Crossing in to Zimbabwe

This was the last full day of this leg of our trip. We were heading for Victoria Falls, where some of our group would go their separate ways. We packed our bag and went to breakfast for 6.30am. Laban wanted us to be on the road by 7.30am. We were only a 20-minute drive to the Zimbabwean border, but it is a notoriously slow process, so he wanted us to be there early. I’m glad we were, as it took us about two hours to get through. By the time we did, the queue was horrendous!

We were struck by the huge number of British-registered cars and commercial vehicles parked up on the Zimbabwean side of the border. Some were newish. Most were older. Some looked like they had been there for a very long time and were in a sorry state of disrepair. Laban explained that most were there due to Zimbabweans, who live and work in the UK, buying cars cheaply and shipping them to Walvis Bay in Namibia. They are allowed to be driven through Namibia and Botswana quite easily, but they get stopped by the tough rules in Zimbabwe. It can cost as much as US$5000 to import a car into the country, which is more than most people can afford, and is often more than the car is worth. Other vehicles are subject to Interpol investigations to determine whether or not they were stolen in the UK. It was weird seeing so many familiar-looking vehicles in a far-flung corner of Africa!

While we were queuing, several warthogs ambled through the border post. I guess there are no checks on wildlife crossing between the two countries! 😂

Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital and largest city is Harare, and the second largest is Bulawayo. A country of roughly 15 million people, Zimbabwe's largest ethnic group are the Shona, who make up 80% of the population, followed by the Northern Ndebele and other smaller minorities. Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, with English, Shona, and Ndebele being the most common.

Once everyone was through the border, we got back on the truck and drove through the Zambezi National Park to get to Victoria Falls. Zambezi National Park is a national park located upstream from Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River. It was split off from Victoria Falls National Park in 1979 and is 56,000 hectares in size.

It took us about 90 minutes to reach the town of Victoria Falls. When we got there, Patrick drove us through the town so that Laban could point out the supermarkets, ATMs, and restaurants he recommended. We were to stay here for three nights. We then got dropped off at the activity centre so that those who wanted to could book things like helicopter flights, zip lining, white-water rafting, and other adrenaline-fuelled excursions! We toyed with the idea of a helicopter flight but decided against it as it was US$165 per person for a 12-minute trip!En savoir plus