Zimbabwe Road Travel

Hi, I would like to visit Victoria Fall from RSA by car. Is this
possible thru Zimbabwe or should I should I travel thru Botswana? Also,
what is the current petrol situation in Zimbabwe? TIA

wrote:
Hi, I would like to visit Victoria Fall from RSA by car. Is this
possible thru Zimbabwe or should I should I travel thru Botswana? Also,
what is the current petrol situation in Zimbabwe? TIA

I drove from Joberg to Zambia, across Zam to Vic Falls and back through
Bots to SA a year ago. Zim was completely fine. My truck used diesel,
and there was no problem finding fuel, but I cannot vouch for the
availability of petrol (gasoline). The roads were good, the people
friendly, and the countryside was wonderful.

That being said, never forget that it is a country in deep hurt, theft
and crime is rife, and cities there can be much more dangerous than in
many other places in Africa. Our travel partners had a real scare in
Bulawayo, where some locals poked a small hole in their tire, and then
followed them out of town. The car behind them saw it happen, caught up
with them at a light, and warned them to get to a garage or police
station, as it was apparently not uncommon for local hoods to do this
and rob the tourists (or worse) once they were stranded with a flat
tire way out of town.

The border crossings were a world-class hassle, but it was worth it
once we were through. The crossing from Zim to Zam was the worst, with
the crossing guard insisting that I needed a document which I didn't
have (of course, he was fishing for a bribe, which I did not give him).
Eventually, he let us pass through, but I wonder what would have
happened if the line behind us had not been so long.

If you are taking a rental car, double-check that they let you go into
Zim, and be sure to bring all the documents necessary for the crossing.
You have to pay some fee for insurance in Zam as well as a 'road tax';
the details have been discussed on this newsgroup in detail before. A
deja-news search will provide all that.

--riverman

On 1 Jan 2007 08:53:20 -0800, "riverman" wrote:

I drove from Joberg to Zambia, across Zam to Vic Falls and back through
Bots to SA a year ago. Zim was completely fine.
SNIP
--riverman

Riverman said it all really... I thought I'd add a few points though:

1) Crossing from SA into Zim at Beit Bridge is not too much of a
hassle but you MUST have the registration papers of the vehicle. If
the vehicle is not yours, or if it is yours but is financed by another
institution you MUST have a letter of authority (a Cross-Border
letter) from the financial institution or the owner.

2) Never change money with guys on the street in Zim, unless you are
with someone you trust. There is a high likelihood of losing half your
money.

3) I have worked out a good strategy for dealing with situations like
Riverman mentioned where an official insists that you are missing some
paperwork and is obviously angling for a bribe... They will almost
always ask you for the "missing" paperwork in a way that other
co-workers can't hear. I feign ignorance and start to (politely, but
with mock frustration) raise my voive and I say something like "I
don't understand. The last time I came through here I didn't need this
paper. I'll be happy to comply, but I don't understand what you want
from me." Say it loud enough for other border officials to hear, but
not loud enough to be shouting or impolite. It works everytime, and
the guy will wave you on.

4) I wouldn't worry about driving through Zim to Vic Falls. The roads
are generally good, and the drive through via Bulawayo is very pretty.
Beit Bridge to Vic Falls can be done in one day, but you might want to
break in Bulawayo which is a very pleasant (albeit a bit run down
lately) town.

Regards,
Marc

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi, I would like to visit Victoria Fall from RSA by car. Is this
possible thru Zimbabwe or should I should I travel thru Botswana? Also,
what is the current petrol situation in Zimbabwe? TIA


I was in the Victoria Falls area in late November, 2006. On the plane
back to South Africa I met South African tourists who has spent the time
on the Zimbabwe side of the falls (I stayed in Zambia except for one quick
afternoon trip to see the Zimbabwe side of the falls). The troubles in
Zimbabwe are considerable, and while the tourists from South Africa said
they were OK most of the time, life in general is getting quite difficult
for a lot of people there. They said that many of the places only
accepted payment in US$, bottled water was being sold for $4 for a fairly
small bottle, and in general everything was far more expensive than they
had been prepared for.

Considering that things there are changing day by day, if you do decide to
do this trip it would be interesting to hear back from you and see what
you have to say for the current situation there for tourists.

--
-Glennl
The despammed service works OK, but unfortunately
now the spammers grab addresses for use as "from" address too!
e-mail hint: add 1 to quantity after gl to get 4317.