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 on social media but it looks like that is about to change!
Quick background …. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe. My very first experience of international travel was when I was 17 years old when I went to America for a year on a high school exchange program. I had never been on a plane before, so the long-haul flights and transfers were quite an introduction! I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend this year in the States. I had been looking forward to it for so long, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time there. After being there for a couple of months – it suddenly dawned on me what a special upbringing I had been blessed with in my little home country of Zimbabwe.
The year flew by and I was soon on my way home. Nothing can describe the smell of Africa when you step off a plane after having been away. It really is unique, and my heart was truly happy to be back.
Sadly … my arrival home was during a time when things in Zimbabwe were starting to fall apart. I don’t want to go into all that, as I think so much has been said and written about it all already. Things were pretty dismal and I finally made the decision to go over to the UK and do care work “until things came right.” Hmm …. famous last words! Eight years later I returned home for good, instead of just having trips home in between care work.
While in the UK I had earned a BTEC Certificate in Travel and Tourism as this was the field I was most passionate about and wanted to go into upon my return. The doors were opened and I helped set up a new company called Cricket Tours Africa – which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Sadly, due to the politics in Zimbabwe my husband and I were forced to make the heart wrenching decision to move to Zambia. Once again we were living by the Zimbabwean motto of “making a plan.” We loved Zambia, it is a vast and beautiful country. We had some of the most AMAZING and unforgettable experiences. We also met and made some genuinely special friends. We shall never regret our time in Zambia and are keen to incorporate it into our business when we are fully up and running. It is too beautiful a country not to share.
Towards the end of 2017 we had the opportunity to move to Kariba, Zimbabwe, my husband’s favourite destination on the planet! Here we would be able to:
- Live in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet;
- Be close to family and friends;
- Have the opportunity to enjoy rewarding jobs;
- Literally have wild life on our doorstep (sometimes a little too wild!)
Seemed like a no brainer. So we took a deep breath and jumped!
After settling into Kariba life, and getting a lay of the land, I made the decision to open up my own company. The reasoning was, why not combine my 2 passions: Zimbabwe and traveling, and endeavour to earn a living out of doing it!
That’s how Heartveld Adventures was born! A lot of thought went into the name itself, and after long discussions, I settled on Heartveld Adventures because that pretty much sums up exactly what is provided: Heartveld Service! And Awesome Adventures! Also, for those of you not very familiar with Africa, veld means the bush or savannah.
We are so looking forward to sharing and showing off our beautiful country to family, friends and intrepid travellers wanting to experience a once in a lifetime African adventure.
