And we were off! Our first weekend “away” post Lockdown in Zim, at the end of September, was to Rhino Safari Camp. Technically speaking, we were still in Kariba – but we were not going to be at home so that meant we were “going away for the weekend” and breaking free! We went with a group of friends who also needed to get away after being cooped up for months on end. One of our friends had actually been stuck in the Democratic Republic of Congo since January! Boats were loaded up and we headed out to take advantage of Rhino Camp’s affordable Zim Res Weekend Special.
Just getting out on the speed boat already had the worries of recent worldly events melting from our minds. Arrival in camp was a little different to usual with all the COVID Protocols in place but once the formalities were out the way we all headed straight to the swimming pool with a welcome drink to cool off. Many stories were told around that pool in the days that followed, it was the perfect place to gather and relax, drink in hand while looking out at the lake.
After a lovely late lunch we headed to our rooms, these are raised on stilts and thatched, which ensures they are lovely and cool. The rooms are positioned to take advantage of the breeze coming off the lake. After a siesta we were all ready for the afternoon game drive. Our young guide, Gareth, was hugely enthusiastic and once he found out most of us were interested in birds (the feathered kind!) he made sure to let us know when he saw a species we might not yet have ticked off our birding lists. We went on 2 drives with Gareth over the course of the weekend, and both were very informative, we learned a lot about the smaller animals and insects, including seeing our first Mopani fly nest. The waxy, tubular entrances they make are quite something for such small flies! And apparently their honey is delicious too.
While at Rhino Camp we also went on a game walk to see the fossils that have been found in the area. Our guide for this was an older gentleman by the name of Mark. We were all in awe at the amount of fossils to be found so close to camp. Probably our favourite was the rock you could see had an entire tooth stuck in it. The icing on the cake of the game walk was to have a herd of elephants stroll right past us and down to the lake to drink. There were a couple of younger elephants in the herd and Mark pointed out how the mother lifted her front leg to allow the baby to suckle, it was the first time we had seen or taken note of this. What precious animals they are, my absolute favourite.
Our time at Rhino Safari Camp drew to an end far too quickly. There is nothing that beats sitting with friends, overlooking the lake at sunset, talking stories and just generally catching up. We don’t do it enough and always comment on how we must do it more often. Luckily for us here in Zimbabwe, we have not been as badly affected by COVID 19 as the rest of the world, but it has really has made all of us aware of how special our time with family and friends is. We have made a vow to try spend more magical time away with family friends like this. I hope you all do to.
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