Zimbabwe is a treasure

We are overjoyed to have traveled to Zimbabwe – against all warnings and misgivings. This month was one of the highlights of our trip. The people of Zimbabwe are exceptional. Although they have lost much or even everything for the third time in ten years, they are still friendly and kind-hearted. There was no sign of crime on our 3,800 km tour through the country. The encounters were always exceptional – we had many great conversations with people of all “classes”.

Life is beyond our imagination – what we understood is that the crisis brings people closer together. The answer of a dear person at a gas station, to the question of how he still manages to smile and be friendly, was this: “We have to go on – I cry silently”. This describes the dilemma of this wonderful country quite well. The former granary of Africa is visibly decaying. Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship left its mark and there is little hope for a turnaround among the people.

Travel in Zimbabwe is currently possible without any problems

For tourists a visit is currently feasible. We would like to point out that it is necessary to observe Zimbabwe. The country lacks money and therefore the supply lines with food and gasoline/diesel can collapse quickly. We had no problems during the whole trip. We drove a total of almost 3,800 km through the country and had wonderful encounters with people and animals. The Gonarezhou National Park turned out to be a special pearl, which lives a shadowy existence beyond the attention of the public.

Especially Matobo disappointed us – here we had a higher expectation, which the park unfortunately could not fulfill. We have to give a second chance to Mana Pools one day. We would recommend Zimbabwe to travelers who have experience of Africa. In any case, it is worth to be traveled intensively and those who want to experience Zimbabwe can do so in many places – except Victoria Falls. This tourist stronghold has nothing to do with the Zimbabwe we experienced and to which we lost our hearts to some extent.

A crisis without solution

A solution can only come from within. The people have to solve the problem. We sincerely wish them all the best, and we hope that they will manage to bring about a peaceful turnaround at some point. Burning cars and setting Pick n Pay on fire to express their indignation makes no sense. This only legitimizes the government to send soldiers and shoot the protesters.

All the best for you Zimbabwe….