The 6 of us woke up in our dorm room around 7am and it was very chilly outside. We took our time getting dressed and making our way to breakfast which was crepes, sausage, coffee, and hot coco. At 8:30am, we left our campsite, Burke’s Backpackers Paradise, and drove a chilly 30 min to Matobo National Park. We had a local guide named Andy who wore shorts and walked barefoot at one point. He would pick up rhino dung and tracked them based on footprints. At the entrance to the park, Andy spent a while explaining to us the pros and cons of tourism and hunting in the park. We set off driving to track down some rhinos but we’re initially unsuccessful. We saw a disassembled rhino skeleton in the bush which had a massive skull. Around noon, we stopped for lunch, which was pasta salad and cold cut sandwiches. Andy also gave us powdered coffee, tea, and ginger cookies. We walked to the top of a rocky hill and saw the grave of Cecil John Rhodes.
We hopped back in the truck and drove to a spot by a small stream. We left the truck behind and started tracking a young male rhinoceros, maybe 14 years old. We had to climb through some tall grasses and spiky plants to get around which was very painful. Dad cut his finger open at one point. We eventually spotted the young male and began approaching him. Our guide slowly brought us closer and closer which was terrifying. We ended up standing on a rocky surface about 10 feet away from the second largest land mammal on earth. We moved very slowly and avoided talking or making any loud noises as to not spook the animal, although our guide still had to shush it and whistle in order to keep it calm. We got some photos and backed away before any of us could become targets. Even though our guide had a sidearm, my heart was racing. Next, we crossed the stream and found a female rhinoceros with her baby. We were upping the stakes. As we creeped around them, the baby got spooked and jumped into the mother’s side, scaring us all. We didn’t stay for long to take pictures before retreating back to the truck.
After that, we drove to a trailhead and hiked up to a cave that holds ancient San paintings that are made of blood, pigment, and egg whites on the cave walls. The paintings are estimated to be between 4000 and 5000 years old and they depict African animals such as giraffes and hippos as well as stick figure people with rings on their necks. We learned a little bit about the hunter gatherer lifestyle of the San people before hiking back down to our truck. The sun set as we drove out of the park. We closed the flaps on the back of the truck to protect us from the wind as we drove the 30 minutes back to camp. Emmanuel made us a yummy potato, cheese, and onion dish as well as “African sausage” for dinner. Overall, we had a lovely, yet adrenaline inducing time in Bulawayo.
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