Going to one of the African countries before graduating was on my bucket list. To experience the wilderness of the forest, feel one with nature, and spot those wild beings on the chase in their natural habitats. I mean, who wouldn’t want to soak in all that? And when I did get an opportunity to witness it, I didn’t miss it for the world. It led to many beautiful memories being created, many first times, many lessons learned, and many unbelievable stories to tell! How It All Started It was a sunny day and a day of adventure. From the drive from Harare to Nyanga, I was in awe of everything I saw. These incredible formations - “balancing rocks” were all over. How is it possible for a small rock to balance a bigger rock on it? Well, nature! But after a beautiful yet bumpy ride through the Nyanga National Park, we finally arrived. I felt energetic to see new faces, fresh air, and sunlight. What I initially thought was just a small trek to see the second-highest waterfall in Africa - Mutarazi Falls, to my surprise, wasn’t. It was until we reached and I read the sign, ‘Mutarazi Falls Skywalk and Skyline,’ that I realized I had been fooled. For- get about knowing that a breathtaking new adventure activity was introduced that gives visitors a view of this stunning cascade like never before. They say, on a trip, always try something new; an adventure. So, I did. I faced my fear of heights. Was I ready to do it? No. But as we were approaching the skyline, I was surprised to find out that I had to do a skywalk to reach the starting point of the skyline. I wanted to get one of the two done. But all I could think about was, “TWO NEW THINGS?” I was nervous and excited as I strolled across the sky bridge. Simultaneously, I was humming all the prayers I could think of. Even though I’m afraid of heights, a part of me enjoyed it as I reached the end. But to skywalk across the 772-meter-high chasm, giving a 360-degree view of the fall, was mind-blowing. I mean, it’s not every day you get to see the highest waterfall in Zimbabwe this close! Now was the part I was most afraid of - the skyline. Palms sweating, mouth all dried up. To my right, a cliff. To my left, the falls. With my sister comforting me, I was rethinking the whole trip. It took me a whole 15 minutes to finally do it. My eyes were shut initially, but I got myself to open them, and I couldn’t get enough of the view of the calm waterfall. I just captured that moment because it was one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. But soon enough, I looked down and freaked out because I couldn’t see what was down there. Luckily, it was the end. As happy as I was about getting out of those tight ropes, it almost felt like my fears just went away. I just wanted to do it all over again. But with the sun setting, we realised it was time to head back. The Day Wasn’t Over! You’d think the adventurous day would end there. But it doesn’t. We had to cross the scenic National Park to return to the city. Tilting my head to the window, hoping to see some animals (from afar), I slept off, only to wake up to find out that we had missed a turn and were lost in the jungle. Not just that, we were low on petrol with no cell service. It was almost nightfall, and the wolves were howling. I saw a leopard run, but it was so fast I couldn’t tell. Afraid to get out of the car to remove the fallen tree branch on the road, my brother and I did it. It was like a jungle safari that I was never excited about. After almost four hours of wandering around and crossing multiple antelopes, we finally made it out. A relief! As I rolled down the window, I saw thousands of stars, breathed clean air, and laughed to myself because of the day I had. With the adventure and beauty Zimbabwe has in store, I know I will surely come back one day.
20 Apr 2023
Pushpangi Raina
