Exploring our own country no longer gives Zimbabweans genuine enjoyment

IN last week's column on this page, I examined issues related to dining out and, in that Epicurean column that appears on alternate weeks, I shall continue reviewing restaurants around Zimbabwe. In the weeks between, this column, The Traveller, will consider matters connected with travel, particularly the many shortcomings of travelling around Zimbabwe.

It is often said that Zimbabweans are fortunate to have numerous travel destinations available within their own country. However, this belief is increasingly outdated.

While there may be many places of interest, they do not necessarily provide enjoyment, relaxation or opportunities to broaden one's horizons. In many cases, travelling within Zimbabwe has become expensive, inconvenient and disappointing.

The determining factor, of course, is money.

It is true that lower-income individuals and families have extremely limited options, but even middle-income earners are beginning to find domestic travel inaccessible.

This is regrettable because many countries have spent decades making travel more inclusive and affordable, whereas Zimbabwe appears to have moved in the opposite direction.

In the United Kingdom during the twentieth century, the desire of working-class people to travel led to the creation of famous holiday camps near attractions such as the seaside. These affordable leisure villages enabled families on modest budgets to enjoy holidays without financial anxiety. They demonstrated that travel could be a universal pleasure rather than a luxury reserved for a privileged few.

Zimbabwe has never successfully developed anything comparable, which is a serious missed opportunity. Even more surprising is the apparent lack of enthusiasm among investors to create such facilities.

There is undoubtedly a market for affordable travel experiences, yet very little has been done to meet that demand.

This is closely linked to the collapse of inexpensive transport. For decades, lower-income families relied on rail travel as an accessible means of moving around the country. Today, however, that possibility has almost vanished.

I remember when the railways offered reliable passenger services at genuinely affordable prices. Overnight trains connected Harare and Bulawayo, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, and Harare and Mutare, while other scheduled services linked various towns and even neighbouring countries. Those journeys were not merely practical; they were part of the adventure itself.

My first rail journey was from Bulawayo to Cape Town in 1971. The two-night, three day experience was memorable and enjoyable, and the journey itself often felt more rewarding than the destination. Zimbabwe also had the remarkable Railcar service, a single-unit diesel train that connected Harare and Mutare in approximately six hours at a very modest cost.

Unfortunately, the disappearance of these services represents one of the country's major failures. The lack of investment in rail transport has made travel less accessible, less enjoyable and more dependent on expensive alternatives. While luxury services such as Rovos Rail and the Blue Train in South Africa remain attractive, they are irrelevant to ordinary families who simply need practical and affordable transport.

Turning to destinations themselves, Zimbabweans are frequently told that they have excellent choices available to them.

Yet many of these locations are becoming increasingly detached from the average citizen.

Victoria Falls, for example, is widely regarded as Zimbabwe's premier attraction, but it has effectively become a destination aimed at international visitors rather than local travellers. Prices continue to rise, placing the experience beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans.

The extraordinary cost of air travel between Harare and Victoria Falls remains a major source of frustration. People often point out that flying across the United States can cost considerably less than travelling within Zimbabwe itself. Such comparisons only emphasise how uncompetitive domestic travel has become.

Accommodation in Victoria Falls can occasionally be affordable, but transport difficulties continue to undermine these advantages.

The absence of dependable rail services and the long-standing challenges associated with travelling by road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls discourage many potential visitors.

The situation elsewhere in the country is not entirely better. Although some destinations remain attractive, affordability is becoming an increasing concern.

The Eastern Highlands, for instance, possess undeniable natural beauty, but poor promotion and inconsistent infrastructure limit their appeal. Nyanga in the north, Mutare and the Bvumba in the centre, and Chimanimani in the south all offer opportunities for exploration, yet many visitors struggle to access reliable information and quality services.

I once had the pleasure of working as a journalist in Mutare, where weekends were spent discovering waterfalls, lakes, mountains and forests. However, I now fear that many of those experiences would be far more difficult and expensive to recreate today.

Masvingo and the Lowveld also have considerable potential, particularly the magnificent Gonarezhou area. Yet it remains undervisited, perhaps because travel planning is often complicated and costly. 

— aquarius@iwayafrica.co.zw/ WhatsApp: 0785 300144.