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Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Coming to the end of our time in the Gulf and I want to take the wife back to the country of her birth and show the boys some animals and an experience of Africa. Flights are booked so we are definitely going, yay
Most of the trip is semi sorted already (few days in Vic falls, houseboat on Kariba, few days in Bullies and a decent lodge around the Matopos but we will be landing in Harare and spending a few days there for the wife to reminisce. Can anyone confirm if car hire is a sensible option from Harare International or is it easier to find a reliable driver, with a reliable car to run us around? Looks like we will book the Monomotapa for those few days unless anyone has any good recommendations.. If anyone there or who has recently been there has any comments, they would be gladly received Thanks Tock |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Tockalosh
(Post 12477361)
Coming to the end of our time in the Gulf and I want to take the wife back to the country of her birth and show the boys some animals and an experience of Africa. Flights are booked so we are definitely going, yay
Most of the trip is semi sorted already (few days in Vic falls, houseboat on Kariba, few days in Bullies and a decent lodge around the Matopos but we will be landing in Harare and spending a few days there for the wife to reminisce. Can anyone confirm if car hire is a sensible option from Harare International or is it easier to find a reliable driver, with a reliable car to run us around? Looks like we will book the Monomotapa for those few days unless anyone has any good recommendations.. If anyone there or who has recently been there has any comments, they would be gladly received Thanks Tock |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Ja no worries at all. It appears we have chosen the worse weeks of the year to visit as stacks of places are full particularly down in the matopos. Fortunately my wife used to be a travel writer in Zim so that appears to be opening a few doors, thankfully. Will post a full report upon completion but one thing I can say now is that Zim is appearing fiercely expensive especially in wankie which is probably out of reach now at a 1000 gbp per night !!
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Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
House boats on Kariba are still very reasonable so looks like lots of fishing and checking out flat dogs
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Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Hi Tock,
Do you still need any advice or is everything pretty much booked and paid for at this point? I'm in Harare so I could try answering some questions. Roads in Harare (most of Zimbabwe actually) are horrific atm. So maybe getting a reliable driver might be easier (if budget allows). I personally now know where potholes are on my regular routes and there's nothing worse than running into a new one or driving slow on a new route you're not familiar with. Even on familiar routes, it's still pretty exhausting trying to manoeuvre through. However, if it's a true Zimbabwean experience you're looking for...:thumbsup: |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Hi and thanks for coming back. Absolutely everything is sorted, booked, and paid for in advance bar hire car for the first 2 days in Harare. Everyone in the family is very excited. Can’t believe how the prices have gone through the roof |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Hi All,
Just jumping on this thread. We have booked tickets from mid Jan to early Feb and will be on a house boat on Lake Kariba for five days. I haven't been there for many, many years, and can't remember what safety precautions we need to take. Can anyone advise please? |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Alfresco
(Post 12611862)
Hi All,
Just jumping on this thread. We have booked tickets from mid Jan to early Feb and will be on a house boat on Lake Kariba for five days. I haven't been there for many, many years, and can't remember what safety precautions we need to take. Can anyone advise please? Yes; dont go ! |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by dfjordan
(Post 12612312)
Yes; dont go ! |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Alfresco
(Post 12611862)
Hi All,
Just jumping on this thread. We have booked tickets from mid Jan to early Feb and will be on a house boat on Lake Kariba for five days. I haven't been there for many, many years, and can't remember what safety precautions we need to take. Can anyone advise please? |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
our holiday was superb and we felt safe and comfortable at all times, unlike SA which I visit 4 or 5 times a year. Harare and Bulawayo and the falls were totally drama free and walking around at night was safe however that was the weeks before the election, the shops were full and there was never a line up for fuel. Hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we did the place we stayed at in the falls was spectacular so get in touch if you haven’t finalized |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Kim67
(Post 12612367)
Thanks for such a detailed and insightful response. It's been very helpful. 😕
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Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by dfjordan
(Post 12612784)
I dont recall you having asked the question? Someimes a few words are enough, particularly if talking about a totally failed country. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by dfjordan
(Post 12612784)
I dont recall you having asked the question? Someimes a few words are enough, particularly if talking about a totally failed country. I didn't ask, Alfresco asked on our behalf. He said we'd already booked so not going isn't really an option. The trip is to visit an elderly family member so not just a chilling holiday. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Tockalosh
(Post 12612768)
our holiday was superb and we felt safe and comfortable at all times, unlike SA which I visit 4 or 5 times a year. Harare and Bulawayo and the falls were totally drama free and walking around at night was safe however that was the weeks before the election, the shops were full and there was never a line up for fuel. Hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we did the place we stayed at in the falls was spectacular so get in touch if you haven’t finalized |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Hope you have a pleasant holiday with your family. If you are renting a car, and we did a number of times, the roads in Harare are pot holed beyond belief, everywhere !! Our first Hyundai struggled spectacularly, a VW polo performed admirably. If you are driving at night you will catch a few !! 4x4 hire is expensive in country. Enjoy the drive and I am sure you will see an abundance of hippo. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
And to answer the question regarding security. Nothing on top of what you would do in any overseas location and less than you would take in SA. We didn’t feel threatened wondering around Avondale flea market or stopping at village shops in the middle of nowhere and having a craiq with the locals. We didn’t get ripped off in taxis. Babweans are friendly as ever, a friendly little nation despite their situation |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Pollyana
(Post 12612793)
Do you have much personal experience of visiting Zimbabwe?
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Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Tockalosh
(Post 12612880)
And to answer the question regarding security. Nothing on top of what you would do in any overseas location and less than you would take in SA. We didn’t feel threatened wondering around Avondale flea market or stopping at village shops in the middle of nowhere and having a craiq with the locals. We didn’t get ripped off in taxis. Babweans are friendly as ever, a friendly little nation despite their situation |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Hope you have a super time as we did. Stating the obvious but if you are on any meds then take them with you as the pharmacies were under stocked even during the time of plenty in the general shops and gas stations when we were there |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Tockalosh
(Post 12614397)
Hope you have a super time as we did. Stating the obvious but if you are on any meds then take them with you as the pharmacies were under stocked even during the time of plenty in the general shops and gas stations when we were there Yes, I have my meds all stocked up. So all good. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
We've been here a week and a half now. The roads are full of pot holes, power and water are scarce, petrol queues a mile long, beer rations, internet turned off and social media blocked by the government for a week.
Having said that. ...we are having an absolutely fabulous time. Alfresco's family are wonderful people and we're all having a blast together. The houseboat trip on Lake Kariba was amazing. I've seen more hippos than I knew existed and even caught a couple of Kariba Bream and a Tiger fish. I think coming here without having family or friends to help out with all the currency confusion and knowledge of what's happening around the place could be challenging. I'd highly recommend the experience if you do know people here though. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
So glad you are having a super time Kim, I was concerned it might be a nightmare. |
Re: Holiday in Zim this July - some advice welcomed
Originally Posted by Tockalosh
(Post 12626991)
So glad you are having a super time Kim, I was concerned it might be a nightmare.
Originally Posted by Kim67
(Post 12626989)
We've been here a week and a half now. The roads are full of pot holes, power and water are scarce, petrol queues a mile long, beer rations, internet turned off and social media blocked by the government for a week.
Having said that. ...we are having an absolutely fabulous time. Alfresco's family are wonderful people and we're all having a blast together. The houseboat trip on Lake Kariba was amazing. I've seen more hippos than I knew existed and even caught a couple of Kariba Bream and a Tiger fish. I think coming here without having family or friends to help out with all the currency confusion and knowledge of what's happening around the place could be challenging. I'd highly recommend the experience if you do know people here though. |
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