Nyanga

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to Nyanga, the famed eastern highlands of Zimbabwe. Bordering Mozambique, the landscape is entirely foreign to the high veldt that surrounds Harare. Driving east, at first the scenery is your typical rolling grasslands with sparse trees. However, the rolling grasslands turn to undulating hills, and then suddenly, the landscape erupts into giant boils of granite formations and jagged peaks. Sheer granite faces stare at you as you drive on twisting roads, but the most startling change occurred as the flora adapted to the increase in altitude.


The first thing you notice is that the msasa trees, due to lack of oxygen, turn into msasa shrubs, and sweeping acacia trees begin to fill the skyline as well as vast stretches of pine. It felt like I was driving along the scenic Oregon coast mixed with the sprawling orchards of Napa valley. It honestly felt like I was no longer in Africa, but the rusted road signs and occasional potholes jarred me back into reality. Far to the eastern horizon thick clouds shrouded Zimbabwe’s highest peak: Mt Inyangani (2,592 Meters, 8,500 Ft). Supposedly, the mountain is home to witch doctors, and there are many stories of people who go hiking, get lost in the mists, and are never seen again. Some are as recent as a few years ago. Because of these incidents, schools no longer take their students on hikes up Inyangani.

Nyanga, because it is so close to Mozambique and so far away from Harare, has traditionally been a hotspot of activity. During the Bush War, Mozambique assisted the terrorist forces and frequent guerrilla raids occurred against the Rhodesian forces. Even after the war had ended and Zimbabwe had its independence, Nyanga was still a very unsafe place to travel. When Bob and Mandy went on their honeymoon to Nyanga in 1982, people thought they were crazy to drive out there, and there were several accounts of whites being murdered by War Vets. More recently in the 2008 elections, many War Vets took over properties and farms, and even more political violence against blacks was documented. The owners of the place we stayed at told us that War Vets were eyeing the property and consequently didn’t want to refurbish it in case they just took it from them.

Which brings me to Tsakatombi. Located on the top of a heavily forested valley, the property included several acres of pine forest, rivers, waterfalls, and cows. Tsakatombi isn’t necessarily the name of a city or a person, but just the property, as most large properties here have names. The building itself, reminiscent of a 1950’s Swiss chalet located in some remote part of the alps, was replete with a wood burning stove, onsite cooks and domestic help, and sweeping views of the valley below. At the end of a 4.5 Km dirt road (road is a euphemism) that is utterly impassable in the wet season, the property is usually covered in mist making you feel like you’ve just left Glasgow.

The nearest outpost of civilization to Tsakatombi is the small town of Troutbeck, named after Troutbeck Lake. Surrounding this small alpine village are vacation homes, and cottages owned by some of Zimbabwe’s wealthiest. At the center of Troutbeck is the Troutbeck Inn, where Bob and Mandy had their honeymoon. Supposedly in the entry there is a fire that hasn’t been extinguished in 150 years, but thanks to the new management, the last time some friends were here the fire was out. Despite Troutbeck being one of THE holiday destinations, in typical Zimbabwean style, there is no functioning store much less anything else!