Phomolo lodge offers unique Zim experience

07 Jun, 2015 - 00:06 0 Views

The Sunday News

WITH most tourists coming from developed countries, it seems local players have devised a way of coming up with packages which literally take the visitors out of cities and provide them with a unique Zimbabwean experience in areas away from main urban centres.

One such facility is Phomolo Safari Lodge which is hidden in the flora of Figtree about 45 kilometres out of Bulawayo.

For tourists, the lodge offers not only unique accommodation but the chance to interact with wildlife while still enjoying the best out of the facility.

The safari lodge is located in a picturesque setting on a private farm with game reserve, which has a wide range of wild animals such as the eland, kudu, zebra, impala, waterbucks, duikers, warthogs, wildebeests and rabbits.

It is an ideal relaxation place for those in need of a tranquil environment away from the hectic, hustling and bustling city life.

“It is a wonderful place to relax especially for honeymooners, family, leisure, photographers and ardent bird and game viewers. Guests can look forward to exploring the panoramic surroundings with the aid of a guide on this private game reserve.

“We have about eight wild animal species of note and of course we do have other small animals which include cliff springers and night apes. Dangerous animals such as hyenas and leopards only pass by thus one can afford to move without fear of being harmed,” said the safari lodge’s sales and marketing manager, Mrs Rosemary Cheda.

Since starting its operations three years ago, the safari lodge has attracted foreign tourists from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa and a number of Asian countries.

“We have managed to host a number of foreign tourists especially Americans.

Most of the time they come and have their barbeques and leave for Matopos National Park but others spend much of their time here since our tourist package is much bigger than what they will get at the park.

“The tourists are assured of viewing more animals here compared to Matopos as these are contained within a small terrain thus making them easily accessible. We are also open to educational tours for the young ones through providing nature walks and animal husbandry lessons. There is also some ancient rock paintings, which we believe were done by the San people,” Mrs Cheda said.

The safari lodge boasts rare bird species such as the Egyptian guinea fowl, fish eagle and the black eagle, which is only found in the Matobo area.

“We are looking forward to increasing our leisure activities and as such we are going to construct a restaurant, a bar as well as a swimming pool on top of the hill where we have two lodges. We are also looking forward to have two more lodges since there is a high demand for accommodation,” Mrs Cheda said.

The safari lodge also has space reserved for weddings and parties as well as camping sites.

“We have hosted a couple of weddings and they have proved to be successful as people felt in harmony with nature. As you can see the environs are still intact, it’s still virgin land and a lot of people adore such settings,” Mrs Cheda said.

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