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Zimbabwe Update January 2012
By Paul Murray©
I’m extremely grateful to Alison Parsons who sent me a long email having used the book on a recent family trip to Zimbabwe during which time they covered much of the country. The points below arise from her experiences.
Car Hire: Despite continuing to be an expensive option, one of the stipulations that is not always apparent is that the credit card you present on collection of the car must be the same one that you used for the booking deposit. This is also common practice in the airline industry so if you are a multi-card carrier, keep a note of which one you used to book.
Money Matters: page 117 (see also July 2010 Update). Mastercard continues to be generally unacceptable throughout the country – either for payment or at ATMs so ensure you bring Visa cards. ATM reliability is still a frequent problem so be sure you carry sufficient cash, not forgetting copious quantities of small denomination notes.
The US$ is now the preferred currency throughout the country, even in Bulawayo which initially tended to quote prices in South African rand. The rand is still acceptable in many places but you’ll often get a very poor exchange rate. The smallest $ denomination is the $1 note (no coins) so small change is frequently given as rand or pula coins or sweets.
While still on finances, Alison commented regarding the high cost of staying in Zimbabwe especially given the often rather basic facilities on offer in off-the-beaten-track areas. I could wax lyrical on this subject and often do, but for now I would reiterate what I wrote in the book that Zimbabwe is not a destination for those on a tight budget.
Harare taxis: It now seems necessary to negotiate a rate in advance rather than use the meter as the latter can be more expensive. This is very difficult for the first time visitor with no experience of the going rate so the best advice is to ask at the hotel lobby. Fares from airports into town are invariably inflated around the world so you’ll probably just have to accept this initial rip off until you can get a better feel for fares.
Martin and Lara Pitwood also spent a long trip around the country and emailed me with several important points:
Flights from Joburg to Vic Falls. They recommended taking SAA as it’s an earlier departure and visa queues at VFA are lengthy and can create a hold-up for the later BA/Comair flight. I hadn’t been aware of this problem previously and suspect it was due to a temporary shortage of immigration staff at the time – don’t ask why! Late update – according to a friend of mine who has just arrived, queues at VFA visa desk were very lengthy but this time simply because the computer system was down.
The Pitwoods also found an issue with Solenta Air at Vic Falls when they arrived in good time for their flight to Bumi Hills only to find it was departing an hour earlier than the time quoted at booking. The other two passengers hadn’t been advised either and very nearly missed the flight. Martin’s strong recommendation is to call the day before to check there have been no schedule changes. Their Harare stay was with friends and family and this remains the best way to get the most out of this city which after years in the doldrums has now returned to being vibrant and fun. So much is changing here that it’s impossible, even with these frequent internet updates, to keep up with all the new eateries, shops etc. One important message that did come out of their Harare experience is that it’s essential to pre-book at any of the good restaurants.
In Chimanimani , they report that Heaven Lodge (p320) has eventually slipped deep into the ‘not recommended’ category. And at Great Zimbabwe they definitely recommend paying for a guided tour. As I mentioned in the book, the guides seldom seem to know any more than you’ll read in the guide books you can buy onsite (if they are in stock) but they can be very entertaining with their presentation, know the best way around this complex site and of course it’s good to be able to give them some work in these very difficult economic times.
I’ll end this section with clip from Martin and Lara’s final paragraph –‘ I would strongly recommend visiting the country to anyone wanting to see something of Africa, as aside from one or two things that didn’t go very well we had an amazing time, and on the whole we felt totally safe and welcome. Much more so than we’ve ever felt in South Africa. We appreciated your guide's encouragement to go’.
Good news and bad news
The bad news coming out of the above reports along with others I have received and my own personal observation is that the much heralded upsurge in tourism following dollarisation and the more inclusive political scene introduced in Feb 2009, has been much slower than anticipated. (As always Victoria Falls is the exception here). This means that most of the country is still suffering from a drastic shortage of tourism revenue and in some off-the-beaten-track areas (but by no means all) standards of accommodation and service have slipped again.
The good news is that among all the feedback that I continue to receive, complaints are gratifyingly few and everyone writes generally in glowing terms about the country and its welcoming, friendly people. The other bit of good/bad news, I suppose, is that the book itself is still pretty up-to-date as many of the changes I anticipated just haven’t been implemented.
Air Zimbabwe
The national airline has been beleaguered on and off with striking pilots for the past year or so and this has only compounded the carrier’s already precarious financial situation. As a result their schedule of both international and domestic services has been beset with cancellations and delays. There appears to be no long term resolution in sight so you should bear this in mind when planning your trip and are advised to go online to check the latest situation.
Yellow Fever Confusion – Zambia/South Africa
Subsequent to my yellow fever alert for Zambia - RSA travellers in the last update, while proof-reading a regional travel newspaper a couple of weeks ago I found a news item saying the requirement had been lifted. Subsequent internet searches show no mention of this so I include here the relevant article from the South African Health Department dated 26 August 2011 www.doh.gov.za
South Africans travelling to Zambia will now be required to have a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate following a global Yellow Fever risk assessment conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Zambia`s status has been classified as a low risk. However, as Yellow Fever is vaccine preventable, and travellers to and from countries with a low risk of transmission still risk contracting or importing Yellow Fever into South Africa, the Department of Health in South Africa has updated the Yellow Fever vaccination policy to include Zambia. The new policy will be effective from 1 October 2011. From this date, a valid Yellow Fever certificate will be required for travellers over 1 year old:
- travelling from Zambia, or
- having been in transit through a Yellow Fever risk country including Zambia.
And here’s the sting for anyone who plans to get the vaccination at the border when they return to South Africa. You can arrange to have the jab at all entry points BUT they say you will be quarantined for 6 days until the vaccination takes effect. The mind boggles!
Note that this applies to any Zim visitor who has a recent Zambia stamp in their passport.
Self Drivers in Hired Cars – New tax
For several months at the end of 2011 drivers of hire cars entering the country at Kazungula (and possibly other border posts) were hit with a swingeing ‘Commercial Vehicle’ tax of $120, sometimes even $150. Drivers usually had no warning of this from their hire companies. When I came through this border last week there was a prominent notice advising of this new charge but the cost is a much more reasonable $30. It seems the tax was genuine but the sky high prices were a scam.
Victoria Falls
In the unlikely event that you’ve done all the other activities in the Falls, here’s another one to add to your adrenaline checklist. Crocodile cage diving. For $50 you can spend 25 minutes underwater surrounded by crocs, and you have to venture no further than Elephant Walk in the centre of town. It’s an acquired taste (as is, I imagine, the water) so check it out on predatordiving.com or go straight to reservations@predatordiving.com
The Encore Budget Hotel (p239) has been taken over, completely revamped and renamed The Adventure Lodge, part of the new activities agency in town, Adventure Zone. It has 70 rooms, all ensuite, mostly twins and 14 have a/c (extra). It’s on the corner of Pioneer Rd and Spencer St on the Chinotimba side and is in the $-$$ price category. tel: 0712 205306; fax: 013 44726; www.adventurezonevicfalls.com Add Adventure Zone to the list of local operators on p255
Tourism Police
I’ve just been reading the VF entries on Trip Advisor and was struck by the number of people who said they felt comforted by the presence of the Tourism Police. These police are really nice, friendly people and a welcome part of the local scene but their very presence is almost a double edged sword in terms of the impression they give of the town. In other words the very fact they are there suggests there is a safety issue in town. Nothing could be further from the truth and while they were undoubtedly effective in ‘the old days’ of unscrupulous money changers, Vic Falls has never suffered from anything other than extremely petty crime. So please don’t think, as some tourists evidently do, that you need to engage the services of one of these police to escort you around town – if they approach you and offer to walk with you, it’s rather more of their expectation of a tip than a need to protect you from villains! You may however appreciate them if you are being overly pestered by curio touts but these guys always get the message if you are polite but firm. If you do engage a police officer, feel free to tip as they receive a pittance in salary.
Traditional Village and Dancing Display p247
These used to be situated at the entrance to the Elephant Walk market complex but the site has now been reduced to a building site with sadly, no obvious plan to reinstate this very good attractions.
Harare p159
Armadale Boutique Lodge. 9 Armadale Rd, Borrowdale; tel: 882781; cell: (0)772 275716; email:armadale@zol.co.zw; www.armadalelodge.com I have just received a glowing report from a friend who stayed here recently. There are 7 ensuite rooms in 2 acres of gardens and one cottage and all with an impressive array of facilities