When you think of Zimbabwean tourist attractions, what comes to mind? Do you think of Mutare?

Mutare is in eastern Zimbabwe about 270km from Harare, on the border with Mozambique. It’s characterised by lush vegetation and mountains, which, obviously, provide plenty of opportunities for mountain-related activities. If you’re on a cross-country road trip starting in South Africa, you can hire a car and drive to Zimbabwe. Alternatively, you can hire a car in Zimbabwe to drive around the interior.

One of the best places to start exploring Mutare is the Nyanga National Park, which contains Mount Nyangani, Zimbabwe’s highest peak (2592m). It’s not a strenuous climb, as in you won’t need subzero sleeping bags and miles of rope, but you will need to be relatively fit to manage the climb. Depending on your level of fitness it can take anywhere between one and three hours to reach the summit. According to Wikipedia, there are three main routes to the top:

• The Tourist Path, which follows the upper Nyamuziwa River up the north side of the mountain.
• The Mountain Club path, which approaches from the west until it joins the Tourist Path.
• The Nyazengu trail, which approaches the mountain from the south west via to the Pungwe Drift. This route is said to provide the best views of the montane forest, which is on the mountain’s south east face.

If you’re feeling adventurous and you have mountain climbing experience you can try the north eastern ridge between the Nyama and Kairezi Rivers or Little Nyangani, which is on the eastern side of the mountain.

Within the park you’re likely to see plenty of buck, including kudu and klipspringer, as well as hyena, buffalo and leopard. Its conservation efforts concentrate primarily on the blue duiker, samango monkeys and Inyangani River Frog. There are plenty of rivers and dams, such as the Nyangombe, Mare and Kayirezi Rivers and the Udo, Mare and Rhodes Dams, where you can go boating and try your hand at fly-fishing. Another highlight is the Mutarazi Falls, the highest falls in Zimbabwe (762m) that drop into the Honde River Valley, which is known for its tea plantations.

In terms of accommodation, you can choose between rustic camping and luxury lodges and anything in between. There are self-catering lodges at Rhodes Dam and along the Pungwe River; camping sites on the Mare River and around the falls; and privately owned camps at Rhodes Fam.

Offroad vehicles are strongly recommended if you’re heading to the park. But if you haven’t hired a 4×4 you might want to consider keeping to the central and western areas as these are the most developed with the best roads. Note that some of the highlights, such as the Mutarazi Falls are all vehicle friendly.

(Image by Babakathy (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)