Carl Joshua Ncube travel blogs a recent trip to Hwange which sprung him and his wife many pleasant surprises…
The Roadtrip
Our journey begins in Kadoma as Intercape Pathfinder takes us to Bulawayo to meet Beks Ndlovu, who is going to take us on the road trip of a lifetime to Somalisa, a tented safari camp in Hwange. Every fibre in my body is excited about the journey and I’m so impatient I don’t even want this overnight stopover.
Stopovers
But no such luck. Beks check us in to this lovely gem in Bulawayo called the Taveller’s Guest Lodge. The ideal spot for guests to the City of Kings and Queens who want some clean linen a hot shower with an awesome breakfast in the morning.
This is a property set up well and what an awesome stopover. We arrive late and the kitchen in the nearby restaurant is closed but since we have one of the most awesome guides in the world with us, finding food isn’t difficult.
Beks takes us to this old-school members-only Bulawayo club that invigorates my desire and passion for local cuisine as we tuck into boiled beef, fried intestines and chicken, accompanied by drinks, great conversation and loads of chilli!
The road trip continues
After breakfast we are off down the ZRP-infested highway, paying our fines as we attempt to enjoy the trip. Our excitement is dampened at each spot check from the authorities, but we must continue this journey of a lifetime! What is a trip to Hwange or Victoria Falls without stopping at the now dilapidated, but still popular Halfway House to take a much needed toilet break, replenish our drinks and set off again towards wilderness paradise.
The welcome
It becomes obvious to us that this is going to be an amazing couple of days when Mr Ndlovu says, “Ok guys this is the last point we will get some mobile reception, so send your last emails before we go off grid.” Oh my word, I thought, this is special already. This is only at the Gwayi river turn-off and we still have an hour or so to go, but boy am I already getting into this.
On the way we are welcomed by the usual celebrities at the drinking holes; zebra and elephants so near to us that I can do close ups on my camera without needing a special lens. This is already like a game drive. Driving past many water holes retrofitted with solar pumps to keep them going and relics of old-school diesel generators that used to perform the same function.
I see Somalisa in the distance and an elephant bull crossing in the foreground. The team at Somalisa is waving at us, ready with towels to help us refresh after our not so long road trip. The elephant bull walks over to the pool to take a drink as if this was a rehearsed intro straight out of the camp brochure. What an amazing start.
OMG the TENTS!
Bags offloaded and I’m in awe of this so-called tent. It’s hardly a tent as I have seen 5-star hotels that can’t lift a finger to these well thought-out creations that we we’re going to call home for the next couple of days. No televisions here, but a super wide-screen opposite the bed looking out over the watering hole. It has no on or off buttons and the animals come out to give a show whenever we are in the tent.
The finishing touches in this place; the copper tub, the outdoor shower, the rustic look of the rooms say, “I am in the bush, but I will do this in style!”
The Somalisa experience
Ok, so we have to leave the rooms at some point and the chef is out by the deck, explaining what will be served for lunch.
We are part of a birthday party and have the pleasure of meeting the wonderful birthday-girl, Ashleigh, who has just turned 21.
Then we go for the first of many game drives. The knowledge that the guides possess is impressive. They can tell you all sorts of things about every animal, tree and bush. Their admiration of their boss is inspiring. To quote one of the guides, Calvet, “It’s inspiring when you see one of ours create such an amazing place like Somalisa”. Wow, I think to myself, this is the vision of a former guide and it inspires everyone around him.
I can feel how all that knowledge was put together to make this a truly special place.
We end our game drive by going to a watering hole called the Chris Pan to have a sun-downer. I put my camera down to take in the breathtaking sunset. I put my feet up and took take stock of all the things that have brought me to this one place. A gin and tonic in one hand and a beer stick in another. “I’ve made it mom,” I whisper to myself!
The Somalisa stars
Yes you can see the stars in the night sky with amazing clarity at Somalisa. But the team at the camp, led by the energetic and amazing Yvonne (you’ll know when you see her), are right up there shining with them. They have taken so much care to make the bush as safe as possible without being intrusive.
The animals have shown me that they are not out there to hurt you and are even happy for you to watch them.
So that’s it for my very first travel diary entry on one of my favourite #visitZimbabwe experiences and I encourage you to keep dreaming and keep travelling!
