Eminently Eve
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- Introduction
- Directions
- Entry fee & contact number
- Experience at the lion enclosure section
- Experience at the Plains Game enclosure section
- Conclusion – Is Lion Park worth your $10USD & precious time?
Introduction
Planning on visiting Lion Park? Wondering what you need, how much it costs and if it’s even worth your hard earned coins and your precious time?… then keep on reading, I’ll be sparing no details.
Directions
We always used go to one particular Game Park repeatedly until this day when we thought it was time for a change. The drive to the Park was actually quite pleasant being that the longest part of the journey is a highway (Bulawayo road) (great for fuel consumption). It is also quite close to the CBD of Harare as it is located just 34.4 km away, less than an hour drive. There are clear signs written Snake world and Lion Park so the turn off is definitely not one you can miss.
Entry fee & contact number
We were a little hesitant, it being our first time there. It didn’t take long though before excitement started building up as soon as we saw the game fence. The game fence if always the give away. If you see a dilapidated game fence, then know that you are headed for trouble. If it is intact, then at least there is some of hope. We drove near enough until we could read the entry fee which was well displayed on the notice board – $10USD per adult, $5 per kid Umh!… at that time, it definitely felt like the charges were a bit on the steep side. Good thing though is that vehicles do not pay and also you can pay the equivalent in RTGS. Their contact number is +263772236099.
With that being paid, I now had higher expectation of this Park so I couldn’t wait to start our game drive.
Experience at the lion enclosure section
The Lion Park has 2 separate sections. One with the lion enclosure and the other one with the plains game. So we started our drive at the section where the lions are homed.
As soon as the gates into the lions’ territory are opened, you can feel a certain sensation which just reminds you that you are now in a Kingdom where only the real Kings rule. We didn’t drive for long before seeing 2 lions resting under some trees. This was my second time seeing lions this closeup but it still felt like the first time. The tense feeling I get in my stomach around lions is actually not from seeing the lions though. But rather from the wildlife documentaries that I watch in which the lions are in action.
The real feeling I got looking at the lions was somewhat a calming feeling. They seem to have that effect on me which if I didn’t know any better I could be easily fooled into thinking that I can just walk straight up to them, pat and stroke them. The temptation to do that is there in my heart if I’m to be honest.
What’s funny though is that, while in the enclosure, we only saw 2 lions – (one male and one female sitting close together). But then when we got home and looked back at the pictures we then saw that they were actually 3. The third one was well camouflaged in the bush. It just reminded me why when going into Game Parks with such animals you are told to strictly, STAY IN YOUR CAR WITH ALL WINDOWS CLOSED AND DOORS LOCKED. You can imagine stepping outside your vehicle thinking you can take a picture with the 2 lions in the background while keeping an eye on them. Meanwhile, you actually haven’t noticed the other one right close to you…
These animals are well camouflaged in the bush so just follow the rules… always!
Experience at the Plains Game enclosure section
As we were driving out of the lion enclosure, I was already missing the lions. One thing I enjoy doing is just looking straight in the eyes of animals. I swear it’s like they are passing some super natural power straight into my soul through my eyes. I guess that is why I always come from Game Parks feeling rejuvenated, ready to conquer the world lol.
Of course we had to leave though, we still had a lot to explore.
When we got into the plains game enclosure, we were immediately greeted by one big female impala herd. If there is any wild animal that deserves to be called “Cute”, it will certainly be the impala. We drove a little and from a distance spotted a herd of Elands. While admiring this graceful, healthy herd of Elands, something even more precious happened… we actually literally managed to get just a few meters away from them and they were super chilled. I swear, I have never seen wild Elands that are that cozy with humans.
So there are those times when you smile so wide, you don’t even realize you’re overstretching your mouth, only realizing it when it starts becoming a bit uncomfortable, you have to stop smiling but you still can’t stop… that was me that day. From the Elands it was warthogs then zebras, wildebeest, and one antelope species I had never seen… Nyala. It was a complete first-time encounter because I actually managed to see both the male and the female. Which is an amazing sight as their species has sexual dimorphism – male and female look distinctly different.
In the zebra herd, we spotted one which was heavily pregnant. The thought of an additional adorable baby zebra roaming around in not much time just made my heart melt.
Balancing rocks & Rock Paintings
Without a doubt everything about nature is epic, I mean extraordinarily stunning. But rocks for me go way beyond. If you take a minute looking at a huge rock, then stop to think of how that rock came to be, you will be as mind-blown as I get whenever I come across rocks. As if, a rock just being a rock is not enough – they have to sometimes balance one on top of each other. Hahaha tell me that is not a whole new level of creation.
It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite when it comes to wildlife and nature but I will say for a fact that rocks do feature in my top 10. My husband always gets tired when we get to rocks because he knows he will have to take hundreds of pictures of me sitting on them, dancing, lying on them lol
To wrap it all up were the beautifully done rock paintings. To imagine that they are actually more that 5000 years old is remarkably phenomenal.
Conclusion – Is Lion Park worth your $10USD & precious time?
This is going to be the easiest YES I have ever given to any wildlife destination.
1. The money is so worth it. Firstly, because the closest place (other than Lion Park) where you are going to see lions from Harare is going to cost you way more just in transport. Secondly, lions are quite expensive to take care of in captivity. For example, a male lion would need at least 6 chickens every 2 days while the lioness needs at least 4 chickens every 2 days. If you do a quick math you will see that $10USD is absolutely fair. *I am not saying at Lion Park they feed their lions with chickens – I do not know what they feed them with but whatever it is, it is still not going to be that much cheaper*
2. Another big plus for Lion Park is how the animals are super relaxed around humans. Not so many places have animals with much trust towards humans. Usually animals are nervous when there is poaching happening so I imagine they really keep the poaching there under control.
3. Perfect for a day trip as a family, group of friends, a couple and even as a solo traveller. It is also quite perfect if you want a wildlife-themed photo shoot. The pics will come out great with the animals in the background.
Have you ever been to Lion Park? Tell me your experience in the comment section. If you haven’t been yet, would you give it a try? And if you do go, don’t forget to come back and tell me what your experience of that park was too.
Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life, and as always I’m talking about intimacy with nature.
@Lenny it is indeed a nice one 😊
This is nice place