The Eastern Highlands: Nowhere More Beautiful in Africa'
Source: The Herald
Date: 25 August 2006
Author: Anon
Our quick trip for this weekend takes us to The Eastern Highlands that was once described by the late Queen Elizabeth of Britain, the Queen Mother, as: "Nowhere more beautiful in Africa" when she visited Zimbabwe way back in 1960.
The Eastern Highlands
1. Best to find out where it is: From Harare travel east towards Mutare. After 170km turn left at Rusape town for another 100km, to the clearly marked entrance to the vast mountainous area of Nyanga.
2. Best way to get there: The best way to get to the Eastern Highlands is by road and you can either drive to Mutare first or go straight to Nyanga and then proceed to Chimanimani and the Bvumba mountains. There are beautiful sceneries which visitors can see while driving to this magical mountain kingdom of the Manicaland Province.
3. Best reason to go there: You are sure not to miss the African sunrise, but the glowing light reveals a landscape that, though Africa in its sheer extent is gentler and more softly rounded than almost any other corner of this vast continent. The scenery is cool and restful, that makes a wonderland of the Eastern Highlands. Witness Zimbabwe's highest mountain, the Inyangani Mountain.
4. Best place to start your visit: The best place to start off an adventurous visit to the Eastern Highlands is Mutare, where the visitors can drive past the famous Christmas Pass into Zimbabwe's fourth largest city. The Christmas Pass is ever so beautiful especially at night when you can get a full view of bright lights of the city of Mutare and during day time, the overlapping mountains spectacle is just a marvel to see and it would seem like the Eastern Highlands is one small village.
5. Best weather lore: The Eastern Highlands has the coolest weather in the country and at this time of the year areas like Nyanga will have little rainfall showers and high humidity making it cloudy and moist and favourable for all visitors who want to beat the commencing heat syndromes of the beginning summer season.
6. Best celebrity sighting possible: Besides the Inyangani Mountain there is the Bridal Veil Falls, Eastern Highlands' most beautiful waterfall. The Bridal Veil Falls cascade in a delicate tracery of white over velvety moss-covered rocks, in the morning light sparkles like reflections off a stained-glass window where delicate folds of white spray tumble 50m between forest and fern-clad cliffs. Two conspicuous trees in the parkland at the falls, one dark and one light twist and grow together, symbolising perhaps the symphony and dream-like quality of this sylvan glade, rich in birds, mist and mountain windsong.
7. Best thing to do with kids: There are plenty of activities that visitors can do with their kids, visiting the Nyanga National Park and see the abundant wildlife in the park. Nature discovery adventure at the Bvumba Botanical Gardens and children can go on a wildlife safari on horseback and also mountain rock climbing as mountain climbing is reserved
8. Best way to spoil yourselves: The best way to spoil yourselves is to visit the one to many hotels in the Eastern Highlands and on top of the list is the Leopard Rock Hotel which boasts of one of a highly ranked 18-hole golf course voted one of the "finest golf resorts" in the world. It is the best of both worlds at Troutbeck Inn and Montclair Hotel and Casino, were fishing at Troutbeck can be nothing short of pleasure and throwing some dices at the casino at Montclair.
9. Best spot: The spot is the highest peak in the country, the Inyangani Mountain, which is always covered by mist making it nature's own paradise.
10. Best time to go there: This time of year is the most appropriate to travel to the Eastern Highlands and experience the beauty of nature at its best.