Overseas Walk
in the Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe
A
By Judith O’Leary
s part of a 30-day Overland trip in six countries in Southern Africa in 2017, our group had a day walking with rhino’s in the Matobo National Park located in the Matobo Hills. Andy from Black Rhino Safaris collected us from our accommodation on the outskirts of Bulawayo in one very temperamental jeep. Andy was a big guy dressed in sandals, shorts, and green shirt, who called a spade a spade. We had been told to wear neutral colours, as we would be getting very close to the rhinos. We also had to turn off our GPS tracking on our mobiles. We clambered into the jeep which had trouble starting and we were treated to some colourful vocabulary that could have come straight from my favourite old film, ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy.’ Not swearing but very colourful. Within 35 minutes we entered the main gate of a National Park which did not have any fences. We parked on a small rise and were told about Zimbabwe having 96% unemployment and a bankrupt government. Andy didn’t agree with poaching but understood why it happens. Left: View across the park.
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Walking New Zealand, issue no 297 - 2022
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