Our Eastern Highlands Adventure in Nyanga.

Our Eastern Highlands Adventure in Nyanga.

Blue Swallow Lodges.

Our year began with two weeks of schooling, before we headed off for our eastern highlands adventure and annual visit to Blue Swallow Lodges, at Troutbeck Resort, Nyanga.

Nyanga is a place where there are endless adventures, waiting to be enjoyed. As the children get older, so these adventures become more strenuous and exciting.

The Packshed.

Our week began with a Portuguese chicken lunch, enjoyed at the Packshed.

This is an old rustic shed, with a spectacular view across a valley, towards Mozambique. We had a great afternoon of relaxation and excellent food, whilst taking in the breathtaking views.

Troutbeck Golf.

The children really love their golf, so everyday 9 holes are played,- come rain or shine.

Both children are now able to take on the adults, which makes for very competitive games. These games are always punctuated by loads of chatter and banter, within the excitement of the challenge.

As the week progressed, so the children’s golfing skills improved. This year both children were desperate to score at least one birdie hole. Happily, they both managed to achieve this milestone, resulting in eruptions of noisy celebration!

World’s View.

A bicycle ride to Nyanga’s ‘World’s View’ took most of a morning to complete. That day the weather was overcast, chilly and raining, which didn’t deter the children at all. They headed off for the 20km round trip, complete with raincoats and backpacks.

The children rode their old bicycles, which made the going a bit difficult, especially up the hills! However, that didn’t stop them from enjoying this adventure.

Once at World’s View, they climbed up to the mountain top, determined to get to the highest viewing point. The stunning view of the valley below certainly made the steep climb up worth the considerable effort. As is usual in Nyanga, some of the distant valley was obscured by a gentle mist.

Pungwe River Walk.

Another day trip was a drive to see the Pungwe River and Mtaradzi Falls. With the lack of road maintenance in this area, most of the roads to the Pungwe require a 4 wheeled drive vehicle.

The goal was to go trout fishing in the Pungwe River. However, the river was in full flood, due to heavy rains, so we were not able to cross the river by vehicle, in order to access the fishing pools.

The only other option was a slow trek on foot, through dense bush. Once at the river pools, the trout fishing began. After an hour or so, with no success, we began the slow trek back to the vehicle…

Wet feet and scratched legs aside, being able to drink water straight from a cool, pristine river, created another unforgettable memory, which made up for the lack of biting fish.

Mtaradzi Falls.

Our drive continued to the Mtarazi Falls, where there is a ‘sky high’ pedestrian bridge and massive zip line to be experienced. Our arrival immediately caused discussion, as to who would be brave enough to partake in these activities. Eventually, we decided to add these experiences to the children’s activities for their next trip.

Spectacular views made the challenging day trip most enjoyable, topped off by seeing the 6th highest waterfall in the world! Mtarazi Falls is a place we shall definitely return to.

Eastern Highlands, Nyanga.

Although Nyanga is so much colder and wetter than the rest of Zimbabwe, it is a very special place, which brings one very close to nature. Here one can really relax, or explore, whilst enjoying the invigorating crystal clear mountain air.

A beautiful rainbow, on the last afternoon of golf, was the amazing sight with which to end our trip.

Next year we shall return for more fishing, cycling and golfing, plus the real challenge of that crazy high zip line!

‘Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.’ 1 Chronicles 29:11.

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