I was so surprised to see so many white tourists at the bus station. The bus was heading to Victoria Falls, the most popular tourist attraction in the country. I met Josh and Katy who were going on the same game drive as me. They were on World Missions- 9 countries in 9 months, doing volunteer work in various agencies. In Bulawayo they worked in an orphanage. I sat next to a Zambian. He told me Africans in sub-Sahara Africa in the SADC can visit neighboring countries for up to 3 mos without a visa.
After 3 1/2 hrs I disembarked at the Safari Lodge in Hwange National Park, among the top national parks in Africa in terms of sheer numbers and variety of game. With over 108 species, Hwange boasts the highest diversity of mammals of any national park in the world.
I made reservations with the park service to stay in Main Camp. I then registered for a game drive with Africa Wanderers.
At the Safari Lodge we met Ty, our guide, He drove us to Main Camp. Josh and Katy were camping, I rented a cottage with ensuite toilet. We arrived in the dark at 6:15, the gate was already closed. But they let us in and said we would register tomorrow.
My room was just fine, very basic Reminded me of the platform tents in Yosemite. I didn't want the luxury experience. I thought I would meet more locals. We were cautioned not to walk around at night- sunset is at 6 pm. The fences consist of chicken wire with many broken down posts. Ty said I would make it safely to the restaurant with my flashlight.
Mid-week things were pretty quiet. There were 2 couples at the restaurant. I joined a German couple. He was studying in Tanzania, she was working for a NGO. She had worked in Bulawayo for 4 months with an agency distributing food to people with AIDS in 2010. In 2010 (?) the grocery store shelves were empty. In some ways the situation has improved- the shops are full. However she says she is left with more questions about the country. She has no answers to the problems.
My room included a man starting a fire in a rather crumbling fireplace outside my door, but he started at 7 am. So they guys in the restaurant heated hot water in the microwave for my coffee.
We were off at 8 am- 4 people joined us from another group- 1 Italian, 1 English and an American couple. We were in an open air jeep- 3 benches. The temp. was in the 60s, but in the jeep the wind was really blowing. They claimed that because it was winter, the animals were waking up later- waiting for the warmth. We didn't see too many animals early on. (People who went on early morning drives at 6:30 also came back sometimes without seeing anything.) Ty stopped to pick a wild plant called Bushman's soap. You add a bit of water and it's a moisturing soap. Showed us an elephant's skull and teeth. There is trophy hunting in the park; all the proceeds go back to the park. Hunters can hunt 2% of the population of a species. The meat goes to local orphanages.
Elephant population estimates vary widely from 20K-75K. There are no fences so the animals roam from Botswana as far as Angola. There is a big debate about culling the population. The elephants do huge damage to the vegetation. Ty said they are losing 1000 elephants every year. They drink 200 liters a day. There is not enough water or food for them. When the park was founded, they dug water holes. Now some of them are solar-powered. With the dire economic situation, they don't always have fuel or manpower to maintain the watering holes. NGOs also finance them. They tend to maintain the waterholes near tourist sites, so the elephants are concentrated in these areas. If they were more spread out, there would be less destruction to the environment. Some say they should rotate the maintenance of the waterholes to prevent environmental destruction. But then that would hurt the tourist industry. Cooperation with neighboring countries is also advocated. More transfrontier parks are needed. When they cull, they must destroy the whole heard, otherwise the elephant remembers and will return and be violent. There are not enough professioinals who know how to destroy the herd. Recently 23 elephants were sold to China which created a huge outcry. Saw lots of elephant turds before we say the real thing. Every 15 min. they drop- they don't process their food well. Because of the sandy environment, elephants have a short lifespan here - 65 - 70 years. The sand is tough on their teeth.
During the day, we saw: zebra, elephants, giraffes, impalas (they roamed around the camp,) kudus, steembu (pigmy antelope,) sable, hippo (just submerged in the water,) 2 crocodiles, secretary bird, ostrich, gnu, arthog and black back jackals. We did not see lions. We would not see rhinos because of the poaching. The Chinese think the horn has special powers. They pay 50-100K for 1 kg- worth more than cocaine or gold. 750 were lost to poaching last year. A horn can fetch $1M. People risk their lives to kill the animals- they could get $10K. Ty was thinking they could be extinct shortly. There are only 2 in the park, in a protected area, under 24-hr guard.
Not sure 9 1/2 hours was worthwhile, but it was interesting seeing different parts of the park. We went off road, on to dirt paths. One moment in a grove to thick trees, the next in open fields. Our pit stop was at a camp ground. 2 elderly couples rented out the whole place. They had tents with cots. The spot had toilets. They brought their own solar mini panels to power their fridge so they could have cold beers. The caretaker had a hut to live in. He made sure they had water and firewood. He locked the gate each evening, even though the fence was torn in areas. Like campers world over, they enjoyed the experience. Sat their with their binoculars- knew all the birds. Came 3 times a year. Again, these guys were white. The park does bring school children for camp outings, so maybe the younger generation will learn to love the outdoors.
We stopped at a watering hole with a viewing stands. Our picnic lunch was cut short due to the bees. I brought lots of bug repellent with deet, but never used it. My camera battery died just when all the elephants were 50 yards from us. One crossed the road in front of us, turned to face us, lifted his foot as if he was doing a jig, then sauntered off. Josh will send me his pictures.
We had the option of a night drive. I was tired. The jeep is very bumpy. Thought the odds of seeing a lion were pretty low. Turns out the drive was cancelled due to truck malfunctioning. Here is a solar-powered watering hole
Next morning on our way to the bus, stopped at Painted Dog Sanctuary. The guide gave us a good tour. They wild dogs get trapped in the wire traps of the poachers. Population is down. They have a dog hospital. They put collars on the dogs. Artists make sculptors out of the salvaged wire.
Bus arrived early at 9:50, back to Bulawayo by 1:20. I will post pictures when the computer cooperates- so check back again.
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