Farewell, Zimbabwe, farewell...

It is with sadness that I note my time in Zimbabwe has come to an end and this will be my last post on the beautiful country.  In honor of the wonderful experience I've had living in Harare, this post is a collection of my favorite photos from my time wandering Harare and beyond.

Curious what my favorite photographs from living in Senegal were? Go here!

Curious what my favorite animal photographs were? Go here!!

In no particular order, my favorite photographs of Zimbabwe, chosen from well over 10,000 photographs (wow!):

Hwange National Park in the rainy season - Adios, Hwange!

A hippopotamus yawns at sunset over the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park - A Mana Pools Smorgasbord

As dusk approaches over Lake Kariba, fishermen take to the water - Sunset over a drowned forest

Victoria Falls at Christmas time, the height of the rainy season - A Victoria Falls Christmas (Part Deux)

Sunset in Hwange National Park - The Return to Hwange

I originally captioned this photo: "After seeing this view in Chimanimani, I knew I had fallen in love with Zimbabwe." - Au Revoir, Chimanimani, I will return...

Harare's jacarandas in bloom at sunrise - Harare in the bloom of the jacarandas

An elephant at sunset, Lake Kariba - Take my breath away: Drowned forest sunset

Sunrise over the pan in Hwange National Park - The Hwange smorgasbord

Victoria Falls at sunrise. Beyond amazing. - Take my breath away: The Victoria Falls sunrise and lunar rainbow edition

Chimanimani's Bridal Veil Falls

After this lovely hike (including a visit from a tarantula!!), we came to Bridal Veil Falls.

The falls are in the hills six kilometers outside the Chimanimani village in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

Our winter visit meant cold, cold crystal clear water.

A serene reminder of the beauty tucked into all of Africa's corners.

The falls' clear pool.

Chimanimani is one of the beautiful spots in Zimbabwe,

so different than what most think Africa 'should' look like.

Just beautiful.

The falls were named for its resemblance at rainy season to a bride's veil.

So different from the last waterfall (Victoria Falls!!) I visited in Zimbabwe.

So different from the last hike I took to a waterfall in Chimanimani.

The hike into the Chimanimani Park and up to the falls is well worth the effort-- and it's a relatively easy hike.

A Return to the Eastern Highlands

Recently I returned to the lovely Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

Wouldn't you just love to have this view?

While (re)visiting the cozy Frog and Fern Cottages, we hiked into Chimanimani once again.

The Chimanimani Mountains are just so stunning and form part of the boundary between Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

We may have paused in our beautiful hike to freak out at THIS exact point. 

Um, seriously, a tarantula crossing the path? Holy moly, freak out!

Here's another shot of the guy. Definitely do not like spiders, definitely do not like large, dangerous, hairy ones...

We hiked up toward Bridal Veil Falls and the scenery was just so lovely.

Reaching the falls area.

Sneak peek of the next post: the Bridal Veils Falls!

Au revoir, Chimanimani, I will return...

After seeing this view in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, I knew I had fallen in love with Zimbabwe.

And I continue to be impressed with the landscape of my new home.

The hike through the mist was more than worth the hours spent lost and climbing up and down moutains, along cliffs, and through banana groves.

Leaving through the town of Chimanimani, I captured the MDC-T office (the main opposition to President Mugabe's ZANU-PF). It was featured in a very vivid segment in Peter Godwin's The Fear in which MDC-T supporters continued to paint it over and over in support of MDC-T. 

Across the Landscapes

After hiking to a beautiful waterfall, we kept wandering through the amazing varying landscapes

in the Chimanimani Mountains in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

We hiked past mist, clouds, and rolling valleys with beautiful streams.

Past clouds rising against the mountains.

And along the sides of mountains that made me think of Lord of the Rings--minus the whole Mordor angle.

And even past banana fields and spots that reminded me of a rain forest.

The mountains were breathtaking.

It was impossible not to love Chimanimani.

Chimanimani: The Falls

After hiking through the mist and stopping at a creepy cabin, we found our destination:

this beautiful waterfall in a valley in the Chimanimani Mountains in Zimbabwe..

After the hours and hours of hiking, even our packs needed a break...

>

The air was so clean, the water crisp and cold.

Simply beautiful.

A Horror Movie's Cabin: Zimbabwe Style

After hiking for hours through the mist, we came upon this cabin over looking a large valley in Chimanimani in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.

The cabin had places to eat and places to sleep for the weary hiker.

The cabin offered a view of the valley and its lifting mist that was stunning.

The cabin.

While an interesting spot, the cabin---and in particular this room---had a distinctly unnerving quality to it
that made one wonder if you'd stumbled into the middle of a horror movie.

The cabin, while unnerving, offered us a moment's respite and a spot for lunch.

The clouds over the Chimanimani valley, seen from the cabin.