Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana), Nyamandhlovu Pan, Hwange National Park (Main Camp Area), Zimbabwe, Africa
Near Sinamattela Camp, on the western fringes of Hwange National Park, we enjoyed the best game viewing. Two evenings in a row, we watched about 200 elephants gather at the Masuma Dam waterhole, the bigger ones shoving, pushing and trumpeting for a good position. Cheeky baby elephants sneaked underneath big bellies, curious what the commotion was all about. Continue Reading →
African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana), Nyamandhlovu Pan, Hwange National Park (Main Camp Area), Zimbabwe, Africa
Once Hwange National Park was declared a National Reserve in 1929 one thing became clear soon. To support a stock of game on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, a permanent water supply was needed, especially during the dry season. Over 60 holes were drilled, the water pumped up by noisy diesel powered pumps. Although the animals can roam freely around this park the size of Belgium, they have become dependent of the water holes maintained by the ZimParks Authorities. Unfortunately, suffering from lack of funding, many of these pans stay dry, due to broken pumps or the lack of diesel. Continue Reading →
Mpopoma Dam, Whovi Wilderness Area, Matopos or Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe, Africa
Game is very rare in this park, even in the Whovi Wilderness Area, the fenced in game viewing section. We were extremely motivated to spot one of the supposedly 30 Rhinos that still roam in this area and hired a ranger. But we had to accept that one giraffe and a few rock dassies would be all the wildlife on this otherwise most pleasant walking tour … Continue Reading →
Rock Paintings, Nswatugi Cave, Matopos or Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe, Africa
Rock paintings are Matobo’s other and for some even main attraction. Early San people (bushman) created these precise, delicate and above all realistic drawings of game and hunters. How long they have been up there is a subject of scientific discussion, somewhere between 2.000 and 10.000 years.
Some caves can be easily accessed, others are more time consuming. Continue Reading →
Kopje or Balacing Rocks, Matopos or Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe, Africa
Matobo National Park got its name from the Ndebele King Mzilikazi, who compared the balancing rocks to an assembly of elders from his tribe. The small hills (kopje) are adorned with stunning rock formations, spires, domes and large boulders defying gravity. No wonder King Mzilikazi wanted to be buried in this amazing place. Continue Reading →
Market in Bulawayo…
Deserted best describes the region stretching between Beitbridge and Bulawayo: no traffic on an excellent road, none of the typical caravans of people walking and carrying heavy loads, no herds of animals. We passed one non-descript sad looking town but apart from that it was flat, parched countryside dotted with small trees and bushes that were about to lose their last dry leaves. Continue Reading →
Lappet-Faced Vulture or Nubian Vulture (Torgos Tracheliotos), Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, Africa
Being the only border crossing with South Africa it can hardly be avoided, though rumors have it that some tourists even drive a long detour through Botswana and enter Zimbabwe via Plumbtree, just to do so. No, we did not pay any of the “runners” who get your documents ahead in the long queue at customs, all under the watchful eyes of a so called security person. Besides, by the times we had figured out the scam, we were too angry for deals. Even without paying the touts we had to flash money left and right, all kinds of taxes, visa and insurance… Continue Reading →
Lights from Johannesburg from the Airbus A380…
This is correct procedure for going through immigration and customs with a rented car. Unfortunately, it might be slightly different, especially if you decide to go through Beitbridge… Continue Reading →
Once the bread basket of southern Africa and a country with a flourishing tourism industry, the economy of Zimbabwe collapsed between 1998 and 2009. Hyperinflation forced people to shop for bread with 100 Trillion Zimbabwean Dollar bills, the price tags in supermarkets could not be exchanged fast enough. Not to mention the massive shortage of almost all staple goods. Reasons for this disaster were manifold, but the widest international media coverage received Mugabe expelling white farmers and distributing the land to his cronies. Local farmers gained next to nothing from so these called “land reforms”, and actually the country’s black population suffered the most. When agricultural production dropped at an alarming pace and tourism came to a standstill, Mugabe started the printing press. In 10 years, the reserve bank cancelled 25 (!!!) zeros on bank notes. Continue Reading →
On the way from Beit Bridge to Bulawayo… Roads in Zimbabwe are excellent!
Driving in Zimbabwe is extremely easy: we averaged around 90 to 100 km/h on excellent roads linking major cities and our GPS found even tracks within National Parks. Traffic in rural areas is minimal and even in cities like Bulawayo or Harare, traffic jams are unknown. Only the roads leading directly towards border crossings with Zambia and South Africa are busy with trucks, very modern ones though, none of the puffing, diesel-spewing wrecks often seen in many African countries. Gasoline is available in all major cities, although you still can see the old signs saying Gasoline: “Yes” or “No”, but those days are gone. Price for a liter is around 1.3 USD. Continue Reading →