Come September each year and the Holiday Guide team is all ready and packed to explore a new destination. This year it was a business-cum-exploration trip to Zimbabwe – firstly, to attend the much talked-about Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in Bulawayo to meet the leading players in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the African continent, and secondly, to explore the various tourist attractions in Zimbabwe that have been attracting an increasing number of tourists to this land-locked country.
Our trip began aboard our favourite airline, Emirates, which flies to Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare from Dubai with a brief stopover in Lusaka. Upon our arrival in Harare, we checked into the upmarket Cresta Oasis Hotel located in one of the posh suburbs of the city.
After 'one night in Harare' we took a flight to the newly upgraded Victoria Falls Airport where we were received by representatives of the Zimbabwe Tourist Authority and taken to our hotel, The Kingdom Hotel, owned by the prestigious African Sun Group. Staying at The Kingdom Hotel is an experience on its own – the Omani-style hotel built around a man-made lake provides world-class amenities which includes three restaurants and a cafe, along with three bars and a nightclub, an outdoor pool, a kids' pool, a casino and a spa – a refreshing experience indeed after our long journey from Dubai!
After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, we were on the move again. This time to witness the magnificent Victoria Falls – renowned as the world's largest sheet of falling water. The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 40 kilometers, while the spray and mist from the falling water rises to a height of over 400 meters and can be seen from a distance of 50 kilometers. No wonder that the locals call the waterfall Mosi-o-Tunya “the smoke that thunders”.
We explored the city of Victoria Falls for the next two days and walked around the local shopping and tourist areas and even had dinner at one of the city's upmarket restaurants before proceeding to the next stop on our itinerary, the Hwange National Park.
The drive to the Hwange National Park was an experience in itself as we drove past rural Zimbabwe and witnessed the simple lifestyle of the people living in Zimbabwe's interiors. After checking into the Hwange Safari Lodge, we immediately left for an evening game drive to see the wildlife roaming the 14,650 kilometre Hwange National Park – one of the few remaining sanctuaries in Africa where herds of upto 100 elephants can be seen roaming freely in their natural habitat. As we stood on the viewing platform facing the watering hole, we saw herds of elephants gathered there for an evening drink – a perfect African scene against the backdrop of the setting sun – a picture that will remain etched in our memories for a long time to come.
Another highlight of our trip to Zimbabwe was the visit to the famous Matobo National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site with stunning otherworldly landscape of balancing rocks known as kopjes – giant boulders unrealistically balancing on top of one another. We even visited the remains of Cecil John Rhodes, the erstwhile Prime Minister of Cape Colony who had spearheaded the colonisation of Zimbabwe. Ironically, his last remains also lie in the mind boggling landscapes of the Motobo National Park.
Our last stop was a three-day stay aboard a houseboat on Lake Kariba – world's largest man-made lake spread over 223 kilometres on the border with Zambia. The serene lake offers a chance for visitors to totally disconnect from the world around you and live in glorious isolation with nature. Our houseboat was anchored on the shores of one of the many uninhabited islands where we enjoyed the peace and tranquility that Lake Kariba offers to 'tired, bruised warriors' of our modern age.
As we boarded the Emirates flight back to Dubai from Harare airport, we could not but marvel at the natural beauty endowed on Zimbabwe and the immense potential the country has to emerge as one of the leading tourist destinations in the Southern African region. Indeed, a destination endowed with immense natural beauty that our team strongly recommends for our desert-dwelling Middle East travellers.
Sara Mushe, Zimbabwe… till we meet again!
