Victoria Falls to Msuna Walk June 2010

This has to rate as one of the most rewarding activities I have ever done.  I enjoy walking and relished the idea of doing a really long walk, so when I found out that a friend in Victoria Falls was planning a walk from there to Msuna, I jumped at the opportunity to invite myself along.  We packed our walking shoes, tent, bed and coffee mug, and Judy arranged the food ... and a FINE job she did of that too !!  It was the middle of winter and we met in the dark at 6-ish and set off around 6.30.

The view of the Victoria Falls spray, early in the morning of  the first day.

We walked nearly 30 kms that first day.  I was finished by the time we reached "Three Baobabs Camp" late that afternoon !!  I had serious doubts that I would be able to continue with this walk.  I was disappointed to say the least ... my hips were jarring with every step, my calves had cramped and I was generally aching from head to toe.  My fellow walkers were very generous in sharing their advice and meds to keep me going !! Our arrival had attracted a huge amount of interest, and the local population came to sit near us and watch us set up camp.  We were lucky to have Leon Varley with us (he does walking safaris for a living, and then walked with us for fun !), and his mobile bush shower and loo ... very organised !!  The loo was given the nickname "The Kitty Box" because of the process of finishing up one's visit to it with a liberal sprinkling of wood shavings to cover up whatever was left behind.  That evening there was not too much banter around the campfire .. in fact I think I was in bed asleep by about 7.30.

Holly and Karl .. the gorge in the background.

Sunset end of Day 1

When I woke in the morning, it was to find that all the potions and lotions and a good sleep had helped my wrecked body to some extent, but I was still concerned about the remaining 100-odd kilometres I had to walk !!  I made a deal with myself ... I would start the walk after each stop we made .. if I was struggling by the time the back-up vehicles had caught up with me .. then I would catch a lift to the next camp with them.  That way I would at least be participating in the whole walk, and doing some of each section.  I felt much better about things having made that plan, and set off in the cool dark morning.  One thing I had discovered the day before was that it is fatal to walk at someone else's pace !!  (We had Zanna and Catherine - who became suitably nicknamed at the Galloping Grannies because of their ability to disappear over the horizon in no time at all !!).  I knew that I must walk at a pace I was comfortable with .. this wasn't a race after all !!!  And so, step by step I continued on my way, coping with the residual aches and pains.  We were not walking so far on this 2nd day, and the going was quite flat and easy, so as I heard the vehicles approaching, I had to make a decision as to what I was doing... well I decided that I had loosened up enough to continue, seeing as I only had another hour or so to walk, and bravely waved and smiled to our wonderful back-up team.

On the road, Day 2

We reached our 2nd night camp around lunchtime, and were going to rest up for the remainder of that day.  The camp was on the edge of the road, and near to a village, and once again we were quite an attraction, but everyone we encountered was so friendly and delighted to see us ... even if they thought our mission was crazy.  On hearing that we were walking to Msuna, one kind young fellow told us to wait where we were, he would just go and drop off the passengers he had and come back to fetch us so he could drive us to Msuna because that was too far to walk !!  The afternoon's rest was good, we had time to set up camp and have a snooze.  The old achey body was starting to feel not so bad after all - aided, of course, by Judy's wonderful and generous menu and Plax's delicious bush cooking.

The morning of Day 3, we were up and on the road even earlier, walking along by the light of our head torches.  It was a very peaceful time of day !!  This was going to be another long day of walking, so I once again made my deal with myself about catching a lift on the back up vehicles if necessary.  But I was now going well !!  It was a beautiful day and we were to walk over more varied terrain.

Sunrise Day 3

The view from our breakfast spot Day 3

Leon on the road Day 3

We were all "in the zone" on this day, and could not sit still for long.  We had planned a long lunch break before completing our final section to camp.  But... the "buffalo movement" had us leave our lunch camp an hour and a half early !! Judy wanted to amble along for a while, enjoy the view, stop at a stream and "chill".  Well ... there was no being left behind !!  As soon as that first set of shoes was put on and Judy started on the road ... there was a rush .. shoes on and let's go !!  We were going so well that day that we did an extra 10 kms. It was a lovely day, and we finished up camping just past Sidinda village.  That evening we were joined by friends from Msuna who brought us much needed ice and some fresh veges.

The next day we knew that we were going to be reaching the Zambezi and had a great camp spot lined up.  It was an early start again, and once again we were treated to some spectacular scenery.

Day 4 - first view of the Zambezi just after sunrise

Which way ?? Up or down ??

The view looking towards Hwange

Some of my fellow walkers amongst the beautiful
colours of the winter mopane

It was on this day that we passed the 100km peg.  I was cruising on Day 4 .. there no longer ANY aches and pains, and I felt such an achievement when I found that kilometre peg.  "I've walked a hundred kilometres"  .. it was a good feeling.

I found the 100 km-ish peg on the side of
the road !

This was another "short" walk day, designed to give us some time in a very pretty spot.  We spent the afternoon resting up on the river bank, enjoying the sound of the water, bird watching, reading, snoozing, eating and drinking !!  This was our last night of the walk, and we actually managed to stay awake long enough to hear some of Leon's entertaining campfire stories (don't ever miss out on that if the opportunity presents itself ..)

The River in front of our camp

Our last day of walking had arrived.  We had some 25 kms to do, and it felt as if we just flew along.  We were all so walking-fit by now that we opted to skip the lunch break and just head for our destination which was "just down the road".  The nearer we got to Msuna, the more sad I became .. I just didn't want it to end !

The last leg ... the main road to Msuna

I learnt a few things on this walk .. the most important one being .. DON'T WALK TOO FAST .. this is not an exercise walk, I almost spoilt the whole walk by over doing it on the first day !  And take time to enjoy the surroundings more.  There is talk that the walk will happen again in 2011 .. if it does, I'm planning to go again !! 

Our destination

....   and I didn't get a single blister ...!

The Hide, Hwange National Park

At the end of April I was one of a number of agents invited to The Hide to check out their lodge renovations. I drove up from Bulawayo with a colleague, making a short diversion at the Gwayi River.  I used to have family who lived behind the hotel, and many friends lived in the area.  It was just a few years ago, but it was amazing to see just how the hotel has been reduced to ruins, and will soon be totally reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Anyhow, I did not linger there too long with my memories.  I did try to get to see my Mom's cottage which is now hidden behind a huge amount of bush growth that was never there before, but the locals were not happy with that.  Well, it was time to push on anyway, we still had to get down some 30 kms of dirt road to Kennedy Siding and then The Hide, and we could see a storm brewing in the distance.

The drive was straight forward enough, the road was easily handled by my Ford.  There were elephant tracks virtually the whole way along the road, but we didn't see them.  It did not take us quite as long as I thought it would to get to our destination.  At one point I took a wrong turning (blatantly ignoring instructions and directions for some unknown reason), but my navigator soon saw me right, and we arrived safely at The Hide, luckily just in time for lunch.

I was shown to my tented room - one of the very recently renovated ones -  it was REALLY comfortable and tastfully furnished.  Whilst there I made sure I made use of both the deep bath with view of the vlei, and the open air shower.     

The weather was quite moody, and wet, but that didn't stop us seeing animals and the beautiful bush sights. 

            

 For the next two days I was treated to the most comfortable accommodation, delicious meals, an early morning walk in the bush, game drives, and a bush dinner.  The next time I visit The Hide, I am going to spend a night in the "Dove's Nest".   This "room" is set about a kilometre away from the main camp, and is basically a tree house where you are left for the night.  There is a lofty bedroom, and a large viewing deck beneath it, and the shower and loo at the bottom.  Once up the tree, the hefty trap-door is closer, and you are alone in the middle of nowhere.  How fantastic !!!  

The other treat was a visit to Mbiza Pan .. this was previously in a part of Hwange National Park that was not accessible by the public .. in fact it still isn't, only vehicles from The Hide and Wilderness Safaris can take their guests there.  It was such a priviledge to visit this amazing place .. when we arrived I thought we had landed on the moon or somewhere else very unusual ... it was flat flat flat as far as I could see, but dotted with hundreds of ilala palm trees. We stopped near the water, but there were no animals there that day .. it was no matter because we were treated to possibly the most spectacular sunset I have EVER seen. 

The guides who took us out on the walk and drives - Daffy and Nicholas - were very entertaining company and kept our interest up in our surroundings.  Being a bit of a birder, it was great to ride next to them and share in their knowledge.  Daffy has such an awesome huge smile that I think he should be used as the "welcoming face of Zimbabwe" .. what a great guy !!

The Hide is definately a spot to visit again and again !!

Sorry I have been out of touch for so long, I have been totally absorbed in setting up my new booking office "AFRICA SPECTACULAR".  I am currently working on updating my travel blogs and will post these shortly.

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Easter in Msuna

The Easter weekend saw us back at Msuna .. a favourite spot of ours !!  April / May is high water season for The River, and so it was lovely to see so much water as it was still rising.  This was a family & friends fun weekend.  I think I only got on to a boat once, maybe twice, but I till had the best time socialising with everyone, and ... of course ... bird watching, which is a favourite activity of mine at Msuna.

Not very long before we got there, a flash flood had come down the river after some serious rain in Zambia, and many of the camps and lodges upstream were damaged.  We took the boat up to Olive Beadle to take a look at the camp which was full of water.  It was amazing to see so much water !!  I remember not too many years ago when the river was just a trickle some distance away, and now here it was literally on the doorstep !!

Back at Msuna, there was quite a serious amount of fishing from the bank, which was where our champion fisherman caught most of the fish that we ate.

Lots of fun in the sun, eating and drinking and playing.

HWANGE NATIONAL PARK

In January I was invited to join my Birding friend who was conducting a water fowl survey in Hwange National Park.  I jumped at the chance to  go with and so left Bulawayo at 11 a.m. on a Friday.  The drive to Hwange was very straight forward and went by so fast, that is seemed like no time at all (actually it was 2 p.m.) before I found myself standing in the car park at Main Camp, all checked in and ready to roll.  We were to camp at Masuma Dam which is up in the Sinamatella area and we were to drive through to Park to reach there.  We started off at a leisurely pace, bird spotting on the way.  The bush was very thick as it was the middle of summer, and I was on a birding weekend, not an animal weekend, so any wildlife that I did see was a real bonus.  The birdlife was outstanding - by the end of the weekend we had reached about 150 species !!  We stopped at good old Nyamandhlovu Pan which as always provided a wonderful panorama of animals and birds coming and going.  Once leaving there we pressed on to Masuma without stopping again as we had to reach there by 6 p.m. (Parks regulations), which we managed to do with 10 minutes to spare.

I had the treat of my life along the way !!!  Roughly in the Shumba Pan area, not too far before running out of "tar" road  (Mother Nature should have claimed the road back in about another year or 2 if there is a continued lack of maintenance ... not necessarily a bad thing !!), there, in the middle of the road was a LEOPARD !!  I couldn't stop quick enough so that I could concentrate on getting a good look at this beauty !!  In all my years visiting the bush and being on the farm, I had yet to see a real "wild" leopard, so this was a first for me.  This lovely leopard was not overly concerned by our presence and after stopping to check us out continued on its way - in the middle of the road !!  Then it stopped to stalk something it has seen, smelt or heard in the bush on the side of the road and started its hunt without being the least bit concerned about us, so we watched and clicked away with our cameras.  At some point it pounced and disappeared into the bush.  My heart was thumping and I was grinning from ear to ear as I switched off my camera and put the binos down, wallowing in what I had just seen, to my complete surprise, it popped out back onto the road (without prey !!) and started walking back towards us !!!   As I fumbled to get my camera out again, which only resulted in a lot of hurried blurred photos, it veered off and disappeared into the bush.  We watched it wandering off for a few seconds, marvelling at its amazing spotty camouflage.  After that sighting, I didn't care if I saw another thing the whole weekend, because that was the show of the day and left me on a high for the rest of the day !!

And so we arrived at Masuma Dam which provided us with more treats !!  The dam had a lot of water in it and was full up with hippos and birds !!  The elephants visited, and other game came and went.  Masuma Dam "hide" is awesome as you can sit in safety and comfort and watch the wildlife world go by.  I was totally delighted to find that Masuma had running water, flush loos (complete with loo seats !!), and a shower, which, with a little coaxing at the boiler fire (firewood was chopped and stacked nearby for us !!) gave us a steamy hot shower every day.  The "main road" runs through the middle of the designated camping area, but at 6 p.m. the resident campers have to close the 2 gates so that there are no unwanted visitors in the night.  The sum total of 2 cars passed through whilst we were there, and both of them stopped so that we could have a chat with the occupants - very friendly place this !!  

  

That night was bright and starry, but I can't exactly say I slept "well" .....  man are those hippo noisy in the night !!  Splashing, sploshing, grunting and groaning !!   Earlier on we had heard lion and hyena calling in the distance, but otherwise the night did not hold any surprises for us.

ALOE FARM

Our very good friends have recently obtained a charming little property that once was the Aloe Motel, just some 24 kms out of Bulawayo.  Their initial intention in buying it was not actually to run it as a lodge, but rather to continue with their farming ways.  However, seeing as all the infrastructure is there, they decided to dust it off - or rather ... scrub it off as it has been closed for some years - and make it available to those wishing to stay there.  It's very handy for Falcon School families as it is much closer to the school than if one stayed in town !! They plan to make it available on a self-catering basis, all bedding, towels, kitchenware provided, and they will also be building some DECENT ablutions (the existing one has been destroyed before it fell over !!) and make it available for campers, seeing as there currently appears to not be a decent & secure camping site in Bulawayo.  It is convenient and easy to get to, being right on the main highway, although this can be a bit of a drawback as the noise of the traffic can get quite hectic at times.  Although I did notice that it was very noisy on one day, and very quiet the next, so I guess it's just the luck of the draw.  It didn't detract from "being in the country" though !!!  The plan is to also use it for events such as bike rides, walks, parties, conference meetings etc.

We went and stayed there for a weekend and had a great time.  There is lots of space, and every day I went for a nice long walk or 2, and again did some birding and came up with a good number of birds (including another 2 "first-timers").  There is a clean swimming pool which kept the youngsters entertained for hours on end.  What is also very charming, is that early in the morning and in the late afternoons you can hear the Chipangali Lions calling .. quite unexpected at first, but I started listening out for them and it was really a pleasure hearing them, which adds to the outdoor experience !!!!

A charming little place which will grow from strength to strength under the loving care and attention it is receiving from it's new owners !!!!

MSUNA

On our return from Mozambique, we did the washing and re-packed for a few days at Msuna, where we were going to meet a friend who was celebrating a "significant" birthday.  It was a quick easy drive from Bulawayo - possibly because I slept most of the way (can't stay awake if I'm not driving !!!), and we arrived there in the early afternoon.  Most of the party was out fishing, but we found our lodgings and a friend and moved in.  The house that we stayed in is really lovely, and is available for the public to hire.  It has 5 bedrooms, 2 of them have ensuite bathrooms and are air-conditioned.  The other 3 are upstairs, where there are 2 shared bathrooms.  There are fans throughout the house.  It is fully equipped for self-catering, and there are 2 very pleasant staff to cook and clean.  With lots of space, a wonderful view of the water, a private swimming pool AND someone to cook, it's a great space for a Zambezi break.

I always enjoy getting on to the water - so long as their are no hippos in the vicinity - but as the years have passed my desire to actually fish has waned, and I prefer instead to bird watch.  This was really rewarding on this trip and I managed to notch up a few "first-timers".  I got close to spotting 40 species, which is really good for me, and excludes all those that I didn't identify.

There are some lovely houses at
Msuna, all privately owned, some are rented out and some aren't.  Recently renovated are the little lodges at "Indibiri".




These and the house we stayed in are my definate favourites at Msuna.  The Resort itself is looking magnificent, the gardens are beautifully kept and everything was green, green, green, and lovely and hot !!  The men partook of some "fishing with green stuff" and managed to bring home some good catches from the river bank fishermen !!!!  We had a wonderful few days there - as always, too short - but we had been away from home for some time altogether, so we needed to get back and knuckle down to some work (to pay for the next trips !)

MOZAMBIQUE

The Mozambique coast has to be one of the best places for a holiday !! We spent Christmas and New Year there and has a wonderful time. It was hectic ... being a busy holiday time of the year ....but a fun holiday. The drive from Bulawayo to Inhassoro is LONG .. we left Bulawayo at 0030 hrs and arrived at 1430 hours. I managed to sleep most of the way. We took the road via Chivu to Nyazura to avoid the numerous road blocks outside Mutare, and this was a good choice. The road is mostly in good condition with a few bad patches here and there, and was very very quiet in the early morning. Forbes border post was fairly busy - getting out of Zimbabwe was not much of a problem, except we had one little doggy with us which needed an International Movement Permit, but that did not cause much of a delay, only a bit of aggravation as the owner had been told before leaving that it was not required - but apparently it is ! Getting into Mozambique took a bit longer. Being unfamiliar with the Mozambique requirements we made use of an "agent", which was probably the right thing for us to do as everything is written in Portugese and the order in which to do things is confusing, but being holiday time, I do think we were over charged - our own fault. From there we head straight through without needing to stop in Manica or Chimoio. Our only stop was at Muxungune (I know I've spelt this wrong, and I'll correct it when I can !!). This is the BP garage in "Cashew Nut Country". This appears to be the only place you can buy the sought after cashew nuts. The garage has a security guard complete with rubber baton to keep the vendors at bay as they WILL surround your car and cause much stress !! In season you will also have a hundred pineapples shoved in your face before the trusty guard appears. We thought about using the loo here as the garage gives the impression of looking fairly organised, but we were stopped at the door and told we needed to pay 2 mets to use the loo. Well that is about 50 rand cents which we did not have handy seeing as we had just arrived there and were armed with 100 and 200 met notes, and I had a feeling we might not get change !!!!! I left refusing to (or being unable to) pay my 2 mets. Now the problem is that about 95% of the population of Mozambique appears to live along the only road, so stopping for a wee break is tricky. But then I remembered that on the next section of the road there appears to be a National Park area or something and there are no homesteads, so we drove on a little longer and found some thick bush where we all stopped with relief !! A little hint about this area - you don't have to buy your cashew nuts at the garage and be harrassed, if you drive a little longer you will find both cashew nuts and pineapples being sold on the side of the road, for a few kms, and you can indulge in some more peaceful shopping there. The pineapples are the BEST and sweetest ever !!

Dugong in Inhassoro is a great place to stay. There are 4 lodges, (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living area, air conditioned), and 6 chalets (open plan sleeping/living area, bathroom

and kitchenette, air conditioned), set in beautiful gardens. The complex is set on the beachfront with direct access on to the beach. There are boats available to excurions to the islands, snorkelling and fishing. The men went fishing quite a few times and always came back with something decent in the bag. The snorkelling at Paradise Island and/or 2 Mile Reef is a must. I went snorkelling with Mikey at Paradise and it was truely beautiful. The beach and water there is so clean and clear, and we saw just hundreds and hundreds of brightly coloured tropical fish. It was a lovely experience to share with Mike who wanted to keep going for ever !!!

We had piles and piles and food, and the outstanding managers, Martin and Caron, had stocked up on the seafood for us, so we ate to our fill. ALL of the meals were outstanding, and Caron & Ann, chef Jean-Paul and assistant Stuart, all worked like trojans to satisfy our appetites. There was also an endless supply of ice cold drinks for us to help ourselves to.

The sea water was very warm, warmer even than the swimming pool, which was warm, but cooler than the sun which was HOT ! At that time of year we could have had rain every day, but we were blessed with outstanding sunshine the whole time we were there. No trip to Inhassoro would be complete without a visit or 2 to Johnson's Bar, the proverbial beach bar, owned and run by a Mozambican by the name of Johnson. I just love the atmosphere there, the beach "floor" and although we did not eat there this time, the food being served up looked really good !! The only downfall of Johnsons is that if they are busy, they run out of certain drinks, and their refrigeration cannot keep up with demand and the drinks get warmer. But if you are there on a not-too-busy day, it's a wonderful spot to wile away a few hours.

New Year's Eve was something else !!! Firstly the moonrise was a sight to witness, the Full Moon, complete with small partial eclipse, all over the wide sea vista. The closer to midnight, the more people arrived for the beach party, and soon there were hundreds of people there. I did not go through to sunrise, but I believe most of them stayed until the sun was up (which is early ... about 4.30), and the music went all night.

A good party - not much dancing, but lots of drinking !!! I was glad not to have stayed up too late otherwise I probably would have slept most of New Year's Day, which was a beautiful bright sunny

day. Unfortunately I was inflicted with some ugly infection in my foot, caused, I believe, by an allergic reaction to something, so I wasn't too mobile, but it was a good day too !!

The holiday came to an end all to quickly. We were at Dugong for 10 full days, with 2 days travelling on either side, but it just doesn't feel long enough. Next time I am going to try and be there for a full 2 weeks AT LEAST, if not a little longer ($$$$ permitting), and it will have to be in the month of April, which I am reliably told is the best month to visit there.

We left Dugong at 0430 on our last day, by which time the sun had just risen and it was daylight already !! Our trip back was uneventful, and the cashew nut and pineapple sellers were already on the road at 6 a.m., so we could have bought fresh stuff on the way back, but we didn't. We stopped again to refuel and the BP garage, and this time the girls (excluding me) braved the 2 met loo. They came back with the comment that it was not worth the money !! It was disgusting !! So don't stop there, rather use the bush loo in both directions !! We again passed through Chimoio and Manica without stopping. Manica is a surprising little place. In contrast to the rest of Mozambique it looks very clean and neat and quite interesting ... perhaps one day I shall stopover and explore there a little. The border post on both sides was very quiet - in fact we were the only people there - and we were through in a few minutes. We also stopped at the garage in Mutare to refuel the other vehicles and to wait for one lost vehicle, and the boys used that loo, and they also came back with the comment that it was not a pleasant experience. We pressed on to Musangano Lodge about 20 kms outside of Mutare - I had spotted the sign on our way to Moz. We found the place and what a delight ...!!! I was very glad that I had waited some 7 hours to use the loo, because these had to be the cleanest ever and the only decent loo between Bulawayo and Inhassoro !! Musangano was a great little find. We had a nice snack there, and I snooped around a little. It was very quiet, we didn't see any other people except for the smart and obliging staff. The accommodation (self-catering chalets) look very nice, and I was sorry not to have asked for a key to look inside. I would certainly recommend to others to use this as a stopover.

And so, we returned home safe and sound at about 7 that night, to some very happy little dogs. It was good to be home, but I was already missing the sights and sounds of the Mozambique sea. It was about 3 and a half years ago that we were last in Mozambique, and I have to say that I could see some subtle changes. Last time, the people there appeared to have NOTHING !! This time, I noticed a lot of them had bicycles, and that they were better dressed.

They still have very little, but it's more than they had before. There are a few new buildings in the Inhassoro village, including a garage and a bank. Now they need a slightly better organised supermarket !! The market place appeared quieter, but there were roadside curio sellers that weren't there before, and they had some lovely little artifacts for sale, and they are still cheap, compared to the equivalent in neighbouring countries.

Can't wait for my next visit there .....