sad when they finally flew off into the bush
The road was quite bad pretty much from the get-go. There were some sections that were okay, but they were far and few between. I would say our average speed over the entire trip was about 40kms/hour. We knew it wouldn’t be plain sailing and had packed a nice “padkos” for the road, which gave us the excuse to have a few interesting stops along the way to take a break, amazingly enough we only took ONE wrong turn. This once again was only due to the fact we had the app I mentioned we used when in Gonarezhou – MAPS.ME. We had thought that the “short-cut around the lake” as it is known, actually ran along the edge of the lake, but this is a misconception. For most of the trip, Lake Kariba was not even in view! There are a lot of small roads you can get lost on in the back of beyond and you ideally need to have a high clearance 4×4, and preferably be travelling in convoy with another vehicle just in case of a breakdown as there is very limited to no cell phone signal a lot of the way. We just took our time and EVENTUALLY made it home, with the trip taking a total of 13 hours from Binga to Kariba.
And that brings to an end the tale of our trip around Zim last year. What a trip it was! With Covid rearing its ugly head again and our border closing, I think this is the perfect time for everyone to take advantage of the Zim-Res local specials all the lodges and camps are offering throughout Zim. We honestly do live in a mini garden of Eden and I highly recommend getting out and seeing as much of it as you can, while you can. As the saying goes “Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind and fills your life with stories to tell.” And I’ll end off with another favourite saying “don’t be that person who is too busy when you are young and then too tired when you are old!”
So here’s to more adventures around Zim in 2021! Join us!
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