Staying at the Sable Lodge in IMIRE rhino & wildlife conservation was one of the highlights of my six-month stay in Zimbabwe. It is an incredible place where I had a great time with my girlfriends (we went to spend a girl’s night and also got adventurous on an amazing safari). It was a quick trip because we arrived on a Friday evening and left the next day after breakfast but we really enjoyed it and created a lot of great memories.
As said before, I lived for six months in Zimbabwe, I went there to work on a consulting project and it was awesome! If you want to read more about my experience and learn how you can apply you can check the post How to work with an NGO in Africa.
Let me share with you how to get there, the wonderful rooms in which we stayed, the delicious food we tasted, my love for elephants after the safari we had, and other recommendations on what to do as volunteer in the IMIRE Volunteer Program.
1. How to get to IMIRE
If you are visiting Zimbabwe you’ll most probably arrive to its capital Harare. IMIRE is very close so you can rent a car and in around two hours you’ll be there. It is located on Bridge Road in Wedza and you can follow these easy directions:
Travel out on the Mutare Road towards Marondera. Just before Marondera, you will cross over the railway line. Following that, you will see an Imire sign on the left-hand side of the road
– TURN RIGHT here. Travel down this road 3km & you will see another Imire sign on the left-hand side of the road – TURN LEFT here. Travel down this road 37km & you will go past the Imire store and butchery on the left. About 800m further on you will see the main Sable Lodge sign, TURN left into the game park & the lodge is approximately 1km further on. The road is tarred the whole way until you enter the game park.
We arrived in the afternoon because we went on Friday after finishing work and when we were arriving we saw the beautiful sunset in the car. This is why it’s a great experience from the beginning!
2. The best lodge in Zimbabwe
The place is amazing, when you arrive you can see a beautiful garden with a pool. There are 7 lodges, each en-suite villa has its own veranda as well as an inside seating area. Families and children are welcome but you can go like us as a group of friends or it will also be perfect for a romantic weekend.
3. Delicious dinner and breakfast
We arrived at night so we had a delicious full three course dinner prepared by a top chef. Also, the next day we woke up early to go to a safari so a friendly staff member woke us up with tea, coffee and cookies delivered to our room. Then, after the safari we returned to have a very complete bufete breakfast.
4. The best safari in Zimbabwe
We were supposed to arrive on Friday and have a sundowner safari, but unfortunately we were late because of traffic. But the staff was very nice and let us have the ride the next day in the morning and it was amazing. There are rhinos, elephants, wildebeest, buffalos, impala, sable, and lions. My favorite part was that we were able to touch and feed the elephants!
5. Imire Volunteer Program
You should also know that you can help in the IMIRE Volunteer Programe. Preserving the wildlife and nature in our planet has became a priority and we can make a change if we help.
For me, this is very important and I have participated in several volunteer projects around the world, you can check the following blog posts if you are interested in volunteering:
- How to find paid volunteer projects abroad
- How to participate in the volunteer project “The Himalayan Beauty” in India
- How to participate in a volunteer project in the United States
- How to participate as a volunteer in the European Youth Olympic Festival
6. Come to IMIRE!
Besides the safari there are several activities that you could do as: Walk with rhinos, Elephant Encounter, Horseback Safari, Makwe Caves Trip, Fishing, and Birdwatching Walk !
For more information visit IMIRE Rhino and Wildlife Conservation website and social media channels:
Facebook: @imire.zimbabwe
Twitter: @Imire_Zimbabwe
Instagram: @imire_zimbabwe
Are you interested in traveling around the world? In the Travel Section you can find detailed travel guides for different cities, touristic activities, recommendations, tips, and much more!
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The first brunch was held at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre in Wethersfield, CT and sponsored by some amazing local CT businesses like Eddy Farm, Bar Taco, Hartford Prints, Salt Mystic, Pearls and Plaid, One Hope Wine, and much more. It was great to get to sit down with other Connecticut bloggers and chat “shop” while enjoying the ah-mazing food provided by Heirloom Market.
What a wonderful adventure and so great that you were able to spend 6 months in Zinbabwe. A long stay is one of my dreams – in Africa especially.
This looks like an amazing experience and six months in Zimbabwe had to be life changing!
Author
Yes Sherianne! I loved this experience, hope you can visit too, Zim is an amazing country!
This safari is beautiful indeed. What a close encounter to have with the animals. The elephant is so cute.
Author
Thanks Chloe! yes, I’m in love with elephants after this experience, it was so nice being able to touch them 🙂
This looks like such a fun (and comfortable) way to get involved and see more of Zimbabwe.
Author
Yes Becky! it was super comfortable, I loved the place, my room was so pretty, the food amazing and the safari very safe and guided by friendly staff!
Wow, looks like an amazing time! Will definitely have to add this to my places to go list- thanks for sharing! ♥
Author
I’m glad you liked it Emily! it’s awesome you added it to your bucket list! 😀
OMG!!!! This is such a lovely surprise as I am Zimbabwean! I just wrote an article on my blog about a streetwear brand started by Zimbabweans living abroad! So glad you enjoyed your time there!
Author
Hi Nonee! this is awesome, I love your country and I’m very glad you read this post! I strongly recommend you that if you have a chance you visit IMIRE, it was a really cool experience and I’m sure you’ll like it! And that’s good to know, cheers for Zim entrepreneurs! 😀
Great review~ 🙂
Author
Thank you very much, glad you liked it! 😀
Wow! It never occurred to me that this sort of thing was available, but I’m adding it to my bucket list for sure. How cool!
Author
Awesome Danielle! I hope you can visit soon, you’ll love it! 😀
One of my dreams is to work with Elephants and White Rhinos!! They are my favorite animals <3 what an amazing experience!
Author
Thank you very much! It was indeed an awesome experience and now I’m in love with elephants <3. If you go to Zimbabwe I really recommend you to visit IMIRE, it's very close to the capital and you'll have great memories with both elephants and rhinos! 😀