For most Zimbabweans, though, Tshipise is simply a pleasant stop-off point on the way “down south” or on the way back — before braving the utter hideousness of the Beitbridge border post — or a relaxing place for a few days R&R.
We went there for both purposes — breaking our journey down to Blyde River, and then, our return trip home after the Kruger — a total four nights. It was easy to understand the appeal of staying much longer! The famous hot spring water is of course deemed health enhancing, and a few hours lurking in the huge hot pool, or the extremely hot “Rheumatism Pool” is pretty much guaranteed to turn even the most dyed in the wool stress puppies into floppy laid-back lurkers —at least temporarily!
Only if you’re staying at Tshipise Forever Resort may you partake of these delights, so the pools don’t get uncomfortably over-subscribed, and day and night, wallowing about’s a delight! I’m a bit pathetic about cold water, preferring a luke warm swimming pool, and refusing point blank to take a cold shower, so diving into water that’s the temperature of a hot bath is utterly delightful.
The attractive chalets are both reasonably priced and excellently equipped, with the best solution to avoiding unnecessary costs in terms of endlessly replacing beds I’ve ever seen — our own national parks could really use this idea.
Instead of actual beds, they have built permanent carpeted “ledges” against the wall, for the single beds — so all they need replace from time to time, are the mattresses! Cunning, and in no way detracting from comfort!
This was my second trip to Tshipise, so I eagerly awaited the amusement of the daily chalet patrols by the banded mongooses who are so habituated to humanity they are virtually fearless and will, if you stay still, come right up to you.
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They are very entertaining, and definitely work hard on their cuteness quotient, in the hopes you’ll toss some scraps. We preferred giving them whole eggs, as more nutritionally sound, and so we could observe their ingenious ways of breaking into them! Monkeys and baboons also pay regular visits in the hopes of some tasty pickings, and are just as entertaining and very clever indeed, managing lightning raids into chalets if you turn your back for a second and have left open a window or door.
All credit to their opportunism, I say! There are also lots of bushbabies. Gorgeous creatures.People staying at Tshipise are extremely friendly. Almost invariably, whomever you happen to be next to, in whichever pool, will strike up a conversation.
A pleasant change from the compulsory aloofness and over-emphasis on “personal space” that one generally encounters when sharing facilities with strangers.
After two very pleasant days and nights of wallowing, fully relaxed, we braced ourselves for the border. Yes, you guessed it, it was an absolute nightmare! Much more to enjoy at tshipise
There’s a restaurant, a supermarket, a butchery, an adjacent game park where you can walk unaccompanied, pony trails, trampolines, mini golf, tennis courts and more. What more could one ask?
There’s also the mountain, which, well obviously, one just had to climb! Great view, and also a great vantage point for spotting some game in the game park below — and, feeding my latest obsession of working out what wildlife was living up there, from signs and droppings — which, we reckoned, included bushpig, leopard, klipspringer (which we saw), duiker, genet.
BY ROSIE MITCHELL
