A Sojourn in Zimbabwe

Anthropologists tell us that thousands of years ago, when homo-sapiens was still a young species, they/we walked out of Africa and populated the earth. But regardless of how far we have traveled, Africa remains deeply buried in our collective unconscious, and just as all species are driven to return to their place of birth, we yearn to return home – to connect again to Africa. And that is precisely what we did on this trip to Zimbabwe.

The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river system in Africa, meandering through six countries with its delta emptying into the Indian Ocean.

The 1,600-mile river forms part of the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It runs through a vast broken-edged plateau in a spectacular gorge with perpendicular walls of basalt and granite, and it forms the famous Victoria Falls where Zimbabwe and Zambia meet at its banks.

During the Victoria Falls segment of our Zimbabwe trip, we visited the Gorges Lodge. It’s a spectacular camp located on top of Batoka Gorge with incredible views of the river and the rapids that form one of the most harrowing whitewater narrows – a tremendous challenge to kayakers and rafters who dare to brave the mighty river.

We visited the falls in the morning that are named “the smoke that thunders” by the local tribes. When the sun is covered by the mist generated by the falls, the sound of the water rushing to the bottom is deafening. Later in the day, we took a sunset boat tour on the Zambezi.

The banks were teaming with wildlife. Some were there to drink, and others were there to feed on the lush grass and trees that grow by the river. Still others were biding their time to make a meal of the herbivores at the bank.

We watched as a young elephant slid down a steep embankment to reach the succulent shoots by the water, and there was some concern that once down, it would not be able to climb back up. Luckily, the calf maneuvered its way back up to the encouraging cheers of the spectators on board.

As the setting sun colored the sky and water a red-orange hue, the palm trees were silhouetted against the horizon, and the hippos surfaced by the riverboats, hoping that a careless tourist would drop some food in the water. That scene said one thing to me: Africa! That was the reason we traveled all the way to Zimbabwe, and that was what made it worth every minute of the very long flight.

We overnighted at a legendary property – the 5-star Stanley & Livingstone Boutique Hotel at the Nakavango Estate, a few minutes away from the Victoria Falls Township.

Victorian opulence and 5-star amenities are the hallmark of this exceptional property. When you walk through the public spaces of this hotel, you are transported back to the time when Britannia ruled the waves and Queen Victoria reigned in far-away London. When Henry Morton Stanley (Welsh by birth but American by assimilation) was commissioned by George Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, to find David Livingstone who was presumed lost in “The Dark Continent” in his search for the source of the River Nile. 

The Stanley and Livingstone meeting is depicted in a large canvas over the fireplace of the hotel’s salon and is illustrated with numerous period photographs that dot the walls of the reception, salon, dining room, and other public spaces.

Our air-conditioned suite was exceptionally spacious with a good-sized living room, bedroom, and bathroom. There were telephones on the living room desk and at the bedside with international calling capabilities. Turkish terrycloth bathrobes and slippers hung in the wardrobe, and there was a minibar at the bottom of the living room television cabinet.

A fruit basket was waiting for us when we arrived, and in concert with British hospitality, tea cups and a kettle were available in case we wanted tea in the evening.

The dining room was compact because most guests, as I was told, choose to dine at the sun-deck veranda that surrounds the back of the main building or the Main Bar patio, with views of the grounds and river. But since this was the “late autumn” of Southern Africa with quite cold evenings, we decided on indoor dining.

“Kariba Bream” was plentiful available during lunch or dinner during our trip, and it was grilled, poached, or fried. It’s a tasty fresh-water fish farmed in the waters of the lake created by the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River. It was mostly served as filets with a white sauce and mushroom medley.

In general, Zimbabwean cuisine has not been graced by the culinary achievements of modern cooking and is somewhere between early 20th century British cookery and, in the better restaurants, the classics of Escoffier and Carême. It isn’t bad cooking, and during the colder months, it can be very enjoyable. I just think it would be heavy during the hotter time of the year.

It seems to us that cabbage and carrot slaw must be Zimbabwe’s national dish. We were offered this salad for lunch and dinner at every meal!

Another thing to mention is wine availability. Most wines I saw were mid-priced bottles from South Africa – the better ones from Stellenbosch vineyards. I was happy to have a couple of bottles of Zambezi Beer, a very dry Pilsner-style beer, hoppy with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste.

For travel information to Zimbabwe, see: www.zimbabwetourism.net.