Italian native,
Sylvia Leimgruber,
has always been a
fan of the mountains,
especially steep ones.
Now living in Innsbruck,
Austria, she devotes her
free time to Vertriding.
Sylvia recently ventured
to Zimbabwe to discover
the raw, natural beauty
of this incredible country.
wi th
giraffes
WiFi, no 3G and limited electricity.
We left the modern and well-structured
capital Harare and travelled southeast on
a wide road through hilly, fertile farmland.
There was little traffi c outside the city
perimeter and our surroundings appeared
vast and empty. In Marondera, 70km east
of Harare, we stocked up on provisions
for the coming days. This city was once a
hub in an important wine growing region.
These days, the buildings are increasingly
deteriorating. Wherever we looked it was
the same picture: dozens, if not hundreds
of people, queuing patiently at banks and
ATM machines. Withdrawals are generally
limited to $50 per person per day. And not
even that is guaranteed.
Our shopping mission and the chaos
of the city resulted in a substantial delay.
Continuing on the same day was no longer
an option as it was too dangerous to drive
in the dark on the hardly maintained roads.
The sky turned red as if the door to a furnace
was opened and we began looking for a
place to stay for the night. The following
morning, we drove past farmland and fi elds
of tobacco. Landscapes of stark contrast
and views of the mountain range unfolded
as we travelled east, from the temperate
highlands surrounding Mutare to the hot
and humid lowlands. We couldn’t wait to
reach our fi nal destination.
Chimanimani perches at 1 500m above
sea level and is surrounded by mountains
reaching over 2 400m. In the 1970s
many hippies and non-conformists were
bucket list busting | MTB | 131