The Sunday Mail
Zimbabwe is endowed with many places of natural and manmade grandeur ranging from the majestic Victoria Falls, the Great Zimbabwe monuments, Mana Pools to Chinhoyi Caves, among others.
Before even thinking about holidaying outside Zimbabwe, one can spend up to a decade visiting several national cultural heritage sites and holiday resorts.
But sadly, many Zimbabweans hardly know their country, which is why The Sunday Mail Leisure is introducing this Travel Section to allow the readers of this publication in different parts of the country to write in and share with us the beautiful places they live in or have visited.
Below, Freedom Mupanedemo writes about little-known Boterekwa Pass, a place of beauty found in “Scenic Shurugwi” in the Midlands province.
Soon after passing the Central Business District of a dull, but rather busy mining town of Shurugwi, its cracked structures and ancient buildings on either side, the road escapes to the south.
Suddenly it steeps, meanders, blinds and strikingly drops. Once a hometown to the then Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith, the scenery, the rolling moorlands and the neckline of the undulating mountains quickly give a clue as to why this place stole Smith’s heart. Besides the spectacular scenery, this town lies on top of the mineral-rich belt, the Great Dyke, and such minerals as gold, copper, chrome, and platinum .
These are just some of its deposits that have turned out to be the major source of life for its inhabitants and sojourners alike through legal and illegal panning.
Steeping further, the gradient becomes even more dangerous and daring.
The adventure of negotiating the eight-kilometre descent on this narrow and meandering pass aptly called Boterekwa (meandering) or the Wolfshall Pass seems only comfortable when in low-range four-wheel-drive.
When negotiating this pass, fretfulness and restlessness become inevitable.
Constructed by some Italian engineers, one is left to wonder but at the same time admire the expertise by these craftsmen – their genius in carving an 8 kilometre snaking road on rolling mountains.
After every one kilometre, there is an expertly carved lay-by which allows motorists the opportunity to pull over and enjoy the majestic view of the Boterekwa Mountains and its world yonder.
Due to years of weathering, some stones and huge musasa trees lay precariously on the carved mountain walls exposing some ambitious stunted roots craving for life under shrinking space.
Bold signs of rolling stones are littered around the pass to warn travellers.
In the middle of the Boterekwa is the 100m trail to Dunraven Falls. Just like the Mutarazi Falls or Nyangombe Falls in Nyanga – the Dunraven Falls have been hijacked by various apostolic sects in Shurugwi for “special religious ceremonies”. The falls are still spectacular nevertheless.
And for the convenience of tourists, perfect places have been put up some 10 kilometres out of the mining town along the Shurugwi-Gweru highway.
The resort facilities offer fabulous accommodation and fast food services, among other hospitality services.
