Eastern Valley

This is one of ZIM4x4's favourite areas. The Zambezi Valley east of Mana Pools, and the surrounding terrain, offer some of Zimbabwe's most exciting places and experiences for 4x4 owners. Much of it is so-called 'communal land', but it is often very wild, and managed for wildlife by local communities.

There are some surprisingly good wildlife populations, but the area also has many other attractions such as rugged scenery, fossil deposits including dinosaur trackways, sacred forests and other cultural sites, fishing, and the chance to explore little-known and little-used tracks and routes with more freedom than within the Parks estate.

Mavuradonha Wilderness Area
The 500sq km Mavuradonha Wilderness area lies in Muzarabani district, approximately 100km north of Harare, and is a community-managed conservation scheme, generating income for local projects including schools and clinics.

Mavuradonha is well worth a visit. The wilderness area is uninhabited, and consists mainly of wild and rugged Zambezi escarpment hills and gorges It holds small populations of local wildlife including elephants, lions, zebra and sable, but the Mavuradonha's biggest attraction is its scenery and `wilderness quality`.

There is a campsite on the tarred main road from Harare to Muzarabani. There are few accessible roads or tracks within the Mavuradonha itself, but visitors can walk and bivouac at will within the area. However, some may wish to try their hand at the old and now disused `Alpha Trail` , which leads down the Zambezi Escarpment and may or may not be negotiable, depending on conditions.

Doma
The Doma Hills lie within the hills south of the Zambezi escarpment, about 180km north of Harare. We have pioneered a route that will take visitors through some very remote, rugged and definitely 4 x 4 terrain, down the Zambezi Escarpment to the wildlife country of the Zambezi Valley, and then on to Mana Pools or other destinations in the Valley.

Guruve, Muzarabani and Kanyemba
Guruve and Muzarabani rural districts lie in northern Zimbabwe, on the Mozambique border. Many parts of these districts encompass unsettled and attractive wilderness areas that can be accessed by 4x4 vehicles on unsurfaced roads, and a visit to these areas can easily be arranged either en route to the Mana Pools National Park, or as a stand-alone route.

Kanyemba is a small settlement within Guruve district, on the Zambezi River just above the headwaters of Lake Cabora Bassa. Several fishing camps offer specialized tigerfishing excursions.

Fossil outcrops occur throughout much of Guruve district, the best-known being the `fossil forest` a short distance from Angwa Bridge. However, there is also a little-known but deeply impressive dinosaur trackway in the bed of the Ntumbe River, which lies just inside the Chewore Safari Area near Mkanga Bridge. The best way to visit the trackway is to pick up a Parks Authority ranger from Mkanga Bridge. Access to the trackway is over rough dirt roads, followed by a short walk to the riverbed.

Vehicles, access, accommodation, and when to visit
This is definitely a 4x4 area. Initial access is either on gravel roads from places such as Mana Pools in the west, or from Harare via Mhangura, Shamrocke Mine, Guruve, or Muzarabani. The nearest fuel points are Makuti, Kariba or Karoi (from the west) or Harare; and required range may be from 600 to 1000km, depending on routeing.

Doma Safari Lodge offers self-catering accommodation, and there are specialised fishing camps on the Zambezi in the Kanyemba, Chewore and Sapi areas. Otherwise, it's camping most of the way.

Mavuradonha, Kanyemba and some other attractions are accessible throughout the year. However, travel in the more remote parts of the area is best done during the dry season between April and November.

Conservation issues
Community-managed wildlife schemes and sport hunting are a hot topic, including the Mavuradonha and Doma Project areas. Does it pay for itself? Do rural communities really benefit? Does it genuinely help conservation? And if so, what about elephants injuring villagers and raiding their crops? There are also many other important issues in the Eastern Valley area, including oil and gas exploration, potential platinum, chrome and nickel mining, and tsetse fly eradication.