To Insiza

November 15, 2025

The road from Gweru to Bulawayo is well paved, wide, and desolate. There are hardly any settlements along this 160km stretch and those that exist are small shops devoid of goods for sale. It is a stretch that drivers drive with their feet planted firmly down on the accelerator pedal. Thankfully, a wide hard shoulder accompanies the highway for the entire distance, and I felt suitably safe in it! I didn't fancy riding the entire 160km in one day, if I could avoid it, but I couldn't find any settlement that I felt brave enough to stop at for the night and pitch my tent. Reading about safety in Zimbabwe, most opinions seem to discourage wild camping because of wild (nocturnal) animals such as Hyena and Jackal. I was not going to challenge the advice of locals! By a stroke of good fortune, it turned outvthat Mehul (my brother-in-law) knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who suggested Jabulani Lodge, which was 25km off the main road, but accessible only via a very poor gravel road. I called Jabulani and asked if they could pick me up from Insiza junction, if I paid for the transfer, and they agreed! This meant being able to split the 160km over two days.

I left Gweru at 8am, after an indulgent breakfast at Alra Lodge, slightly later than planned. I went past Lundi Park and the third of our family homes during our time in Gweru 44 years ago. The house had been extremely neglected, to the point that I almost didn't recognise it.

South of Gweru, the vegetation thinned, and the farms that I used to see along the route so far, disappeared, to be replaced by savannah grassland and Msasa trees. Msasa trees are typical in this part of Africa. The landscape gradually became more arid as I headed further South over undulating terrain. I was feeling fresher that I had done on previous mornings, hopefully because I was gradually finding my touring legs. It always takes a few days to re-adjust from riding my 7kg Canyon road bike in London to my 47kg fully loaded Trek 520!

I reached Insiza junction, where I stopped by the kiosk and waited for my rescue vehicle. Len turned up in his Land cruiser and 25km of bumpy gravel road later, I was at Jabulani. The lodge was very well kept and comfortable. I was happy to be spending my night here, where the only sounds I could hear were birds chirping, crickets screeching and the occasional staff chatting in Shona. I sat on my veranda overlooking a waterhole where I was told various herbivores would come to drink in the evening.

Jabulani lodge is on a farm, and is run by an elderly Zimbabwean couple, who were born in Zimbabwe during colonial times and had lived here all their lives. One thing I have noticed about the white settlers in Zimbabwe, that I now recall noticing even as a school boy, is the reluctance of many of them to learn or show interest in African culture. Very few of them speak the local languages, Shona and Ndebele. Very few of them know about African history other than what their biased school curriculums taught them, and are often not inclined to know any more. I gleaned this just by chatting to my hosts last night and today. When I got to the lodge today, I asked Petra, one of the owners, what "Jabulani" meant. She shrugged and confessed she didn't know. Later, after a quick look online, I discovered that "Jabulani" is a traditional Zulu word meaning "Rejoice".

Today's ride: 83 km (52 miles)
Total: 401 km (249 miles)

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