Great Zimbabwe Ruins and Rhino Trekking

The Absolute Safari - Sept 10 - 13

Great Zimbabwe was a medieval African city known for its stone ruins, large circular wall and a massive tower. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe . It was part of a wealthy African trading empire that controlled much of the East African coast from the 11th to the 15th centuries C.E.

The archaeological site is composed of three sections. The Hill Complex was believed to be the religious center of the fortress. The Great Enclosure was considered to be the location of the royal residences of the king of Zimbabwe and his many wives. The third section the Valley Ruins, are the remnants of the city which had a population between 10,000 and 20,000 people. The Great Zimbabwe Ruins was classified a world UNESCO site in 1986.

Matobo National Park, another world heritage site, is the country’s oldest national park. It consists of a series of granite kopjes (rock formations) and wooded valleys.

Twenty thousand years ago, the original inhabitants, the Sans people began painting on the walls of caves and rock shelters, using special pigments and natural minerals. These paintings are still visit today.

The park is home to a large population of black and white rhinos that were reintroduced from South Africa. We had the chance to take a full day rhino trek and cave painting tour of the park. Our guide Ian Harmer, the Rhino Hunter of Africa, is well-known in Africa for dedicating his life to rhinos

Poaching Rhino horns is still a huge issue and has decimated the population. One gram of powdered rhino horn is worth more than a gram of cocaine or diamond. Falsely, the rhino horns were believed to be a female aphrodisiac and a cure for impotence. The sale of rhino horn is banned worldwide but people still go out to poach this mafnificent endangered animal.