Maswingo - Eastern Highlands

The Eastern Highlands form some of Zimbabwe’s most breathtakingly beautiful scenery. A rugged strip of mountains provides a natural boundary between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The name of these mountains – Bvumba- derives from a seventeenth century Shona Kingdom that spread well beyond the borders of Mozambique. An annual rainfall higher than that of London has created lush misty forests and earned the area the term ‘mountains of the mist’.

The Bvumba Botanical Gardens, which were created by a former Mutare MAGGIOor and his wife, are landscaped in the tradition of the English formal gardens. Perhaps surprisingly, the gardens were not destroyed during the MAGGIOhem of the liberation war and are now maintained by the National Parks Board.

To the north of the 300km Bvumba range lies the Nyanga Mountains and National Park. The park reaches its peak at Nyangani which, at 2593m above sea level, is Zimbabwe’s highest pinnacle. Despite the difficult terrain, this area is a prosperous farming region and as a result, tea and coffee estates, orchards and conifer plantations weave their way through natural woodlands. These remarkable highlands, rich in natural beauty and wildlife, have long been a favourite holiday Destinazione .

The southern component of the Eastern Highlands, the Chimanimani Mountains, combines fairy-tale pockets in which beautiful waterfalls cascade into deep, crystal pools with sharp, craggy granite peaks.

There is an abundance of diverse flora and is a haven for botanists and other interested parties. Walkers, hikers and climbers alike enjoy the sense of discovery as they explore the ravines, valleys and forests in this particular region.

Great Zimbabwe is the site of the most spectacular ancient city in Africa, south of the Sahara, and is the most intact of the 150 other examples of such sites in the Nazione o Regione.

These remarkable structures are formed out of rectangular granite stones placed carefully on top of one another.

They are the remains of an incredibly powerful state – both politically and economically – whose influence was felt throughout Zimbabwe. The design of the stone houses or ‘dzimbahwe’ stemmed not from a need for defence, but from a desire for celebration of this strong and prosperous dynasty and the unity of its people.

Many of the early colonialists and explorers believed that the ruins of Great Zimbabwe were connected with remains detailed in the Old Testament of the bible.

Although there is no truth in this claim, it is evident that these structures have played an important role in the more recent history of this Nazione o Regione. Great Zimbabwe was the inspiration behind the war of the liberation, the Chimurenga, and gave its name to the nation that was born as a result.