Zimbabwe: Country #83 on my Countdown to 100 U.N. Countries by the time I turn 70 in 2026.

Day 22: Goodbye Zambia; Hello Zimbabwe!

Another long driving day. Three hours to the Zimbabwe border including a lengthy frisking stop about the non-existent, existing reflectors and another stop by a Zambian Immigration officer, on the road to the border crossing,  to check our passports. 

Our tour leader was required to pay a fine for a lack of reflectors on the truck except we have reflectors. At one point while Laban, our Intrepid tour leader was talking to the traffic police, actually negotiating with them, he was told why is he making it so difficult when the other tourist truck paid the made up fine for the made up violation. We were fined 400 Zambian Kwacha, around $15 USD. Not a lot of money, but basically fined for something the truck already has. 

And as for the Immigration officer who came on board the truck to check our passports, Laban explained that the road we’re traveling on, the T2 connecting Zambia to Zimbabwe, is known for trafficking Samolians. 

At the actual passport control center, we waited about an hour to exit Zambia and enter Zimbabwe. For Zimbabwe, I had to pay $30 USD for a single entry visa. It would have cost more if I wanted to enter Zambia again when we arrive at Victoria Falls in a couple of days, but I’m good with seeing the Falls from the Zimbabwe side. 

Another hot air and suffocating drive from the Zimbabwe border to our Harare campsite with just 45 minutes or so of pothole roads while  the remainder of the roads for the six-plus hours of driving was fairly, the heat continued to prevail to our Flame Lily Profile campsite in Harare. 

I did receive my customary text from T-Mobile about my coverage service in Zimbabwe. No roaming but unlimited texting. And in Zambia, back to Kenya, I had unlimited data roaming. Looks like I’ll have to rough it data roaming-wise in Zimbabwe but I’ve been pretty impressed with T-Mobile’s cellular service so far in Africa.

Here’s to arriving in Zimbabwe with several things to come that I’m looking forward to seeing. 

Day 23: Scaling to the top of the Great Zimbabwe, a monumental medieval African city. 

From a distance, it seemed impossible to climb to the top. But everything in me needed to do it. The Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its kings ruling high on a hill, within a large circular wall above the hillside and another enclosure, with a tower, on the valley grounds. It was an ancient Shona city that was part of a vast and wealthy East African trading empire from the early 11th century. Zimbabwe is the Shona name of the ruins.

Although it was sheer will that got me up and down that monumentous structure, it was Laban’s steady hand and arm that kept me calm and grounded. I am truly grateful for his help in being able to bask in the ruins of the Great Zimbabwe. And to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for introducing me to this monumental structure through his 6-part series “Africa’s Great Civilizations,” for PBS. 

We left our campsite in Harare to drive the six hours or so to Masvingo and our campsite at the Clevers Lakeview Resort. The British colonized Masvingo, in 1890.

But the ancient city of the Great Zimbabwe, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was first constructed in the 11th century and is believed to have been the seat of power for a monarch.

In 1965, the white minority government unilaterally declared this part of East Africa as Rhodesia named so after the British colonial administrator Cecil John Rhodes (1853-1902). The country was administered by the British South Africa Company, of which Rhodes was a key investor and colonizer of Masvingo,  in the 19th century. This company exploited the country for its gold, copper and coal deposits.

The country  endured international isolation and a 15-year guerrilla war with black nationalist forces that ultimately culminated in a peace agreement that established the country as Zimbabwe in April 1980.

Prior to its recognized independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, the nation had been known by several names: Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe Rhodesia.

Many sources hold that the name “Zimbabwe” comes from  the Karanga dialect of Shona, meaning “Big House Stone.”  The Shona people live around the Great Zimbabwe in the modern-day Masvingo province. So basically the country of Zimbabwe is named after the Great Zimbabwe. 

One of the main reasons I chose this trip is because it included the visit to the Great Zimbabwe, so climbing up to the top of the Hill Complex and exploring the Great Enclosure down below, were an absolute dream and thrill for me. 

Come join me.  

Day 24: Stormy weather, a stop in Bulawayo and a disappointing campsite for the next two nights. 

Woke up to a wind storm. I usually sleep with the side and door tent flaps up because once the sun goes down the air is so much cooler and soft. But the wind woke me up about 3:00 am with its advance warning to close the flaps. So, I got up off the ground inside of my tent and ventured out to close up. And while I was up, I went to the close by shared women’s toilet. 

I notice when I don’t panic, I can usually think things through. And that’s a good thing when the wind knocks over one side of the tent, while I’m still in it. So as I’m laying on the ground with my feet and hands holding my tent up, I can see that the left side of my poles is no longer attached to the ground. 

Even though I got up to put down the rolled up side and door flaps, I did not zip all sides down. Lesson learned, in the wind, zip up all the flaps. 

Once the wind and rain slowed down, I was able to still easily get out and assess the damage. It was minor. I re-attached the tent to the ground. Had little to no water inside and was just slightly disappointed that I didn’t have the chance to sleep longer. 

It was another early morning departure so waking up early because of the rain worked out in a timely way. After taking down my help, with help from Shi, we had breakfast, cleaned up, packed up the overland truck and off we went for our six hour or so drive to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. 

Bulawayo was founded by the Ndebele King Lobengula who settled in modern-day Zimbabwe around the 1840s. The British came in the 1860s bringing their colonial architectural style and finally invading and capturing Bulawayo in a war in 1893. 

We spent a little time in Bulawayo having lunch and enjoying a brief walk around before moving on to our campsite for the next two nights, Burke’s Paradise. Sadly, Burke’s was no paradise. We’re basically camping in some body’s dried out backyard with an algae riddled swimming pool that has who knows what living in it. 

Except for the descent WiFi, which we had to pay $3 USD each for, the place was pretty much the worst place we’ve stayed at during this trip. And, that’s disappointing because we have two nights here. But I do appreciate Shi and Sam, our driver, who helped me put my tent up in the heat when I was exhausted.

Time to go to bed and put this day in the rear view mirror.

Day 25: The Matobo National Park with its rhinos,  stunning rock formations and Stone Age cave art. 

The Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s known for its black and white rhinos, the balancing rock formations created by erosion of the granite plateau in the Matobo Hills and the Stone Age art wall inside the Nswatugi Cave. 

The hills were formed over 2 billion years ago with granite being forced to the surface into various shapes and sizes that created large boulders and balancing rock cliffs. 

Matobo National Park, south of Bulawayo, is an important site of spiritual and cultural significance for the local people, and there are many places in the park where important ceremonies still take place. 

But controversy also exists at the Matobo National Park including the burial of British invader and colonialist Cecil John Rhodes. He is buried atop a granite spiritual hill along with British soldiers of the Shangani Patrol who were sent out on a reconnaissance mission to capture King Lobengula, the last official king of the Matabele people. 

Major Allan Wilson and his British force of 33 men had crossed the Shangani River to follow the King’s wagon tracks but the King was gone and Wilson decided to wait in the bush till dawn the next day for reinforcements and return of the King so he might be captured. But King Lobengula had abandoned his wagons and left the area on horseback. 

The British soldiers were attacked by the Matabele warriors but none of the soldiers survived. So on that spiritual hill the men buried are the British invaders and not the African and native warriors killed while defending their king and land. 

And then there are the cave art paintings of the San Bushmen inside the Nswatugi Cave. Truly stunning paintings to have survived from as long ago as 13,000 years. 

The Matobo National Park and the Matobo Hills have plenty of stories to tell. Come join me for just a few.

Day 26: Leaving Bulawayo for Victoria Falls and a chalet at the Victoria Falls Rest Camp.

I’ve done more hiking up and down rocky hillsides in the past few days than I’ve ever done in my life…especially in the heat. 

Although both days of experiences here in Zimbabwe were extraordinary once in a lifetime experiences, I’m physically tired and in need of down time. 

I’ve been told there are a number of activities that I could participate in at Victoria Falls, I’m definitely only  interested in one and moderately interested in the other. Walking the Falls for sure and doing the 12-minute helicopter ride over Vic Falls. 

Along with those activities, I’m interested in getting every item of clothing, including my towel and my comfy travel sheet, washed while I sleep in a bed instead of on the ground in at our campsite’s, the Victoria Falls Rest Camp, chalets with an en-suite. 

Again, the chalets are definitely far from 5-star accommodations but the bed is off of the ground and the I have my own bathroom. 

Here’s to some down time and enjoying Victoria Falls.

Day 27: A helicopter ride over Victoria Falls.

I have never been on a helicopter before or Victoria Falls and now I’ve done both. It’s called the “Flight of Angels,” but I call it the “Flight of Falls.” And for 12 minutes of glory, which felt a lot longer, it was truly heavenly and worth every penny of the $175 USD I paid. 

The Zambezi River flows down Victoria Falls helping to make it one of the world’s largest waterfalls. Located between the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe, I saw it from the Zimbabwe side. 

October is considered the hottest month of the year which is why getting up and out early in the morning was the best thing. My Intrepid tour mate, Julia and I decided to do this together. Both first timers in a helicopter and definitely first timers seeing Victoria Falls from the sky…with a Falls walk to come. But for now, after no rain for the past few months the Zambezi River which plummets over the cliffs and into the stream flowing through a series of gorges, is rather low in comparison to its peak performance.

This is not considered the best time to visit Victoria Falls because the flow of water is low, but I’m here now and plan to enjoy it. However, the best time to see the Falls in full force or peak flow is somewhere between March and May after the start of the rainy season in November. 

Here’s to a beautiful morning helicopter ride across the low, but still breathtaking Victoria Falls.

Day 28: A visit to the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust rescue center inside the Zambezi Wildlife Park.

My original plan was to stay at the campsite and do as little as possible. But, I was curious about the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, one of the Intrepid Foundation’s projects that was established in 2008.

It’s a place for the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife, human-wildlife conflict and the Trust’s role in anti-poaching. There were just a couple of animals in their care at present, but it was interesting to learn that the trust does more than care for injuried animals. They also educate the communities regarding the wildlife surrounding them and monitor the animals.  

After returning to the campsite, I made good on my lazy day promise and even though it was hot, I took a rather refreshing two and a half hours nap and loved every second of it.

Here’s to the rescue and care of injured wildlife, a lazy day and a  wonderful afternoon nap on a hot day.

Day 29: A walk through Victoria Falls and crossing the border into Botswana. 

Even though we crossed the border into Botswana, today was really all about walking  the Falls, Victoria Falls.

I waited, along with several of my tour group, until our last day in Zimbabwe to view Victoria Falls or Mosi-Oa-Tunya on foot this time instead of from the sky. We did the 20-30 minute early morning walk from our Victoria Falls Rest Camp and arrived as the doors were opening at 6:30 am to the Falls. The name Mosi-Oa-Tunya, taken from the Lozi language is the traditional name for the Falls. It ,means “The Smoke That Thunders”.

Although the Falls borders both Zimbabwe and Zambia, Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park provides the best views of the falls (a commanding 75%) any time of the year even when there’s little water going over the Falls like there was today.

And, the water falling is actually the Zambezi River. It’s Africa’s 4th longest river after the Nile, Congo and Niger. The Falls tend to reach its peak flow somewhere between March and May, after which they start dropping until November when the cycle starts again. 

Also, Victoria Falls is the name of the town and gateway to the massive waterfall with the same name. It’s a small town with a population of about 35,000. 

Although the flow of the Falls were low, with November not being the best time to visit, it was still a beautiful site to see the Zambezi River plummet over the cliffs and flow through the gorges. Let’s check it out.