Honde Valley:Zimbabwe's best kept secret

Honde Valley:Zimbabwe's best kept secret.

Situated in the Eastern Highlands in Zimbabwe close to Mozambique is a plush valley that any travel enthusiast would like to visit.

Though well known for banana farming, Honde Valley in Manicaland has also the potential to be the most visited place if the attractions it possesses are anything to go by. There is Mtarazi Falls which is a 762m tiered horsetail waterfall and is Zimbabwe's highest waterfall, eclipsing even the mighty Victoria Falls and second highest in Africa. The fall now boasts of adrenalin rush activities in the form of the skywalk consists of two bridges – the one 30m that take you over the lip of the Falls and the other 90m that is above the entire Falls.

Then there is the zip line where one can fly across the bridge at an estimated height of 500m and flying for 400m at 50-70km.

This writer caught up with Christopher Cragg who is general manager of Aberfoyle Lodge which offers exquisite accommodation in the Honde Valley area.

According to Cragg , the lodge has a lot to offer like nature walks and mountain hikes which a local villager is able to guide as he narrates the rich history of the region to visitors.

“Aberfoyle Lodge and the surrounding area are steeped in history and folklore and Morgan, who was born here and has lived his whole life in the area will fascinate you with tales and history of the region.

“ He will lead you up to scale various mountains such as Domwe, Dzunzwa, Makhore and Tsongorera, pointing out various medicinal plants and other things of interest,”says Cragg.

Another attraction is the Mermaids Pool and Waterfall where tourists can enjoy a swim in the cool natural pool.

Fishing enthusiasts can be in for treat at Nyawamba Dam as they dabble in a little fishing.

Recently,Ramayana,a travel content creator popularly known as Bosnian Girl in Africa,posted on Instagram how she was enchanted and mesmerised by the beauty of Honde Valley.

"The Zimbabwe you probably haven't seen yet.

Honde Valley is one of those places you wonder why people aren't talking about it?Like,everybody talks about Nyanga and Vumba which are also beautiful places,but Honde Valley not so much,and I don't understand why.

"All of them are situated in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe,but Honde Valley lies below the Nyangani mountains,but it feels like another country,"she posted.

In 2023,Honde Valley attracted global attention after Grand Tour crew of James May,Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond toured the area and filmed it as part of the "Grand Tour Zimbabwe" documentary.

The trio were charmed with the scenery.

Also standing proudly are the beautiful Mahwemasimike mountain ranges which the locals believes are mystical .

Former Caps United footballer,Alois Bunjira who hails from the area,in 2022 founded the Honde Valley Marathon which later morphed into Netone Albun Honde Valley Marathon after the giant telecommunications company started supporting the event.

The thrust of the sporting event,according to Bunjira included showcasing the beauty of Honde Valley and market it to holiday-markers and travel enthusiasts.

A local community developer Victoria Samushonga believes Honde Valley is a haven that has immense potential to be one of the tourism hubs ofthe country.

“I have been living in Diasporas for many years but when I came back to Zimbabwe I just thought of coming back to my rural home which has the splendour and the serene to be the most visited tourist destination in this country,” said Samushonga.

Former Caps United footballer,Alois Bunjira,in 2022 founded the Honde Valley Marathon which later morphed into Netone Albun Honde Valley Marathon after the giant telecommunications company started supporting the event.

The thrust of the sporting event,according to Bunjira included showcasing the beauty of Honde Valley and market it to holiday-markers and travel enthusiasts.

In 2023,Honde Valley attracted global attention after Grand Tour crew of James May,Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond toured the area and filmed it as part of the "Grand Tour Zimbabwe" documentary.

The trio were charmed with the scenery.

Apart from generating income from small-scale banana farming, some Honde Valley people have already started tapping into tourism opportunities.One such person is Prosper Kuwa who runs a tourism and hospitality consulting and destination firm.

Next time,when thinking of exploring the beauty of Zimbabwe consider this best kept secret,Honde Valley.