The southeastern corner of Zimbabwe
‘Paved roads, shops and petrol stations just isn’t wilderness,” says Tengwe Siabwanda as he takes a swig of coffee. Mr T, as he is affectionately called, knows the bush like the back of his hand.
For 15 years he has guided tourists in one of Zimbabwe’s most remote wilderness areas, the vast and rugged Gonarezhou National Park. Few travellers make it to the southeastern corner of Masvingo Province, favouring instead the more accessible safari parks in the north of the country.
But its remote location – and the rather adventurous journey to get there – is also what pulls wildlife enthusiasts to this area where large herds of buffalo, soaring fish eagles, sandstone outcrops and majestic baobab trees are part of the landscape.
The challenge is to keep the area wild yet profitable. That way you will ensure that the wildlife as well as the people living here benefit, says Mr T when we stop for a snack on our early morning game drive through Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, a 52 609-hectare wilderness area bordering the national park.
The sound of the cicadas drown out his words as we rest in the shade of a rock overlooking the lowveld. Young impala – some only a few days old – graze among the cluster of trees. After a long, dry winter the bush is lush and green, and food is plentiful. Of course, spotting the game in the thick bush can be tricky, but only an hour into our morning drive we come across a pride of lions sleeping in the shade; four adult females and two cubs.
“Their bellies are full. It looks like they had a kill last night,” says Mr T as we point our long lenses towards the yawning cats.
Vast expanses of untouched wilderness
Getting close to wildlife is always a humbling and adrenaline-charged experience for a city dweller. But having the luxury of spending close to an hour only metres away from a wild pride of lions, far from the bustle of modern life, is simply astonishing. This is the real attraction of Malilangwe: the seclusion.
There are no tourist buses or back-to-back cars on the roads, making this corner of Zimbabwe one of the most exclusive safari experiences in Southern Africa. The area is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which straddles the borders of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe to form a huge conservation area, roughly the size of the Netherlands.
The contrast with the Kruger National Park and its tarred roads, numerous lodges and restaurants could not be greater. On the Zimbabwean side, visitors are met by vast expanses of untouched wilderness. The dirt tracks are hardly passable during the summer months, and the only option to stay within the park is to camp.
Income for the park is low, with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority charging only $10 a person to stay in Gonarezhou. Few tourism dollars means less money spent on conservation and wildlife protection, making the park vulnerable to poachers.
A hefty price tag
In Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, which sits on the northern border of the park, the approach is different. The reserve was set up as a not-for-profit trust in 1994 to protect the unique wildlife in the area, while safeguarding the livelihoods of the local communities. It is run by Singita Pamushana Lodge, an ecotourism haven perched on top of a rocky headland.
This is luxury that comes with a hefty price tag. But all proceeds from the lodge benefit the numerous conservation and community development programmes, such as providing healthcare, education and meals for 19?000 children who live on the outskirts of the reserve. The lodge employs 350 staff from the area.
“We don’t have a very high density of animals as we try to keep the area as natural as possible,” explains lodge manager Emily Capon when we sit down for dinner under the stars, the vast wilderness surrounding us.
Ticking off the Big Five may not be the main reason for travelling to this remote corner of Zimbabwe but the next morning we spot buffalo, elephant and rhino. One of the most fascinating sightings in Malilangwe is the ancient rock art that San hunter-gatherers and Iron Age farmers left behind. More than a hundred engraving sites have been found on the property, attracting scientists and tourists from all over the world.
The cycle of life continues
“Just imagine that people sat at this very spot more than a thousand years ago,” says Mr T as we trace the ochre-coloured paintings with our fingertips. “Perhaps they were looking at the same baobabs, making fire and cooking much like we do today.”
His walkie-talkie crackles; a tracker has spotted a cheetah and two cubs. We set off on the dirt tracks and get to the site just in time to watch the six-month-old cubs sink their sharp teeth into a baby impala. They purr as they feast, their mouths and noses bloodied from the carnage. The young mother reacts to every sound in the undergrowth but takes no notice of us.
When the family have finished their breakfast, the mother licks her young before the threesome set off silently through the bush. Only minutes after the graceful cats leave the carcass, a flock of vultures swoop in and fight for the leftovers. The cycle of life continues, as it has done for thousands of years.