A Slice of Zimbabwe…
It was quite an honour to be at dinner with the Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, HE Jietender Tripathi, and this outing to the Dehli Darbar was indeed the highlight of our stay at Harare. The restaurant will not disappoint any die hard desi, as the food is spicy, innovatively presented, the ambience very historic, and in our case, the eclectic company completed the perfect picture. The red ‘Dehli Darbar’ board outside the restaurant is also a great spot for the customary group picture for tourists, which is what we did before we left back for Mikels Hotel where we were spending the night.
The next day started with us boarding a bus at 6 am for Lake Kariba. The fact that we were forced out of bed so soon, was compensated by the delicious packed breakfast provided by The Mikels. The wholesome Museli, yogurt, fruit, choice of croissants and juices made it what we were to recall as the best early morning meal we had on that trip.
The thing you notice about Harare is that the landscape does not change much as you drive several miles out into the outskirts, as was the case during the 6 hour drive to Lake Kariba. The break in monotony came with a stopover at the Chinhoyi Caves, in the outskirts, about 150 km North west of Harare. The caves have been named after a local chief who used them for refuge against his enemies, and this has lead to many stories. The folklore and mystery surrounding the caves was certainly enchanting, and the locals popularly call them Sleeping Pool or Chirorodzira (Pool of the Fallen). You need to descend down to the main cave for about 100 feet, at the end of which ends in a breathtaking cobalt blue pond. One of the purest water ponds ever, the water is so still that you cannot tell the surface, till you notice a few dried leaves scattered randomly at the top of the pond.
Though the ride was long, once we reached Lake Kariba it was captivating. The makeshift jetty, with boats dotting the edge of the lake, made a very pretty sight. We were to now take a speedboat to Changa Safari Camp our next destination. The speedboat incidentally is a little precarious, and you are not allowed to move around the boat once the engines are on. The fact that the waters were home to crocodiles, was not a worry, as we were in remote Africa anyway, and there was no option but to surrender to the powers of the universe. After an hour and a half of journey, we were glad to reach Changa safari Camp, in the Matusadonna National Park. Changa is a small conservancy at the banks of Lake Kariba, and is an ideal place for people who want to lose themselves to the world. Changa has been designed to blend in with the environment as much as possible and the natural materials, thatched roofs, wooden decks and walkways merge beautifully with the surrounding bush. Each luxury tents overlooks the lake and is what seems like barely 10 feet away from it (sleepwalking may not be a good idea here!). The setting is perfect for a honeymoon couple, or someone neding to completely disconnect from the reality of city life grind. At Changa we had a late lunch, and it was to be the best lunch for the trip. The food was certainly not a disappointment that day.
The last stop that day was Bumi Hills, and that took us another 1 hour on the speedboat. By the time we reached Bumi, the sun was setting and the Sundowners were out. Bumi is a 20 room resort (10 premium and 10 standard) built on a range of hills, and has quite a grand setting. The resort itself is at the top of the Bumi Hills and from there you are generally able to survey a large expanse of the lake Kariba region. The resort itself is large, and complete with amenities Indians would love, like Spa, Kids rooms, Bornfire arrangement, infinity pool etc. activities at the resort include bird watching, game drives (though I must confess we did not see much game), fishing, cultural visits to village, and houseboats.
After spending the night there we did get up early for a game drive the next day, but must confess we did not catch much. Ofcourse it was winter time, and animals it seems, do come out later in the day when its warmer, but that day the creatures of the jungle did not oblige.
We were on our way again, and as we boarded the 12 seater Cessna Aircraft to Hwange National Park, we wondered what was in store for us.
