Beach life

We’ve been through Zimbabwe and made it to warmer weather in Mozambique, but let’s back track a bit and talk a bit about what we’ve been up to in Zim (you’ve had a sneak preview of some pics!)

We passed through the southern part of Zim, through Bulawayo, Matapos, a slight detour to a spot near Gweru, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and finally the Bvumba mountains.

Bulawayo treated us to a night in a guest house (the first night in a bed since Zanzibar for some), restaurants, and a bit of exploring around the second biggest city in Zim, with a very interesting museum.

From there we headed south to the Matapos region, a beautiful part of Zim full of granite rock formations. Some of us went on a guided day out, visiting some of the ancient rock art sites in the area and learning about Zimbabwe’s history from local experts. We went to a Shona village and were entertained by Mr Pondo with his leopard-survival story, and even got to wear a leopard skin... While we didn’t manage to spot any rhino in Matapos National Park, despite some serious tracking, I think we all came away a bit more enriched from the experience, with more knowledge and understanding of both rhinos and some of the indigenous plants and bush-lore.

Our next stop was Antelope Park, just south of Gweru. The name is misleading as it is almost more of a lion ‘park’ rather than antelope. Essentially, this is a lion conservation area where there are breeding projects and ‘rehabilitation’ programs in place, to try and widen the gene-pool and increase the numbers of lions in Zim. You’ll have to go there to find out more about the projects (they do take long and shorter-term volunteers) or look it up at Antelope Park, Zimbabwe... But apart from the lions and many activities to do with the lions, it was a wonderful campsite to stay at. We were treated like royalty – with excellent hosts and guides, a beautiful view over the river, lawns to camp on, and free tea/coffee and juice (which really counts when you’re a camper on a budget!). The lion-feeding was a hectic event, with male lions fighting for their food; cub-viewing was a bit more ‘cute’. Some went off to learn about elephant training, some went horse-riding, and as we were there over full moon, there were certain special activities available, like lunar horse or elephant rides. A very surreal and special experience. We also went off on a night drive, following lions as they went out hunting. Unfortunately, these things can’t be pre-determined and organised, and while we saw the lions stalk, we didn’t see them kill. The first night. Those die-hards of our group who went back for more the next day were ‘rewarded’ with a chase and a kill. (Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t a blood-thirsty bunch completely.) The twins in our group (Glenn and Kaye) also celebrated their 25^th birthdays at Antelope Park – with tea on the lawns, fishing for frizbys, and the best steak this trip. Good times.

Glenn and Kaye's 25th birthdays

Birthday party

Lion cub

Fishing

A spot of canoeing

Fisherman Nick

On a cold and wet day we landed at the Great Zim Ruins, but they were intriguing enough for us to spend a fair bit of time there, learning about some of the different stories and interpretations relating to this massive stone complex.

Our final stop in Zim took us to the Bvumba Mountains, just on the Mozambiquan border, with spectacular views, lots of walking opportunities, a round of Golf for Kevin, tea and cake, more horse-riding, a lazy day, and surviving the cold nights. Al was treated to cheese and wine and pass-the-parcel on her birthday. More good times – at least for me.

Happy birthday Al

But time to move again – especially to warmer terrain. So here we are in Mozambique. A glorious week on the beach lies ahead, and then more time in the capital exploring this mix of African-Portuguese cultures.

It’s wonderful to be on the coast again, with warm weather and lazy beach days. From Vilanculos, we went out to an island in the Bazzaruto Archipelago for the day. A little piece of paradise, we spent the day snorkelling, swimming, walking around the island, and having a seafood feast.

Alison proudly displaying the trip t-shirt designed by the group in Livingstone

Coming ashore on Robinson Island in the Bazaruto Archipelago

Indian ocean coastline, Robinson Island

Sunrise at Blue Water Beach Camp, Vilanculos

Sunrise views from the campsite in Vilanculos

Sunrise over the pool, Vilanculos

Seafood lunch prepared by the dhow crew

Jason and Rogan cooking their crayfish

We’ve been making our way slowly down the coast, changing gear and adopting African time more and more, with a few beach activities and challenges in between, like avoiding falling coconuts, putt-putt, snorkelling and frizby – in a different manner.