Live, learn, explore

When driving foreign visitors to or from the airport along Glenara Avenue it is always a thrill to point out zebra, giraffe, or a herd of wildebeest. Often the ostriches (now numbering 5) are flouncing up and down the fence line and it is always a surprise to see game within the city limits. The Woodlands, with a long lease from the City, has been established as an environmental and education park since 1980 on 277 hectares of land lying between and at the confluence of the Mukuvisi and Chiraura rivers, and since 1983 specially protected from development.
Earlyish on Sunday morning wasn’t that busy — a couple of Dads were trailing toddlers around the bird park. And it is an ideal place to take small kids. I remember our children going there on excited school visits in the 90s —  and on the notice board this Sunday were touching little letters and pictures from Grade 1 pupils at Gateway thanking their guide for what they had learned.
The Woodlands also offers guided walks, horseback rides, bike rides      and bird viewing walks. Check out the website at www.mukuvisiwoodland.co.zw .
We called in first at the coffee shop to give them a heads up for breakfast.  The proprietor was very welcoming and obliging and when we returned after a half hour walking the paths we didn’t have to wait long. The coffee shop is open 7am to 5pm every day — offers cake of the day and huge muffins (US$2), a selection of toasted sandwiches. (mostly (US$4) milkshakes, burgers, pies and kids meals.
The US$5 Mukuvisi mini breakfast — sausage, bacon, baked beans and fried egg was quite adequate. I liked the extra thin toast — but avoided the margarine. My husband accepted the offer of a full English. Rather a shock when we got the bill and discovered it was US$10! The only extras were a handful of chips and a veg stirfry. Not worth the extra five bucks and rather puzzling when lunch dishes of beef or chicken stir fry served with rice were US$6.
Al the same it was a lovely start to Sunday. We were delighted by the tortoises (11 according to the game count chalked on the board in the viewing centre — we saw three) and entertained by the very noisy selection of exotic birds in the bird park. Very tame white cockatoos followed us around nipping at my trousers and climbing readily onto offered forearms and fingers.
Two crocodiles lie brooding in the shady enclosure and have been there for the past 30 years I am sure. They do look bigger — and I enjoyed an anecdote in the History of the Mukuvisi Woodlands — which we bought for US$10 at the entry kiosk — reporting an escaped crocodile causing chaos on Glenara Avenue in the 80s until it was recaptured by an heroic employee who sat on its back, tied a strip of cloth around its mouth and carried it back to the Woodlands. Brave man!
Various environmental and nature societies have made their home at the Woodlands and a shop sells books, crafts and plants. Next weekend sees the orchid society hold one of its bi-annual orchid events — a chance to enjoy and buy these spectacular flowers.
Every month end Sunday the SPCA hosts a fundraising dog show and the Woodlands is open to dog walkers giving nature enthusiasts another way to enjoy the changing seasons in this special miombo woodland.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com