Great Zimbabwe

What is the best way to get to Great Zimbabwe from either Victoria
Falls or Johannesburg? Should I book a tour? I don't like the idea
of a tour. I am not into luxury travel and have always been an
independent traveler (in Europe and Australia) but Africa seems scarier
and also I want to avoid driving. Are there tours that include Great
Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls and nearby game parks? How safe is Zimbabwe?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Steve Gerdemann

schrieb:
What is the best way to get to Great Zimbabwe from either Victoria
Falls or Johannesburg? Should I book a tour? I don't like the idea
of a tour. I am not into luxury travel and have always been an
independent traveler (in Europe and Australia) but Africa seems scarier
and also I want to avoid driving. Are there tours that include Great
Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls and nearby game parks? How safe is Zimbabwe?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Steve Gerdemann

Hello Steve,

first of all you should check the political situation in Zimbabwe! I
don`t think taht it`s a good idea to go there in these days.

Yours, Michael

http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/

Hi Steve,

In spite of warnings etc. I have never had any problems in Zimbabwe on
the main routes, and I pass through there many times each year. I
can't say that it's PERFECTLY safe, but I would have no hesitations
about driving through.

Several points:
1) I don't know about tours so I can't help there, but I prefer to
drive, and Zimbabwe is a nice country to drive in particularly now
that there is no fuel available. This might sound a bit of a
contradiction, but the shortage of fuel means that the roads are
almost empty and vey safe. You must just make sure you have enough
fuel to get you in and out of the country...

The drive from Johannesburg to Great Zimbabwe is quite nice for a
tourist. After the rather boring first 300km you will get to the
Tropic of Capricorn and from there until the Messina border the
countryside is really lovely, especially around the Soutpansberge
outside Louis Trichardt. The whole route from Jhb to Messina is on
excellent tarmac roads.

I reccomend the border crossing for anyone who wants a taste of
African chaos and bureacracy without the any of the danger that you
might face at some borders. ;-)

The road from the border to Great Zimbabwe is in good condition
tarmac. The countryside is beautifully stark and dry, with great light
for photography. Great Zimbabwe is truly an amazing place. Before you
go, I'd recommend reading up on the place as much as possible, because
information is difficult to obtain in Zimbabwe.

For game parks, I'd strongly recommend Kruger rather than the parks in
Zim. It's better run, has much better game viewing opportunities, and
fuel and food are easily available.

Great Zimbabwe and Vic. Falls are a must-see at least once in your
life.

Regards,

Marc

On 1 Aug 2005 08:42:05 -0700, wrote:

What is the best way to get to Great Zimbabwe from either Victoria
Falls or Johannesburg? Should I book a tour? I don't like the idea
of a tour. I am not into luxury travel and have always been an
independent traveler (in Europe and Australia) but Africa seems scarier
and also I want to avoid driving. Are there tours that include Great
Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls and nearby game parks? How safe is Zimbabwe?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Steve Gerdemann

Marc Lurie schrieb:
Hi Steve,

In spite of warnings etc. I have never had any problems in Zimbabwe on
the main routes, and I pass through there many times each year. I
can't say that it's PERFECTLY safe, but I would have no hesitations
about driving through.

Hi Marc,

how do you manage this, as currently there is literally no fuel available?

Concernig the situation in the parks:

http://www.sokwanele.com/articles/so...ugust2005.html

Yours, Michael

My car has a 120 litre tank, and I always carry two 20 litre jerry
cans as well.

I can get from Messina (South Africa) to Manica (Mozambique) or
Livingstone (Zambia) without using the jerry cans. With the jerry
cans, I can reach Lusaka.

Marc

On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 17:27:26 +0200, Michael Janz
wrote:

Marc Lurie schrieb:
Hi Steve,

In spite of warnings etc. I have never had any problems in Zimbabwe on
the main routes, and I pass through there many times each year. I
can't say that it's PERFECTLY safe, but I would have no hesitations
about driving through.

Hi Marc,

how do you manage this, as currently there is literally no fuel available?

Concernig the situation in the parks:

http://www.sokwanele.com/articles/so...ugust2005.html

Yours, Michael

Marc Lurie schrieb:
Hi Steve,

In spite of warnings etc. I have never had any problems in Zimbabwe on
the main routes, and I pass through there many times each year. I
can't say that it's PERFECTLY safe, but I would have no hesitations
about driving through.

I am aware that Zimbabwe has significant safety issues. I am an
admitted coward and my wife is even less daring so we are concerned
about going to Zimbabwe. I hoped that there were still a few tourist
areas (great Zimbabwe, Hwange) that were still safe to visit.

I would love to know more about Great Zimbabwe. Can you recommend any
books? Many years ago I searched the public library and all I could
find was a short article with one small b & w picture.


Steve Gerdemann

As far as I'm concerned, the chances of anything dangerous happening
to you at Great Zimbabwe are minimal. The area is still a tourist
area, with gate guards, and guides hanging about etc. They welcome any
tourists.

As far as books on Great Zimbabwe.... I have two books at home, but
I'm sure they're not available in print anymore. I managed to buy one
(a glorified information pamphlet) at Great Zimbabwe, and I can't
remember where I got the other. South African bookshops are a good
idea, so try http://www.kalahari.net for online sales.

In my older, more responsible, years I have also become a bit of a
coward, but I don't have any hesitation about driving through Zim to
Vic Falls or Masvingo (near Great Zimbabwe). If you're really worried,
you could stay in Messina, and do a day trip through to Great Zim, and
be back in SA that night. There is tons of accomodation in Messina
ranging from budget to 5-star. Including border crossing, Messina to
G.Zim is about 3.5 hours by car.

If you're REALLY, REALLY, REALLY cowardly, then perhaps Africa isn't a
good idea at all :-)

Marc


On 3 Aug 2005 07:01:49 -0700, wrote:



Marc Lurie schrieb:
Hi Steve,

In spite of warnings etc. I have never had any problems in Zimbabwe on
the main routes, and I pass through there many times each year. I
can't say that it's PERFECTLY safe, but I would have no hesitations
about driving through.

I am aware that Zimbabwe has significant safety issues. I am an
admitted coward and my wife is even less daring so we are concerned
about going to Zimbabwe. I hoped that there were still a few tourist
areas (great Zimbabwe, Hwange) that were still safe to visit.

I would love to know more about Great Zimbabwe. Can you recommend any
books? Many years ago I searched the public library and all I could
find was a short article with one small b & w picture.


Steve Gerdemann