Eminently Eve.
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Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:
- Introduction
- Booking & contact details
- Directions, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
- Arrival & experience with the staff members
- Accommodation, meals & fees
- Activities & fees
- Conclusion
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NB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preferences.
Introduction
The first time I learnt about Antelope Park was about 8 years ago when I was in university and a classmate of mine got to do his industrial attachment there. I saw pictures of him walking with lions and what immediately came to my mind as an ecologist trainee at the time was, “How did they get those lions to be that submissive & what happens to them when they are no longer fit for the activity or if an accident happens and a human is injured or killed”. I did a bit of research on it and to cut the long story short the allegations and the lack of satisfactory explanations from the park just left me uninspired to visit. It so happened though that early this year when I visited Sikato Lion Park in Masvingo, Antelope Park came up and I was told that as of August 2019, lion walks at the park had been stopped. Finally, my chance to visit this stunning-looking park and learn more about it had come and so we visited it and here is how it went…
Booking & contact details
The booking was a bit unusual as our funds were coming from two different sources (a company and then our pocket) so from the get go I was anticipating problems either during check in or check out. However, I was really impressed by their excellent communication skills. We had no problems at all. I appreciate the efficient system and the staff they have in that department as they made sure that the financial aspect of our holiday was absolutely stress free. Antelope Park contacts: Email reservations@antelopepark.co.zw, WhatsApp +263772609541 and Calls +2638677021630.
Contact Empowered Travel on +263784887595 for your Travel/Motorist First Aid Kit, $35.
Directions, road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
Antelope Park is located in Gweru, the third largest city in Zimbabwe. It is in the Midlands province, one of the ten provinces in the country. For this destination, you need to be careful when it comes to using Google Maps as some search results will lead you to the boundary of the park but with no access.
Directions to the park are therefore as follows: From Gweru CBD, take A5 and once you reach the roundabout at Gweru Municipality Offices drive exactly 5.7km and take the right turn with a prominent Antelope Park sign post. From there, follow the subsequent sign posts which are perfectly placed along the way and they will get you right to their main entry gate & office. The first part of the road is good tar while the second part from the turn off is dirt and stretches for 6.4km. The dirt road is in relatively good condition therefore even smaller vehicles can manage if driven with caution. You are not going to need your vehicle while in the park as all your movements are restricted to Antelope Park vehicles by default.
Arrival & experience with the staff members
The system at Antelope Park is one where upon arrival, you are assigned a guide who will take care of you during the entire duration of your stay. Our guide was Inzwi. She was very attentive and communicated so clearly. She was just perfect for us as she was not too clingy but at the same time available whenever we needed her. She also has a great personality, good sense of humour and is very easy going so I absolutely loved her. We arrived at around 1230 hours when check in is at 1430 hours so we had to wait before being escorted to our accommodation, understandably so. It was kind of Inzwi though to come to where we were seated, updating us on the progress with our accommodation.
Accommodation, meals & fees
Antelope Park has a variety of options when it comes to accommodation. They have Campsites at $10 per person, Standard rooms $20 per person, Family lodges which accommodate a maximum of 4 people at $50 per person, Island Lodge at $115 per person or $170 per couple, River lodge at $85 per person or $130 per couple and the River tent at $55 per person or $85 per couple.
Our accommodation was probably my favourite part of the whole experience. I love tents because of the optimum level of intimacy with nature they allow and so we went for the River Tent. The audibility of natural sounds from outside through the canvas is a huge plus for me. Now being able to experience that in a cosy standard sized bed, ensuite bathroom and many other amenities was the cherry on top.
Rewinding back a bit, the first thing that stood out for me as we got to the tent was the remarkable view of the river and the lush bush which could be seen from the earthy tiled deck. Walking into the tent my eyes were met by a cosy looking bed, warm coloured rugs on the floor as well as tea and coffee facilities. The bathroom was more than I had hoped for. The handmade teak furniture in there gave a perfect finished touch.
The water from the shower was consistently hot which is the number one thing I need & can’t compromise on when it comes to accommodation. Given that a tent can be gloomy sometimes, I also really loved the thought that went into the ambient light in this tent, especially at the sink area. It was just the perfect amount to comfortably use the vanity mirror.
The accommodation is not inclusive of meals so you can either eat out or eat from their restaurant. The meals have fixed prices which I liked as it makes it easier when planning the budget. So breakfast is $15 while lunch and dinner are $20 per person. Friday is braai night and that is $25 per person while Sunday is roast lunch also $25 per person. We are light eaters so we knew that going for breakfast (which is a full English breakfast) or lunch would be a waste of money & food as we wouldn’t eat much.
So the tea and coffee facilities came in handy as we managed to have tea and our cereal & fruit on the deck, as well as sandwiches for lunch. We went for dinner and I loved the peaceful romantic ambience which was enhanced by the lighting. The thatched restaurant is open and right in front of the dam. I loved the sounds of the aquatic animals and birds chirping, preparing to turn in followed by the large variety of frogs that take over the night shift!
The first night was a Thursday. We had a buffet dinner of rice, stir fried beef, potatoes, fried chicken, salads and a dessert of trifle. Even though trifle is my favourite dessert I couldn’t have it as I was already full from the main meal. The following day, we had plenty of steak, pork, chicken and boerewors on the braai. To go with that was Sadza or rice, cabbage and creamed spinach (if I’m not mistaken) as well as salad and a slice of cake drenched in custard for dessert. My belly only allowed me to have a piece of chicken, boerewors, sadza, cabbage and dessert which were absolutely delicious.
Activities & fees
1. Canoeing – $10 per person
After checking into our tent & freshening up, we decided to go and canoe. There is something about being in a small boat like a canoe while in the middle of a dam or river that is mentally stimulating & physically relaxing. We always travel off season to try & increase the chances of having as much space as possible to ourselves and that was the case this time. It was literally just the two of us wanting to canoe at that time so we fully enjoyed the sounds of the birds & fish swimming along. For the same reason, we also could canoe for more than the stipulated one hour as no one was waiting to use the canoe after us. Had it not been for the invasive plants which have taken over 50% of the river, restricting how far one can go, we would have probably canoed for hours.
2. Game drive – $30 per person
Of course if I visit a game park then better believe a game drive is going to be the main activity I want to do. Unfortunately, at Antelope park they do not offer self drive so I had to go at a specific time and with a group of other people. A few things I dislike when it comes to this system are firstly that, in the group there are bound to be some people who will simply not respect time. I was told that the next available game drive was at 10:10 am so of course I was at the pick up point at exactly 10 am. Only for us to end up leaving at 11:00 am because we had to wait for others.
The second reason I’m not keen on this system is that the game drive has a time limit and in this case it was 1 hour 30 minutes. I’m someone whom when I visit a game park I want to spend many hours (if not the entire day) in the bush so to drive all the way from Harare to Gweru to only be in the bush for 1 hour 30 minutes was a bit of a disappointment. However, this is a system used at many game parks and it works perfectly for some people. If you are one of those people it works for then you are going to enjoy it at Antelope Park.
The first animals we spotted were impala. Sam, our tour guide, was amazing. He is well informed and has great communication skills. Unfortunately, I can’t share much on the dynamics of the animals there because in an hour and 30 minutes you only have time to spot an animal and move right along – no time to just chill and enjoy witnessing the interactions and dynamics of the animals. The other animal species we saw were wildebeest, zebra and giraffe. Then the rain started!
We were then driven to what looked like a workshop to hide from the rain and that’s also where the lion enclosures are so we got to see the lions from a distance. Sam said that they have 60 lions & lionesses. By the time the rain got better, 1 hour 30 minutes had already lapsed so we only did one other round and saw a female kudu.
If you are someone who likes a quick game drive, with a tour guide then this will be perfect for you. I wish they had the self drive option as well because $30 per person for a park with only plains game, spending just 1 hour 30 minutes is a bit of a rip off for me. It would probably be more justifiable if you could at least spend more quiet, peaceful & alone time enjoying the serene bush.
3. Elephant interaction – $30 per person
The final activity we did was elephant interaction. Ideally, seeing animals in their natural environment behaving without too much human control or interference is my perfect experience. This time I did the elephant interaction as it is a popular activity for Antelope park & so it was mainly for the purposes of this review. I do also appreciate the history of the 4 elephants they have which were rescued from drought-stricken Gonarezhou Park in the early 1990s.
Naturally, elephants are “destructive” animals. They play an important ecological role in a normal savanna environment of walking long distances, pulling down trees to open up the vegetation. In a small park like Antelope Park however, they can not be left to move around without supervision as they will end up pulling down trees in only areas around water holes which will cause some ecological problems such as soil erosion, siltation, among others.
The elephants therefore have handlers who are supposed to move around with them. The handlers explained to us that only 4 elephants were rescued at the time as that is the maximum number of elephants the park can support. I love animals so I was thrilled to see the elephants. Unfortunately, the handlers left us with a bad taste when they started “demanding” a tip. It was sad to learn from someone else that the same thing had happened to her too. So when we got back we emailed the Antelope park management team and they told us that they did not know about this (which I believe) and that they were going to talk to the elephant handlers to stop doing that.
The thing is, we are people who always leave a tip and we were going to do so anyway but demanding, especially after we have paid a hefty $60 for the 2 of us just to spend 15 minutes with elephants is not okay at all. It will make the people who do not have the tip to feel uncomfortable or end up going out of budget so that’s just a No. We did leave them the tip though because we appreciate the job they are doing and the risks involved.
Other activities & fees
4. Lion feeding – $30
5. Bush walk – $20
6. Horse ride (trail ride) – $30
7. Bird viewing walk – $20
8. Snake induction – $10
9. Lion enclosure tour – $25
10. Pony ride/lesson – $25
11. Horse ride/lesson – $25
All the prices are per adult. For children under the age of 12 it’s half the price. ALL THE PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Conclusion
Antelope Park is an amazing destination in terms of wildlife, landscape and staff members. I do however feel like in trying to maximise on fundraising they made me feel caged. Besides being in our tent, we found that every- and anything else we wanted to do, there was always someone or a group of other people with us. By the time we got to the end of the 3 days, I was feeling suffocated. Some time alone in the bush without strangers being with us all the time would have made a huge difference. If you are someone who prefers every single thing curated to the dot and being hand held every second then Antelope Park is perfect. They really are good at what they do.
Remember to always have a little Intimacy in your life & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With NATURE :).
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