Zimbabwe's Stunning Eastern Highlands

So after our rather traumatic arrival into Zimbabwe, we headed to an Inn outside Mutare. The place, called the White Horse Inn, had a good reputation. Unfortunately, the place itself had not stood the test of time, lack of customers and the Zimbabwean economic ruin. The first room we received was musty, damp and infested with a number of cockroaches and other insects. After asking for a better room, we moved across the hall, and despite it being larger, it suffered from the exact same problems as the first. I went on a bit of a killing spree, annihilating entire families of cockroaches, and before we went for a bite to eat, we sprayed the aptly named Doom into the room. Upon our return it quickly became obvious that it had worked its poisonous magic, as bugs littered the floor and bathroom. We asked room service to clean it all up and went to have some lovely tea by candle light (there was no electricity). When the generator went on, we were able to quickly go online and check out some alternative sleeping options in the Eastern Highlands, and settled on spending one night in the world famous Leopard Rock Hotel.

Whilst the service and food at the Inn was excellent, it is just tragic to see how dilapidated the building and rooms were. We didn't sleep very well that night, aware that distant relatives of the roaches that we killed might be on the warpath. As a result we were happy to leave the next morning, and we headed up the foggy roads towards the Botanical Gardens. The fog was so intense that at times we were just crawling along at 10 km/h, and the botanical gardens were not worth visiting that morning as a result. The Leopard Rock Hotel was also shrouded in an almost snow-like substance when we arrived, but luckily the fires were already roaring and their service and hot tea was exceptional. The place had been undergoing a bit of a renovation, although some parts still felt like they were stuck in the mid 20^th century. When the fog cleared up a bit, we went for a walk through the gardens and golf course, apparently the 2^nd toughest in the world. The dinner that night was quality, and as a treat, we went to check out the Casino and play on the slots. It was like entering a 1970s Vegas Motel, what it lacked in class it made up in kitsch. We spent 10 dollars on the slot machines, discovering along the way that about half of them were broken and not functioning. The staff were great and very happy to see gamblers though, and helped us out every time the machines broke down.

The next morning we did manage to go to the Botanical Gardens and have a walk around through the different gardens and forests.

We subsequently drove back through Mutare towards Musangano lodge, where we stayed for two nights in a lovely chalet overlooking the nearby hills. We went for a day trip to Nyanga National Park and visited Cecil Rhodes' old house, which has been turned into a hotel. Though closed at the time that we were there, they were kind enough to rustle up a hearty lunch for us. The park itself was stunning, and we went for a short hike to the waterfalls, visited the ruined forts and generally admired the great vistas.