This time we had planned to drive via the Eastern Highlands and the capital Harare to Mana Pools. Accordingly, the road did not lead us via Masvingo again, but in the direction of Mutare, after Harare and Bulawayo, the third largest city in the country. Not 100 km after we left the Gonarezhou, it started to rain. The showers and thunderstorms accompanied us and haze was in the air. We decided to drive to the botanical garden of La Rochelle, about 15 km outside Mutare, and spend the night there. It is a hotel with a large botanical garden, an orchid house with orchids from all over the world, a plant nursery and a park-like garden that is often used for weddings.
Resting instead of hiking
We drove through forests that made us feel like we were in Europe in the meantime. Wonderful opportunities to hike and spend time in nature. Unfortunately, the weather got worse and worse and it rained partly for hours. A drive to the Prince of Wales Viewpoint near Mutare confirmed the experience of the previous days: the view is non-existent. It simply did not make sense for us to visit this region in more detail in the rain and so we decided after a total of three days to leave in the direction of Mana Pools. However, we will definitely visit and explore this part of Zimbabwe in more detail. We liked what we saw.
