Last week, I had the wonderful fortune to go to a place called Chirundu. It is located in the NE of Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River and the border with Zambia. I
went with Christoph, his grandparents, and their two friends, and we stayed at the family holiday home. Apparently Chirundu is an infamous weekend getaway destination for Harareans. After spending three nights, I understand why.
Chirundu is in the wild. It’s actually in a protected area of a National Park adjacent to the internationally acclaimed Manu Pools National Park. There are animals everywhere! The Zambezi River is not at all swimmable, because it is teeming with hippos, crocs, and elephants. The family home is located up on a hill overlooking the GORGEOUS Zambezi River valley (with the hills which form the escarpment off in the distance), and one of the main things to do while in Chirundu is to sit up on that hill with a pair of binoculars and spot wildlife. It was so neat to see hippo pods and elephants walking to the water, and the wildlife spotting was made all the better by the fact that October the driest month of the year, drawing all the animals to the local watering hole.
But the animal spotting from up on the hill was nothing compared to the up-close-and-personal wildlife spotting from the boat. We had the fortune of taking a late-afternoon/sunset boat trip and saw birds (my favorite of which was a fish eagle), crocodiles, yawning and gossiping hippos, and elephants. The most amazing moment was watching three elephants swim toward us, only about 20 feet away. Our guide actually told us they were on their way to Zambia, and so he placed his boat in their way so they wouldn’t cross. They get killed in Zambia, he said. Last year, nine elephants had crossed and eaten pumpkins from the gardens of the locals. Enraged, the locals put poison in the elephants, and all nine died. I was certainly on the crusade of “block the elephants’ swim to Zambia”. We succeeded, at least for the moment.
Chirundu is HOT. And October is the hottest month in Zimbabwe. It has actually felt quite cold in Harare and on the farm lately. I have been sleeping under a full winter blanket and wearing jeans, sweatshirts and socks. Last week in Antelope Park was the worst, when I actually got a chill that caused a cold! Everyone around here has been quite confused at the rain and the cold. It was nice, then, to get some warmth in Chirundu. I didn’t need a blanket, slept with a fan on, wore shorts and tank tops, and sat in the swimming pool most afternoons. It was lovely!
All in all, it was a lovely, quiet getaway. I was obviously the only one my age, and I spent quite a bit of “overtime” with Christoph, but I did enjoy the nature, wildlife spotting, warmth, swimming, eating, and reading. I hope I get to go again!
went with Christoph, his grandparents, and their two friends, and we stayed at the family holiday home. Apparently Chirundu is an infamous weekend getaway destination for Harareans. After spending three nights, I understand why.Chirundu is in the wild. It’s actually in a protected area of a National Park adjacent to the internationally acclaimed Manu Pools National Park. There are animals everywhere! The Zambezi River is not at all swimmable, because it is teeming with hippos, crocs, and elephants. The family home is located up on a hill overlooking the GORGEOUS Zambezi River valley (with the hills which form the escarpment off in the distance), and one of the main things to do while in Chirundu is to sit up on that hill with a pair of binoculars and spot wildlife. It was so neat to see hippo pods and elephants walking to the water, and the wildlife spotting was made all the better by the fact that October the driest month of the year, drawing all the animals to the local watering hole.
But the animal spotting from up on the hill was nothing compared to the up-close-and-personal wildlife spotting from the boat. We had the fortune of taking a late-afternoon/sunset boat trip and saw birds (my favorite of which was a fish eagle), crocodiles, yawning and gossiping hippos, and elephants. The most amazing moment was watching three elephants swim toward us, only about 20 feet away. Our guide actually told us they were on their way to Zambia, and so he placed his boat in their way so they wouldn’t cross. They get killed in Zambia, he said. Last year, nine elephants had crossed and eaten pumpkins from the gardens of the locals. Enraged, the locals put poison in the elephants, and all nine died. I was certainly on the crusade of “block the elephants’ swim to Zambia”. We succeeded, at least for the moment.
Chirundu is HOT. And October is the hottest month in Zimbabwe. It has actually felt quite cold in Harare and on the farm lately. I have been sleeping under a full winter blanket and wearing jeans, sweatshirts and socks. Last week in Antelope Park was the worst, when I actually got a chill that caused a cold! Everyone around here has been quite confused at the rain and the cold. It was nice, then, to get some warmth in Chirundu. I didn’t need a blanket, slept with a fan on, wore shorts and tank tops, and sat in the swimming pool most afternoons. It was lovely!
All in all, it was a lovely, quiet getaway. I was obviously the only one my age, and I spent quite a bit of “overtime” with Christoph, but I did enjoy the nature, wildlife spotting, warmth, swimming, eating, and reading. I hope I get to go again!
Pic 1: The hilltop view, overlooking the Zambezi River basin
Pic 2: A sunset view from the river, with a pod of hippos in the forefront.
