Hidden gem in the City of Stones

AFTER being forced to close shop for six months due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Ancient City Lodge in Masvingo has reopened offering a fresh breeze for holiday makers.

The Ancient City lodge is among the bushes, the flora and fauna, providing the serenity any holiday maker can only dream of.

Situated upon a granite outcrop close to the Great Zimbabwe monuments, the lodge is strategically positioned to provide a scenery of Msasa trees across a valley and a breath-taking view of one of Africa’s priceless historical treasures.

“We have promotional campaigns targeting mainly domestic tourism and we have reduced our rates by 40 percent. To make up for lost business we are encouraging long stays so as to increase our average spent per person. We are also encouraging deposits to secure future reservations as a way of guaranteeing reservations,” a lodge official told The Financial Gazette this week.

“We have put in place decontamination foot tubs at the entrance. This is where guests clean their shoes. There are temperature check points in all public areas of the lodge. Rooms are fogged after every check out. All employees have been tested and cleared. Employees wear face masks and gloves”.

True to the adage, in harmony with nature, the Ancient City lodge is among the bushes, the flora and fauna, providing the serenity any holiday maker can only dream of.
Its open-air dining area offers magnificent views across tree tops, with the enclosed swimming pool and tumbling waterfall giving a more satisfying appeal, which is made whole by the beautiful lounge, bar and dining rooms, nicely tucked beneath a neatly thatched massive single roof.

Rounded boulders and stone walls designed to mirror the Great Zimbabwe form a critical part of this beautiful lodge’s architecture, comprising 19 thatched chalets, manicured with hand-made ochre designs.

While all the rooms have two double beds, overhead fans, insect gauze windows, in-house entertainment and full in-suite facilities, the lodge also offers family chalets with extra beds for children.

Historical guides are available to take guests on detailed walks through Great Zimbabwe.
Through their narratives, the guides recreate for their guests the life of the ancient city, its origins, history and traditions.

In addition to activities centered on Great Zimbabwe the surrounding area offers many attractions such as the beautiful Lake Mutirikwe, scenic landscapes with huge domes and kopjes of granite, traditional tribal areas with bushmen paintings, caves and a game reserve with three of the big five animals; the lion, buffalo and the rare white rhino.

Images of the Ancient City Lodge in Masvingo