Moz -zim -bot trip : notes : 28/6/2024

[Joao Felizardo]

We stayed at kruger park after "leaving mozambique ; camps visited from 5/6 to 14 /6/24 - berg en dal ; skukuza ;letaba and punda maria ; by far the worst experience was skukuza ; just too many people camping and almost on top of each other ; punda maria hide was superb with Ellie's and buffalo and multitude of antelope visiting day and night time! Also we had great sightings of lion and lioness on the way to tshokwane picnic spot ! 

We then stayed at tsipisi hot springs for a couple of days ; very busy with lots of people and caravans given the school holidays ! 

Our port of entry into zim was beitbridge ; process took about 1,5 hrs as we moved from office to office but without any issues ; taxes paid were tip -R1100 ; R514,66 border tax and another R180 for other taxes (?) ; trip to gonarezhou NP took about 10 hrs in total ( about 6,5 hrs beit bridge to chipinda pools); (we filled the bakkie in chiridzi - 1.60 USD /ltr and bought foodstuff at pick and pay) ;gonarezhou NP  only issue mentioned to the reception was the amount of corrugations in places  inside and outside the gates; evidence of good road works being done as well ; game viewing was excellent with herds of buffalo ; also kudu ; nyala ; waterbuck ; impala ; visit to chilojo cliffs picnic spot  quite nervy with a large herd of Ellie's surrounding the vehicle and   two other charges by cows ; all settled back at camp with a few jamesons watching the unique colours of chipinda pools at Sun set - what a spot !! Unfortunately chinguli camp was fully booked and we decided on the 25th o leave for lake mutirikwi via masvingo ( road constructions giving from top good tar to  bad detours in places ); time taken about 6.5 hrs ;toll charged -R80 ; lake mutirikwi challets looked quite old structures with lack of maintenance  but what a development must have been in its heyday ! We had an excellent game drive and spotted big kudu bulls ; zebra ; bushbuck and  several sightings of white rhino ; we left for matopo NP( where we are now )via masvingo filling in at 1,49 USD /ltr diesel ; best continuous road in zim so far was masvingo -bulowayo ; today the 28th of June the temperature is about 7 deg C and that is quite a drop after the sunny warm to very warm days at coastal mozambique and gonarezhou NP ! 

(TBC)