Chasing views in Zimbabwe, Africa.

I feel the need to share my experience by starting off with something that Andrew Connolly, the man behind all this magic, told us: 'you cannot understand Zimbabwe, let alone Africa, until you experience it for yourself'. This has stuck with me throughout my time here in Zimbabwe and has been applicable to every aspect of my journey. 

I often forget that some people have no clue what I've been doing for the past two months, so let me start there...

At the beginning of October I decided to leave my little city bubble and venture off to the central part of Zimbabwe, to complete what is known as a field guide qualification. Formally, it is the FGASA NQF 2 and it allows you to lead a game drive in a national park or reserve. Pathfinders was the company I went through, and they couldn't have organised it any better if I'm honest. Rosa, our team leader, was the person who organised every detail of the trip and patiently put up with our anxious emails beforehand. She literally pieced this trip together single-handedly, while also taking part in completing the qualification, and I couldn't be more grateful for her. A friendship I will treasure forever. 8 weeks and 4 different locations. Basically, this course is two months of camping out in the middle of the African bush, whilst studying every element that surrounds you. Our studies covered everything from astronomy and mammals to taxonomy and arthropods. We were also lucky enough to be taught by Daniel Peel, who has been guiding for ten years and whose knowledge is totally inspiring. I found it very easy to learn from someone whose passion beams off of them.

We began our journey in Antelope Park, Gweru; and it was the perfect transition from city to bush. AP has a beautiful savanna grassland that stretches across 3000 acres. It is home to a lion rehabilitation and release program - and we literally fell asleep to the sounds of roaring lions every evening. Between the alarm clock going off and sundowners we were birding, tracking wildebeest through a gully, holding pythons, going on horse safaris and even watching 3 year old lions out on a hunt. Each day is vastly different and you can't compare them. This was where the excitement started kicking in and where I started falling in love with the bush. One evening Andrew Connolly sat down and explained to us how Antelope Park was established. A captivating story about his very personal struggles, his losses and ultimately his triumph above it all. Zimbabwe has so much rich history and it's worth a good google. 

I'm very excited to tell you guys about my time in this next location! My Pathfinders team and I ventured off to an area 5 hours south of Gweru, known as Bubiana Wildlife Conservancy. Arriving at a new destination is always exciting but there was something about driving into this area that was particularly special. It's almost as if the energy was radiating off the koppies that surrounded us, I couldn't get out of the car fast enough. The specific area we stayed in is family owned and run accordingly. One of the people responsible for the smooth management of the area is Keith Sparks. He works tirelessly to protect this land from poaching, which includes it's 50 000 hectares of rolling hills, diverse wildlife and a high population of leopard. This land is also completely self-sustaining - solar panels, compost heaps and future plans about an eco-pool. Our campsite was set up in front of a dam and beyond that was a massive koppie, which quickly became our landmark and point of orientation when on our 3 hour morning bush walks. Even though we had tents set up, we decided to place our mattresses out in the open and fall asleep star gazing every night. I've never seen the Milky Way looking so vibrant, and the cool breezes rolling over us were everything after a long day of 40 degree heat. Important to note though, that the heat didn't stop us from living every day to its fullest! We decided that 4am wake ups were the only way to squeeze in an early hike or walk , and evening game drives allowed for further tracking and siting. 

One story I couldn't wait to write about was this one: we were on a late afternoon game drive when we came across a herd of wildebeest and zebra all galloping in sync. It's always such an epic site watching these four legged beasts running through the bush. Well, that is until you notice an odd white spec amongst the dust. As we drove closer to the herds, we noticed that there was a, wait for it - GOAT, trying to run along with them. The poor goat was falling over and eating dirt trying to keep up. Maybe this story is one of those 'you had to be there to understand' kind of moments. But I've never seen all of us laugh that hard. It was so bazaar and so hilarious - it really reminded me to not take life so seriously. You've gotta live in the moment and appreciate the laughs when they come along. The reason Bubiana was such a special location though, was because it's one of the only times in my life where I've felt completely at peace. I could write pages about everything I did and everything I experienced. This place will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

Our next location was Hwange National Park.

Where to begin...Hwange was the location that really put the world into perspective for me. I truly realised here, that we are nothing but a spec of dust in the windshield of Africa. At the moment there is an overpopulation of elephants in this park. But not by a few thousand, there are tens of thousands more elephants than there should be. For those of you who don't know - this means that the vegetation has been totally annihilated because these are such big, and rather destructive creatures. The combination of that and the drought Zimbabwe is currently experiencing, means that these elephants are walking great distances from the watering holes just to eat. Not all of them, in fact most of them aren't coping with the conditions. And so, driving through Hwange you come across an elephant carcass every few 100m. You all know how emotional and intelligent ellies are, and so it's no surprise that they grieve the loss of a fellow herd member. One of the hardest things was watching an ellie walk up to a carcass to touch and smell it...to see it grieve. Even though Hwange was emotional, I'm very grateful I had the opportunity to witness first hand how Africa can be.

Arriving in Vic Falls was both relieving and exciting. This marked the last two weeks of our adventure and it acted as a total refresher for us all. Buckling down to study for our exam and prep for our practical has proven to me just how much I've loved this course. I don't think I even studied this hard for my matric finals...(sorry mom). Coming to a close, I've realised that the friends you make and the things you experience when choosing to take yourself outside of your comfort zone - is everything. Maybe the bush isn't for everyone but, if you get the opportunity to push yourself, then DO IT.

All in all my journey around Zimbabwe has been nothing shy of epic.