Chivero Recreational Park (All you need to know about visiting it)

.

.

Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:

1. Directions
2. Charges & Contact details
3. Game drive
4. Other activities

NB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preferences.

Directions

First things first – How come there is not a single friend of mine from Harare who ever told me about this beauty spot?? I never knew that there was actually a game park at lake Chivero with so many animal species, including the white rhino…! The only thing that I’ve heard of non stop is the lake but never the game park. That is quite unfortunate considering that this park has an abundance of natural beauty. It is an Eden without a question. It is located approximately 40km from Harare CBD, along the Bulawayo road. There are quite a number of left turn offs with the sign posts “Lake Chivero“. You drive past all of them, including Lion Park, until you get to the last one which is immediately after crossing Manyame river. The turn off is a sharp hair pin corner so be cautious when turning.

Charges & Contact details

One thing we make a point to do is visit a game park very early in the morning so that we are able to see most of the animals before it gets too hot. When it is that early, the roads are pretty much empty and so the drive was quite smooth and pleasant. They open from 6am to 6pm and we arrived around 6:30am. If you wish to make bookings or make special arrangements, their contact number is +263773500373.

On arrival we had a beautiful heartening experience. There were two ladies already in jovial mood, standing to greet us the moment they heard our vehicle approaching. We happily paid our entry fees which is $3 per adult, $1 per kid and $3 per vehicle or the equivalent in RTGS. Whenever we are planning a self-drive, we use a 4wheel SUV.

Game drive

1. Impalas

The first thing which was apparent the moment we drove past the gate was the peace and quiet. It is like a whole different world especially if you are coming from Harare. I could hear a lot of birds singing and feeling the breeze on my arms was heavenly. I almost closed my eyes just to let all that sink in, then I spotted a herd of impalas just a few meters ahead of us. There were two adorable baby impalas which were giving a fright to their mum because she was busy walking, thinking her babies were following right behind. Meanwhile, they had stopped probably out of curiosity. This took me back to when I was a kid and always pulled that stunt with my mum. I could almost feel the baby impala responding to the mum, “I just want her to take a picture of my cute face mum, relax!“.

2. Monkeys

We decided to go to the main offices first before proceeding with our drive because the main reason we had visited this park was to see the White Rhino. To try and increase our chances of actually seeing them, we knew we had to ask for some idea of where they were. I had also seen a lot of people from my research saying that they had gone there several times and failed to see them…… which is normal in game park.

When we got to the main office entrance, we saw a number of monkeys. Normally we would just ignore them and continue with our plans, but this time it was different. The way the babies were looking at us right in the eye and jumping up and down as if to show off to us their newly acquired fancy skills just melted our hearts. It ended up taking us a good while because the more we laughed at their gymnastics the more they wanted to show us more of them. The mum seemed tired and irritated though but the kids wouldn’t stop. Haha! ring any bells? lol

First Rhino search update:

The lady at the main office was very helpful. She even called one of the guys responsible for the rhinos to direct us to roughly where we could find them. I was excited & hopeful. So we left. We drove for about an hour around the area where we were supposed to see the rhino but no luck. We were of course seeing the dung and spoor but just not the rhino. I started getting worried because that’s the thing about a game park – nothing is guaranteed. We hadn’t searched long enough but the heavens didn’t seem to be on our side. I could see the rain building up in ominously dark clouds and I knew, if we did not find these rhinos before it rained our chances would become even slimmer because animals take cover in thicker places where you can not easily see them when it’s raining. So yes my heart started aching!

3. Zebras

In our search, we then came out to the “crocodile creek“. I was really not in the mood for any other animal species but the moment I saw these 3 zebras, I definitely forgot about my worry over the rhino. The innocence in their eyes drew me to them. Sitting on that rock, all I could think of is, “how lucky I I am to just be in this moment“. All of a sudden, my other senses (particularly of feel) got heightened. I think worrying over the rhinos had messed them up. There was a breeze but I could feel deep warmth inside my soul. I could feel a sense of peace. I didn’t want to move an inch. I was exhilarated by the calm and friendly mood the zebras were in… so heavenly! Next time you are around zebras, do check out their ears. They signify their mood. You will know they are definitely not happy if they pull the ears backwards. It is also important to appreciate that when you are in the bush, it is about the animals. You are in their territory, so do give them the utmost respect they deserve. If you are not so consumed in yourself, you will see the signals that they give if & when you overstep.

Second Rhino search update:

We stayed with the zebras and a huge bachelor impala herd at the crocodile creek for a while then decided to continue with our rhino search. The intact miombo forests were a bliss to drive through. We spotted a family of warthogs and some baboons mating right next to the road. We also spotted one hare which was crossing the road together with another bachelor impala herd. It was so cute seeing it leaping sideways. Sometimes they do this at fast speed to break the scent trail they will be leaving behind in case a predator is pursuing them.

The joy & smiles only lasted briefly as the clouds became darker and it started to rain. If I was alone, I definitely would have cried. I was just too embarrassed to do it in the presence of my husband lol so instead I became so quiet. In my mind I was thinking, “Am I really going back home without seeing the rhino“. We drove for about 15minutes and all of a sudden the darker cloud moved and it stopped raining. I was beaming but the rains stopping didn’t automatically mean we would find the rhino. At least there was now some hope though.

4. Finally spotting the Rhino:

We were now just driving on the final part of the circle we were on, when my husband tenderly said, “Oh God! The Rhino“.

I could not believe it at all. I was calm but I could hear myself screaming inside. The rhino that took us the whole day to find, finally, there he was in all his glory! The way he was positioned though, it would have been so easy for us to miss him. I was ecstatic. We just took a breath and stared at him for a good while before even thinking of picking the camera. He then moved closer to the lake and we found a nice spot where we had our picnic while admiring him from a distance. We only saw one rhino by the way but from other people’s pictures I believe they have more than one. They told me that they could not tell me exactly how many they have because of security reasons and that’s something I appreciate.

5. Giraffe

After our picnic we were now happy bunnies, ready to leave the park. Then suddenly, a giraffe just appeared in front of us from nowhere. It didn’t even mind us driving closer and closer to it. One thing I totally love about giraffes is the grace they exude. The smoothness and elegance they show when on the move is such a delight to watch. This particular giraffe definitely gave us a closeup show. What a way to end a game drive 🙂

Other activities

Other activities at this recreational park include fishing, guided safari walks, boating, canoeing, horse riding and rhino tracking. There are also some picnic sites, campsites, lodges and chalets. It is definitely a “must visit” park.

Happy & Safe travels….Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life and as always, I’m talking about intimacy with nature.