4/7/07 – 4/10/07
Okay, so I lied a little bit in that last blog entry. We only ended up walking 8 miles (a truck eventually picked us up), and only the first 5 miles were through a hail storm.
After the storm lifted, we walked on in high spirits hoping that maybe we would see some wildlife. In the distance we spotted several animals grazing on the hillside, but couldn’t tell what they were. We decided to walk up the hill and get a closer look. The closer we got it was easy to tell. We walked right up to a herd of about 20 zebra, with some small bushbuck jumping in between them. It definitely set the theme for an amazing weekend.
Since it was my birthday, we decided to stay in the luxurious Chelinda Lodge for three nights, instead of the cheaper Chelinda Camp. We stayed in a chalet overlooking the rolling hills of the Nyika Plateau and had amazing food for breakfast lunch and dinner. They even have someone come into your chalet in the morning and light the fire while you’re still in bed!!
The luxurious accommodations certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of our budget trip.
“Did you fly or drive?” asked another guest at the lodge.
“We took a matola and then walked from the junction.”
“Shouldn’t you be staying down at the camp?”
Okay, so I lied a little bit in that last blog entry. We only ended up walking 8 miles (a truck eventually picked us up), and only the first 5 miles were through a hail storm.
After the storm lifted, we walked on in high spirits hoping that maybe we would see some wildlife. In the distance we spotted several animals grazing on the hillside, but couldn’t tell what they were. We decided to walk up the hill and get a closer look. The closer we got it was easy to tell. We walked right up to a herd of about 20 zebra, with some small bushbuck jumping in between them. It definitely set the theme for an amazing weekend.
Since it was my birthday, we decided to stay in the luxurious Chelinda Lodge for three nights, instead of the cheaper Chelinda Camp. We stayed in a chalet overlooking the rolling hills of the Nyika Plateau and had amazing food for breakfast lunch and dinner. They even have someone come into your chalet in the morning and light the fire while you’re still in bed!!
The luxurious accommodations certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of our budget trip.
“Did you fly or drive?” asked another guest at the lodge.
“We took a matola and then walked from the junction.”
“Shouldn’t you be staying down at the camp?”
We went for a hike one day, and a horse ride the next. The landscape was truly amazing. I don’t think pictures will do it justice. I’d describe it as the unsettled plains of the Midwest back in the day (not at all what you’d expect from Africa). We saw lots of zebra and 4 different kinds of antelope (eland, roan, bushbuck, and reedbuck). They let you get incredibly close, especially when you’re on horseback. We also spotted a bush pig, and various birds. Our last night there we went on a night drive in which we got to see a cerval cat, several eagle owls, and a couple jackals. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any leopards or hyenas. It was definitely a remarkable few days, despite the fact that we got caught out in two more storms.
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