Over the past several years, many OAT travelers have questioned our decision to continue traveling to Zimbabwe under the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe.
I could write volumes about the special relationship we have with the Zimbabwean people who have helped change our travelers’ lives for so many years. I could give you a thousand reasons why we feel it is our duty to stand by them as they struggle.
Yes, I could tell you … but I’d rather let Zimbabwe tell you.
This is why we still go.
— Harriet
My name is Robson Zimbudzi. I was born in the southeastern part of Zimbabwe. My uncle was the first black person to become a professional guide in Zimbabwe. Going to school, I knew what I wanted to be: a safari guide, just like my uncle.
After my schooling I did my guiding course, and in 1994 I got my first job as a guide at a lodge close to Hwange National Park. All of our safari operations were located in Hwange, which happens to be the biggest national park in Zimbabwe (about 5,600 square miles in size). It is home to an estimated 45,000 elephants, and it’s where you’ll see the biggest “towers” of giraffes (as a group of them is called). Lucky travelers can see the “Big 5” in three hours. I have always had a special place in my heart for this wonderful national park in my country.
In the year 2000, the tourism business in Zimbabwe came almost to a standstill because of political instability. The lodge that I worked for closed. I was lucky to get a job with OAT. From this period on, things only got worse and worse in Zimbabwe. What really touches my heart is to see what is left of Hwange National Park, the park that I have always and will always love. Our department of national parks is failing to keep all the boreholes running so the animals will have water to drink. If you are here during our dry season, the situation will bring tears to your eyes. The weak and young animals die because of less water. The only area where there will be life is the concession of the park that OAT travelers go through.
What makes this possible is OAT, which is still sending travelers to Zimbabwe in these hard times. Without tourism, we will not be able to run our national park. I feel that the wildlife in Zimbabwe is not only a Zimbabwean heritage, it is a world heritage. I strongly feel that OAT is doing a great job. People might feel they are supporting Mugabe, but I disagree. A lot of what they are doing makes it possible for us to pump water for wildlife—and to provide work for Zimbabweans who live in a country with 80% unemployment.
I have had so many wonderful experiences as a guide in Hwange National Park. I would like to share one of them.
We took off on a game drive with six travelers in a safari vehicle one morning. These travelers were dying to see lions. For the first two hours, we had no luck on the lions. Just as we were about to head back to camp, one of the other guides called on the two-way radio advising us of a pride of lions that was on a kudu kill. Without wasting time, we rushed there.
When we arrived at the sighting, the kudu was halfway eaten. Lions have this habit of fighting for food when it’s disappearing, and they make scary sounds. As we were watching the lions, a breeding herd of elephants approached from behind. Now we were caught in the middle. As soon as the elephants picked up the smell of the lions, they started trumpeting. To me, this was like National Geographic came alive. I looked back just to check if all the travelers were enjoying this rare sighting—and I got the shock of my life. I could not see anybody in the back. When I looked a second time, I realized that they were hiding under the seats! And I realized that it was time to go back to camp.
I do hope that we will continue to have the support of our travelers to keep this part of Hwange alive.
Discover Zimbabwe—and Robson’s beloved Hwange National Park—on Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe Safari with OAT.