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The
first outing to Hwange in 2009 was the highlight of the FWDCSA outing calendar for 2009. The trip dispelled any of the negative stories we
had heard about there not being any game in Hwange. As part of the club's continued drive to not only raise funds but also awareness of
Hwange National Park in support of the Friends of Hwange (FOH) we will again visit this magical park in October 2010.
The article in the February addition of our club's 4 Wheeling magazine will give a better understanding of the trip. This article is also available here. For those not familiar with Hwange National Park here is a brief summary.
The Hwange National Park (formerly called Wankie) is located in the western part of Zimbabwe, two hour's from Victoria Falls and is Zimbabwe's largest and best-known national park. At 14,500 sq. km it is half the size of Belgium. The area was declared a national park in 1928 and today is home to 108 species of mammal and over 400 bird species, one of the most diverse parks in the world. The park is most famous for its elephant herds, which combined make up a heaving population of around 30,000.
Hwange NP was the hunting ground of the great Ndebele king, Mzilikazi and the park is named after Hwange Rosumbani a Ndebele warrior, who lived in the area circa 1900. When the area was proclaimed a reserve in 1928, animal populations had virtually been exterminated by hunters. Fewer than 1000 elephants remained and both black and white rhino had been wiped out completely.
The park lies in a transition zone between the burnt sands of the Kalahari to the west (bordering Botswana) and the savannah woodlands and renowned teak forests of Zimbabwe and therefore has little natural water. Ted Davidson, the founding warden and author of "Wankie Game Reserve", drilled dozens of boreholes and established 60 more pans in the park. Over the years the animal population recovered and many species started thriving with water and food being readily available. Without perennial rivers in Hwange, today most of the water has to be pumped from boreholes in order to sustain the current animal populations.
The
Four Wheel Drive Club of SA has tasked itself to raise funds for the FOH to ensure the sustainability of the park and its wildlife and to
this end we have planned our second trip to the park. Besides enjoying this beautiful space in Africa we will help the FOH with projects on
which they require help. One of these projects is to help fund and erect windmills and or solar pumps at 10 different water holes. Besides
the contributions already made by club members throughout 2009, through personal donations and from the sale of stickers, a portion of the
trip fee will be donated to this worthy cause.
This adventure will again be hosted by Mafunyane Adventure in collaboration with Friends of Hwange Trust. The trip will be nine days long and cover a distance of approximately 2700km.
The itinerary for this year's trip will include one night wild camping on the Hunters Road, bordering Botswana and Zimbabwe. The trip will also include a stay at Elephant Sands and four nights in the Hwange national Park.
Tour cost: R4 995 per person. 8-16 yrs half price, kids under 8 free.
This price includes:
The price excludes:
Maximum number of vehicles - 10
More information and an itinerary will be published by the end of March.
This trip is suitable for "soft-roaders".
29 MHz or VHF radios are a prerequisite for this trip.
Please ensure that your passport is valid for six months or more.
Full itineraries will be sent to those booking.
We will have a pre-trip meeting to discuss in detail the itinerary and what to bring, etc.
Book early as there is only limited space.
If you have any questions please email me on schaferfam@mweb.co.za
Thorsten Schäfer
Outings Portfolio
Book with Kim at the club office on 086 139 3272 or email fwdcsa@icon.co.za. A deposit of 50% plus R150 is required to secure your booking. The full balance is required to be paid four weeks before departure. Please call the office to make sure that there is space for you on the outing before you pay. When booking, please state your vehicle details, including registration number and make, names of all people in your party and ages of kids, as well as all other details like telephone numbers and E-mail addresses.
Download a booking form here, complete it and fax it back to 0861-393-272.
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Club Banking Details |
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| Bank | First National Bank |
| Branch | Northmead Square |
| Branch Code | 250112 |
| Account Name | Four Wheel Drive Club of SA |
| Account Number | 58810022334 |
| Reference | Your surname and the name of the destination: Hwa10 |
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