Travelling around Harare

If you ever drive in the boot of a car, I'd advice you to look out of the back window. Not only will you see some of the most amazing views, such as the soft, yet intensive purple of the Jacaranda trees, but also will you have the funny feeling to be moving backward as soon as you stop - especially funny when you are standing downhill ;)


So when you move away from Harare the houses with high fences and high security level are replaced first by apartment buildings then by fields. On your way you will drive through beautiful avenues with amazing trees like the Jacaranda tree. Then you will pass by the Harare Stadion and see a tiny glimpse of it from the outside. While you are driving, there will be more and more holes in the street leading to a bumpy ride if the driver isn't good. Be careful with your head. 

At the Redan fuel station one then turns left in the direction of Dzivarasekwa, which you can already realize by the fact that there are little tables selling vegetables and bricks beside the road and an occasional goat passes by. You continue the road till you cross the railway, which marks the beginning of Seppo-Landia, also called Dzivarasekwa. And you will see the three funnily shaped hills, which we like to jog up to. By the way I must warn you of the road bumps which are quite common in Harare and its surroundings.

Slowly the fences are replaced by little houses closer to each other with more provisionally separations and the cars by people and dogs on the streets. It becomes definitely more colorful, more vivid and more loud. Not to forget that litter and dust are everywhere. 

Features that don't change throughout the trip is the flatness. Houses are usually one story tall, there are no high landmarks and over the fields you have a wide horizon in front of you. Another one are the clouds and the sky. As Harare lies rather high you feel like the clouds and also the stars are far closer to you.