Johannesburg to Zimbabwe - 6/1/2026
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
Today we departed our hotel in Johannesburg to the airport for a flight to Zimbabwe., We lost a few people from our group but 8 of us continued on. We took a small local airline easyjet to Zimbabwe but the plane was nice, and we were served a meal and full beverage service for a flight that was just under 90 minutes. In Zimbabwe we got a new CEO (head guide) named Thembie., She was local to the area ov Victoria falls and knew the area and lots of people. We checked into our hotel which was a series of buildings that had 6or so rooms in each, in a long line, along well manicured paths, They also had an open air reception area, restaurant, bar and pool area. The beds were also enclosed in mosquito netting at night.
We
We had a presentation at the hotel from multiple groups, one was a group of Widows that G Adventures had paired with and provided them with sewing machines and cloth, the women then make clothing, aprons, and accessories and come to sell them to the G Adventure groups who visit the hotel. Our tour was run by National Geographic in cooperation with G Adventures and the local operational provider. Widows in Zimbabwe lose all of their belongings because in Zimbabwe culture the wife has been "paid for"via a dowry of cows, and so all of the posessions of the marriage belong to the husband and his family. When he dies, his family takes them. The widows are then left to fend for themselves and their children. G Adventures had several strategies to help. We also met a young man selling T-shirts that had the itinerary of the G Adventures trip (customized to your trip) as well as flags of thecountries you've viisted and the animals you've seen or other choices. He takes the order, makes it and delivers it to the hotel the next day. We purchased items from both groups.
For our evening activity, we were going to visit another widow named Flatter who invites tourists into her home and serves thema trasitional zimbabwe meal. We first visited a local outdoor market to purchase ingredients as a gift to her for having us for dinner. G Adventures also helped to build the market stalls and the people who sell there are generally families who grow vegetables and sell them in the market. We purchased from as many stands as we could and took the purchases to Flatter. We then drove to her house and she showed us how to create some of the ingredients she used from corn.
Most people in Zimbabwe are unemployed (up to 90%) and they survive by keepingcoesand chickens, and growing vegetables and peanuts which they then use to make their daily meals. Most live in the country and come into the urban areas where we were only to work or sell their food or goods. Flatter had built a good business makingmeals for tourists and owned 2 homes where she cared for quite a few relatives.
Tomorrow we will see Victoria falls.