You may have noticed that we have returned to Germany while still pretending to be in Zimbabwe. Yes, we are actually back home. But we have not told our travel story to its end yet which is why we intend to pretend for some time longer.
Our hunt for adventures leads us to Zimbabwe where we leave behind the kind of civilisation known to us and dive deeply into the essence of Africa: wild, pure, and rough. In Zimbabwe, we suffer from food scarcity, flee from dangerous insects and unspeakable ablution conditions, and compete with wild animals for food. But while we melt into nature and taste the limits of human existence we discover astonishing places that we didn’t even know existed and are enchanted by the politeness of the Zimbabweans, before we finally enter familiar waters.
At first though, we travel back into the past.
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Hello Zimbabwe
On a bright whatever weekday, after a long and fierce burocracy battle fought at Beitbridge, we drive into Zimbabwe, curious what will happen here. I look out of the window, seeing cattle in the shadow of a tree, baobabs besides the street, a herd of goats crossing, and two smiling Zimbabweans selling oranges, waving us.
As in every new country, Timo uses his first opportunity to put the new national flag sticker on the Defender.
Timo has picked Lion & Elephant Motel as our first destination which is located strategically close to the road northwards at the river Bubye. We are welcomed warmly by the staff. Our question whether there is malaria here is denied. Not for a long time and especially not in this season of the year. I gaze at the walls of the lodge buildings, soaking in the calming charme of their dark green. The buildings are old but well-kept, as is the lawn on that we camp, and many high trees spend comfortable shadow. We are assigned the bathroom of one of the lodge rooms and two staff members take care that our hot water is actually working. With a big smile on his face one of the guys takes his time to watch our children play horse and rider on the meadow for a while. Surprisingly, we have better WiFi here than we did for a long time. We can even stream a movie in bed.
Great Zimbabwe – Big house of stone
We drive further north, passing stalls and markets, donkey carriages, schools and pupils in uniforms, green trees and bushes, rocky hills. Then we reach Zimbabwe’s historical heart.
Lady Di, Queen Elizabeth, and Nelson Mandela have resided at Great Zimbabwe Hotel in the past and we follow their example. The guard at the hotel’s gate welcomes us with a dance which is probably why the place attracts so many important people.
The hotel is an upscale place with neat meadows. Again, we find ourselves in WiFi wonderland. We have the huge ablutions of the campsite all to ourselves. Our children spend the afternoon painting. A few vervet monkeys climb along the fence but remain peaceful. In the morning, the hotel manager visits us to make sure that we slept comfortably and well.
In the afternoon, we visit the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the largest ancient monument in Africa south of the Sahara. The city was constructed during the Iron Age and is assumed to have been the capital of a great kingdom. There is plenty to see: the museum, the Great Enclosure, the Hill Complex, and the remains of a village. We hire a friendly guide with a soft voice to show us the museum and the Great Enclosure.
In the museum it is comfortably cool. There are ancient shards of Persian pottery, brass ornaments from Assam in India, and a Chinese writing set, finds which prove the kingdom’s long-stretched trading links. We also get to see miniature reconstructions of the ruins and learn that there are around 200 such ruins spread across the Zimbabwe Plateau which are known as “zimbabwes”. Great Zimbabwe is the biggest such site. According to our guide the word “zimbabwe” means “big house of stone”.
Then we get to admire the eight birds carved in soapstone which assumably served as symbols for the kings who were ruling. Only one of them is a replication. We are filled with awe regarding their momentousness.
From the museum we walk to the Great Enclosure. The edifice is characterised by monumental, mortarless walls, some of which are 11 metres high, and an enormous tower, five metres in diameter, between massive trees. According to our guide the Great Enclosure was home to the major wife of the king, while all his other wives had to share space somewhere else.
What was the purpose of the huge stone tower that is not hollow inside? Nobody knows. How could it have served any practical reason? Wondering, I wander around the Great Enclosure, occasionally meeting my kids who play tag. The sunlight has become golden and the shadows are long. Timo has made a friend who urgently wants me to take their picture.
The significance of the site for the Zimbabweans is overwhelming. They named their nation after it. They adopted the bird as a national symbol to appear in their flag and on banknotes. They made the ancient kingdom part of their identity. A wave of sadness floods me, never having felt such a rootedness myself. While we walk back to the hotel the sun sinks below an orange horizon.
Lake Mutirikwi views
Next, we are eager to visit the oldest African baobab alive. We want to see it, touch it, feel its presence, listen to its memories, get goose pimples. It is located inside a wildlife conservancy that is home to the Big Five. Baaam. Killed two birds with one stone.
On the way there, we stop over for one night at Lake Mutirikwi at Romelda Lakeside Retreat. A guy called Domengo leads us to the campsite which is located on a small headland and offers beautiful views onto the lake and the surrounding mountains. According to Tyler from the management we are only their second campers in this location. We have to walk about fifty metres in order to catch a bit of the WiFi signal from the lodge on the other shore.
Safari in Savé Valley Conservancy
In the morning, we drive east past rocky hills and a myriad of baobabs. The rocks are of a mix of grey, beige, mint green, and orange and create astonishing formations. How do single rocks get up to mountain tops, balancing? This must be a giant’s playground who loves building blocks. The baobab density is unbeatable, there are literally woods of baobabs. They are even growing on top of hills.
Then we reach Savé Valley Conservancy. The last wildlife reserve that we visited was Kruger National Park, characterised by tarred roads, crowds of tourists, souvenir shops, and fences around all campsites. In contrast, Savé Valley Conservancy seems to barely have tourists nor any fences whatsoever.
Turning right sharply, we enter the conservancy through a regular gate every lion could pass easily. There is no fee, only the Defender’s registration number is scribbled down. We drive into the reserve’s centre on a straight, deserted gravel road, leaving behind all comforts of modern civilisation and, most importantly, internet signals of any kind. We pass more rocks and small mountains with baobabs on top. All baobabs here are damaged, a sign of elephants to whom the bark is a delicious snack.
Without having met a living soul except for a few impalas, some baboons, and a giraffe in the distance we reach Turwi river which is glittering in the sun. Two crocodiles sunbath on the other shore, and we take our time to admire them appropriately. There is no bridge, so we drive slowly through the water to the other shore, high sea grass to our left, croc-contaminated water to our right.
We enter a forest of bushes and high umbrella thorn acacias of varying density. The forest looks both beautiful and unfamiliar. Driving through it feels unreal, like we have been catapulted into some old movie about Africa in which bushmen kill buffelos with spears.
In the heart of the conservancy we find a village, so people are actually living here side by side with dangerous mammals. We wonder how they keep the goats and chicken alive that we see, and how much fun it must be for them to go for a walk through the woods.
Then we reach Humani Ranch where we pay an insanely high price for a campsite with primitive bush ablutions. A young guy on a motorcycle leads us to our spot. We follow him a few kilometres getting even deeper into this imprecated vegetation. Our camping spot is elevated overlooking Turwi river and surrounded by bush. Amazing.
In order to use the bush shower we have to light a fire on the ground under a big vessel full of water. When hot, the water is to be filled manually into a bucket shower and lifted up. Shower ready. We make sure to shower before nightfall.
In the late afternoon, Tsikarai joins us at our campsite for a chat. He is a game driving guide but his offer is too expensive for us. Also, we have our own car to game drive. He can lead us to the old baobab growing on the farm though, so we hire him for our last day. Tsikarai tells us that the trees besides our campsite were destroyed by elephants. We also learn that he used to lead rich Americans’ big game hunts for lions, buffelos, and elephants here in the conservancy.
In the morning, we make a game drive but find no more than traces because the forest is too dense. When we game drive again in the afternoon in another area we spot a herd of elephants crossing the street. We turn off the motor to watch. The elephants pause feeding and seem to be nervous. A young elephant trumpets loudly and backs away at first. Then it rushes out of the bush onto the street. It runs the street for about twenty metres to then disappear between the bushes on the other side. While I think it looks very funny when elephants run it is clear that these giants are anything but relaxed.
The enlightenment comes much later only when we have long left Zimbabwe. These elephants expected us to shoot at them. Elephants have fantastic memories and even pass on information over generations. Sadly, we later find out that one can still book hunts in the conservancy today.
Survival guide – How to pee at night in the wild
- Listen carefully for rustling or feeding noises before opening the Defender’s door.
- If you hear a hippo grazing outside make a special contract with your pelvic floor and wait until dawn.
- Wear closed shoes as a protection against scorpions, spiders, and snakes.
- Consider to carry pepper spray.
- Make sure to wear a strong headlight in order to spot reflecting eyes around you.
- Turn on the Defender’s outside lighting and check all directions carefully before jumping out.
- After jumping out check all directions AGAIN. Don’t forget to look into the trees for leopards.
- Consider peeing into the nature somewhere close to the car instead of sneaking one hundred metres through the bush to reach the outdoor ablutions.
- When you have completed your business get back into the Defender as quickly as possible without panicking.
- If you spot eyes, don’t panic! It is probably just a bush baby curious who is making such a noise.
- If it is a hyena: Don’t panic! Blind it and observe what it is up to. Chances are it will cowardly sneak away.
- If it is an elephant: Don’t panic! Elephants are generous and more interested in stealing your oranges than in killing you. Just get the hell out of its way to the oranges.
- If it is a lion: Don’t panic! Don’t turn your back on it. Blind it to confuse it. Then move slowly but quickly back into the Defender. Close the door thoroughly.
- If there is a lion between you and the Defender: Now, finally, it is time to panic. Nothing can rescue you anymore. You may try to use your pepper spray, but be advised to aim carefully. You may also try to get up a tree but there is no guarantee that this will work out. May the divinity of your confession help you.
The oldest living African baobab
On our last day, Tsikarai picks us up at 10am, a boy accompanying him. They drive ahead through the forest north of the river. We see a buffalo. Then we reach lighter bush and finally an open area. There are vultures. I wish we had time to wait for something to happen, already imagining to witness a cheetah hunting… But the drive goes on until we arrive. We would never have found this place by ourselves.
We get out of the car to admire Humani Bedford Old Baobab. The sun is burning hot. The lone giant is big but stout and gnarled. Its bark is not smooth and shiny but rather wrinkled. Its three big stems form a space in their middle just like a room that is open to one side. In this space there grows another tree, a young and green crocodile tree.
A research paper from 2018 shows that 9 out of the 13 oldest African baobabs have died or at least their oldest parts have died since 2004 (Patrut et al., 2018). According to the researchers, the collapse of four older specimen makes the baobab in front of us the currently oldest living African baobab on the continent. It is estimated to be 1,800 years old.
I touch its bark. This baobab was here long before Great Zimbabwe was built. What it must have witnessed! 1,800 years of game viewing. How many millions of buffelos have wandered by? How many zebras have been killed by lions? How many elephants have come to taste its bark? Standing still in peace, century by century, braving the relentless sun, sleeping under stars, this tree truly owns a piece of eternity.
Tsikarai tells us a story of a crazy guy who once killed an impala and then settled down with it inside the baobab to skin it until after three days the authorities came for him. Since then there is a fence preventing the space inside the baobab from being entered.
The ground is covered with baobab fruits and we collect some as souvenirs. When I create some distance in order to take pictures I hear a rustling in the dry grass and a second later a black and yellow snake glides over the ground in a fast pace, hiding in the bushes.
Longing for more
We miraculously survive our two nights in Savé Valley Conservancy. Once, we spot a grazing warthog in the riverbed. Another time, we see and mostly hear an elephant destroying trees on the other side of the river. Tsikarai tells us that a pack of lions has sneaked through the neighbouring campsite during our first night. But as far as we are concerned there are no close encounters whatsoever. We have no clue yet how drastically this will change in the next game park that we visit. Follow us up to the Zambesi river in our next post!
Do you have feedback or questions? Leave us a comment.
Cited source: Patrut et al. (2018): The demise of the largest and oldest African baobabs. Nature Plants (4) 2018, 423-426.
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Longing for Earth 