Our flight from Dulles to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was long - nearly 14 hours long. It was rather uneventful other than a lot of children who were not happy to be on a 14 hour flight. The next 4 hour leg of the journey was just as uneventful, and it did not take long to get our visas for Zimbabwe - a short form to fill out, a glance at our passports, $30 USD each later, and we were on our way to our hotel via shuttle.

Harare, Zimbabwe

The initial drive from the airport into town is always one of my favorite parts. I'm so excited to be on the ground again, feet on foreign soil, and I enjoy taking in the scenery as we pass the locals going about their day. My initial take on Harare is that it is bustling with activity - people are everywhere, cars are inching their way through roads that seemed to lack many traffic regulations. We were immediately thankful that we did not rent a car. Zimbabweans drive on the opposite side of the road as Americans, which is confusing enough. The law of the road also seemed to be along the lines of a free-for-all, although we did see some stoplights. As adventurous as we are, I think driving in this country is not something I would want to jump right into.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Our hotel, the Cresta Jameson, is a tired old building along one of the main roads through the central business district. It got halfway decent reviews online, and since we waited until the last minute to book hotels, we got our room for super cheap. It wasn't too bad of a stay. The building had certainly seen better days, and there may have been a bit of mold on the bathroom tile, but the staff was nice. Breakfast was pretty decent, and they have a fun Afro jazz bar next door! We've certainly stayed in worse places. For what we paid, it wasn't bad at all.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Our first evening, we went to one of the highest ranked restaurants in Harare, a little place called Coimbra that serves Portuguese food. It's right in the central business district, only a 5 minute taxi ride from the Cresta Jameson. The food was superb - I think I could eat their roasted garlic spread every single day. Justin got the Portuguese steak with fries, and I got the half roasted piri piri chicken with fries. It was affordable and delicious, so we highly recommend it.

Dinner at Coimbra

Our second day in Harare, we took a taxi out to Wild Is Life Trust and ZEN (Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery) which is about 5 minutes away from the airport. The cost to get in seemed a little high at a suggested donation of $95 per person, but the five star reviews all said that it is more than worth the cost for the amazing work these people are doing at this animal sanctuary. Plus they serve afternoon tea with scones and cakes halfway through and then later serve champagne and canapés (hors d'oeuvres) at the end.

Snack time at Wild Is Life Trust & ZEN

Four of the five elephants...I believe Moyo (the most ornery of the bunch) was running around being mischievous.

Pickles the warthog who lives with 3 goats.

One month old orphaned baby monkey

Six week old orphaned baby monkey

What a spectacular experience! I would absolutely live there if allowed. We got to see cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes, a warthog, goats, wildebeest, kudu, sable, peacocks, ostriches, monkeys, and a pangolin. These animals are so well-loved by the incredible staff, and it was truly a beautiful thing to watch the relationships between humans and animals. A couple ornery elephants kept us laughing, the high-maintenance giraffes insisted on trying to stay dry from the rain, the lions put on a lazy showing of eating their dinner...but my favorite part was the pangolin.

The handlers at Wild Is Life are saints.

The littlest elephants, ages 2 1/2 years and 2 years 8 months, are still bottle-fed and feed themselves.

Ostriches hanging out while the elephants were fed

I didn't even know what a pangolin was until meeting Marimba, a 10 year old Cape Pangolin which is the oldest living pangolin in captivity in Zimbabwe. Her handler Mateo adores her...and I mean, ADORES her and she him. I loved watching the two of them together. Mateo has been caring for Marimba for 9 years. Each day, he carries her in his backpack through the bush to find anthills so that she can eat her required 300 grams (~10.5 ounces) of ants each day. Pangolin are nocturnal and very little is known about the species - no one is even sure of a life expectancy. They range in size of 12 to 39 inches long, and their tongues are as long as their bodies and tails combined. It actually retracts into a small pouch next to their abdomen.

Mateo & Marimba

Mateo & Marimba

Pangolin are mammals and are unfortunately the most trafficked animal in the world. They are wanted for their meat (which is seen as a delicacy in some areas) and their scales which are made up of keratin (for supposed medicinal qualities in Vietnam and China). Over one million pangolin were illegally trafficked over the last decade, making it the most trafficked animal. Deforestation has also been a huge contributor to the declining population. Relying on ants and termites as a food source, they are fairly slow-moving, and their only defense mechanism is their hard scales and their ability to roll into a ball when threatened. For these reasons, it's easy to capture one.

The cutest animal I've ever encountered.

Other personalities at the sanctuary include Moyo the 2 1/2 year old elephant that likes to chase Noodles the wildebeest; Pickles the warthog that lives with goats and loves to sleep on the couch; Annabelle the giraffe that hates rain so much that she tries to take cover under a tent which is far too short for her height; and the two dogs Sophie (8 year old terrier) and Badger (5 month old pit bull) - Sophie is a great tour guide, and Badger loves to torture the monkeys.

Mambo the lion with his gorgeous mane eating dinner

Noodles the wildebeest getting love from the handlers

We truly cannot say enough wonderful things about this organization. They are doing so much for wildlife in need, providing such an amazing home for these animals, and giving the public such a great educational opportunity. If you are ever in the Harare area, please go visit them! Tours need booked in advanced. See their website for more information.

Happy adventurelusts visiting what surely is heaven - Wild Is Life Trust & ZEN (Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery)

Edited with BlogPad Pro