Africa Adventure - Amalinda Lodge and Matobo National Park

There is so much of the adventure to Zimbabwe, Africa to recount. This blog post covers some of the adventure at our first location, Amalinda Lodge and the Matobo National Park. Quick link to video.

The adventure started Monday, April 1 for Marlin and Tuesday, April 2 for Pam, Susan, and me. We met up in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 3. And on April 4 we flew together to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Other than my pocketknife being confiscated (my mistake) and me forgetting deodorant, the travel went smoothly. There was some confusion about luggage going all the way to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe or whether it could be intercepted in Johannesburg.

We landed at Bulawayo International Airport on Thursday, April 4 and were met by Phil, the co-owner of Amalinda Lodge. Phil took us to the Amalinda offices in Bulawayo. We got to meet the staff including Shaun who was such a great help setting up our entire tour and was so willing and able to answer all our questions before the trip.

I have to mention the weather early on. Southern Africa is in the midst of a very dangerous drought. April is the end of the rainy season however the area did not receive nearly enough rain during the season. The lack of rain was universally attributed to the El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. The good news for Southern Africa was that we brought an incredible amount of rain. It poured while we were in Johannesburg and rained a little or a lot every day until we were in Victoria Falls at the end of our trip. We certainly could not complain and while it was mentioned that the rainy, damp weather impacted the animals being out and about, we were still able to find nearly every animal that was expected.

View of pool and pool house

From the Amalinda Collection offices, we soon arrived at the lodge which is outside of Matobo National Park. Driving on the left side in Zimbabwe takes a bit of getting used to. We were able to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. The lodge has an amazing (you are going to see that word a lot) pool that is actually a giant rock depression filled with water. But every time I got in the pool, there would be a crack of thunder and some lightening followed by some much needed rain.

Mother and Child formation

We met Edward who would be our guide during our stay at Amalinda. After dinner and a long day, we were in bed by 9pm.

You are constantly reminded of the striking geology of the Matobo Hills. Formed by volcanoes a long time ago, erosion has left stunning and unbelievable rock formations that seem to defy gravity.

Our first photo safari ride was to the Northern Wilderness Area of Matobo National Park in search of white rhinoceros. We stopped at the Park Headquarters to pick up Shelton, a park ranger to assist. Shelton carried a rifle as protection against poachers.

After a lot of driving and tracking, Shelton trekked us through the bush and tall grass to two rhinos. We had lost Edward at this point. Shelton's ability to guide us and track the rhinos at the same time was much appreciated. We were just 30 feet from two white rhinos!

Nsvatuke Cave Paintings

Back to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before driving to another part of the park and the Nsvatuke cave paintings. This was a long and rough ride but really fun. There are caves all over the Matobos Hills and many of them have paintings and significant cultural uses and meanings. We drove back in the dark while avoiding many of the cattle that are allowed to graze in the parks and along the roads.

On the second day (Saturday, April 6) of photo safaring, Edward took us to the Whovi Game Park section of the Park. Our goal was to see black rhinoceroses but we were not successful. We did see a very large male white rhino and lots of other animals including our first hippopotamus.

From the game park we stopped at Ethandweni Children's Home. Pam has volunteered at this orphanage and wanted to re-connect with Lucien who runs it. She also got to meet two of the children she had met when they were very little.

After lunch Pam and I were relaxing at the spectacular pool when Edward brought the lodge zonkey and zebras by. Pam and I got stranded at the pool when a very heavy rainstorm came (oops, I got in the pool again!).

Bundled up against the wind and rain

The storm finally passed but the weather was very threatening. We were convinced to go out on our next adventure to Cecil Jones Rhodes grave site. Well, we didn't make it halfway when the next wave of a very severe storm came up. We turned around but stopped at Fort Inungu (a roadside plaque) so that Edward could give us the history of Rhodes and the indigenous people of Zimbabwe. Just as he was wrapping up the history, the storm descended on us. Poor Edward got completely soaking wet driving us home.

The heavy rains were the most the lodge had measured since December!

We were always treated to incredible meals at Amalinda. Travel opens your eyes to the rest of the world. We shared the dinner table with people from Germany, Denmark, Zimbabwe, and America. We had dinner with Sharon and Phil, the owners of The Amalinda Collection and founders of Mother Africa Trust. A portion of every safari reservation fee goes to support the projects of Mother Africa Trust.

Following dinner, we played a round of Five Crowns card game (Marlin won) under the gaze of a white frog. Be sure to ask Pam and Susan about the white frog in their room.

There are so many more little stories and encounters but don't want to make this blog too long. Ask about the resurrection plant 😊or all the cattle or the burned-out car that served as a mile marker.

The next day (Sunday, April 7) we were driven from Amalinda Lodge to Khulu Tent Camp and Lodge on the east side of Hwange National Park. The drive itself was quite an adventure. Be sure to watch the video to the end to see the "truck incident."

Video of the Amalinda leg (no music but some occasional audio commentary) - click here. The animal blog/video is available here.