Zimbabwe’s political troubles in recent decades have damaged its reputation – but don’t let that stop you visiting this glorious African country, said Matthew Parris in The Times.
I grew up there when it was still Rhodesia, so my love for it goes deep. But I have also been back since, most recently with British friends last year. We all found it “gentle, friendly and relaxed”, and everywhere we went, people were glad to see tourists. There are “super” places to stay, and in terms of safety, its capital, Harare, is “light years ahead” of Cape Town or Nairobi. The Victoria Falls are amazing, and there are some great safari lodges – but don’t limit yourself to these. Zimbabwe offers much else besides – so just “hire a car, get a map, and go”.
Years of economic difficulty have left Harare looking “knocked about” in parts, but its restaurants are good, its shops are “well stocked”, and the jacaranda trees along its avenues still produce beautiful blossom in spring. We stayed at Amanzi Lodge, which has big thatched bungalows set in gardens “complete with tiny African squirrels and vervet monkeys”.
From there we drove to the “cool, green” Eastern Highlands, where we climbed Mount Nyangani (Zimbabwe’s highest peak, at 8,500ft) and took a thrilling ride on the world’s highest zip wire, the Sky Line, a 1,200-yard steel cable spanning the ravine in front of the spectacular Mutarazi Falls. The SkyDeck Mountain Retreat, nearby, has “glamorous, ultramodern” rooms, but we chose a cheaper option – one of the “sweet” little cottages, lit by oil lamps, in its grounds.
In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s “charming” second city, we stayed at the Bulawayo Club, an “elegant” institution with Edwardian billiards tables, portraits of “long-gone” settlers, and a single pith helmet hanging behind the bar.
And in the Matobo National Park – “a tumble of rocky valleys and boulder-strewn peaks” an hour’s drive from the city – we saw some of Africa’s most “evocative” rock art: images of human figures and various animals that are “perhaps twice as old as Stonehenge”.