Into the Wild Africa: The Legendary Karoi-Binga Road
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- There is a road in Zimbabwe that runs west to east, parallel to the Lake Kariba shoreline, whose legendary bumps and corrugations have made it one of the most-feared routes in the country. It starts near the town of Karoi and extends past Matusadona and Chizarira National Parks to the lakeside resort of Binga. It passes through some spectacular scenery and is by far the shortest route from Kariba to Victoria Falls. But does it really deserve the suspension-breaking reputation it gets?! To find out more, Gus (the African Plant Hunter) took his trusty Land Rover and gave it a run.
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#intothewildzimbabwe #chizarira #matusadona
![Campsite Review: Tashinga Camp (Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe)[Overlanding Africa]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/spopkOgxKSs/mqdefault.jpg)
![Campsite Review: Tashinga Camp (Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe)[Overlanding Africa]](/img/tr.png)
Love Zim back tracks 💛🍷
😅😅 woow you just passed my rural home Zvipani...man I have a story to tell ...of me and my brother back in the days we walked from Zvipani to Kariba...oh man!
Excellent! Please tell the story - I'm very keen to hear it!
I did that road testing a caravan in 2019 definitely quite a challenge. They where busy doing the new section of road from Karoi in 2019 I understand it will eventually be tar to Binga. It was always a childhood dream to do that road so eventually got round to doing it in my 50's
Yes, I think emphasis on the word 'eventually' there!
Great video, thanks for sharing. It's a route I have done a few times myself, most memorably in an army convoy during the liberation war (cue our anthem at the time Hendrix 'There must be some kinda way outta here'), and another time around 1995 when the corrugatons were so bad a shock absorber literally exploded.
Very envious of you being able to get out there 👍
Legendary! Not only the road but also the video. As all your other videos. ;-)
Been on that road in April. Already miss ZIM.
Thanks Klaas, you were the one that inspired me to make this video!
Good to see you and Dave on this fun adventure. When I'm back in Zim sometime, would love to join you on one of these trips.
Fantastic. You know where to find us when you're back!
Lovely & enjoyable
Have always been fascinated by that route, definitely want to travel it one day.
Carpe diem. Now is always the best time to do something!
@@AfricanPlantHunter Hi Gus, great video & good insight into this infamous road!
Hubby and I are doing Hwange & Mana in Sept and wanting to travel from Hwange Main Camp through to Makuti in a day as we only have one night between the 2 Zimparks bookings.
Much debate going on as to whether we do this road or go main roads via Bulawayo, Gweru, Chegutu, Chinhoyi etc. We have a Disco 5 & pulling a small off road 4x4 van, travelling solo. The road looks manageable to us, sure we have done worse in our travels but not with a van in tow!
In your opinion is this road doable from Hwange Main Camp to Makuti in one day?
Thanks for the memory. I last travelled this road in 1994. It was known then as the Hospis Nicoll Trail . . (not sure of the spelling)
I don't think it's changed much since 1994, to be honest! I'm guessing the name was after Hostes Nicolle, who was the Secretary for Internal Affairs in Zim back in the 60s/70s. I believe there was a wildlife research program in Gokwe named after him too.
Gus is quite correct with the Hostes Nicolle Trail….he was DC for the area…40’s /50’s before becoming secretary for internal affairs. We have a copy of his memoirs during this time which are very interesting
May you come and do the Osborn dam tour in Manicaland .. A few options off watsomba on Mutare Nyanga Road
We want to do Vic Falls - Harare and would have loved to use that road but after watching this I can see it's better to just go via Bulawayo. 40km/h average speed is too slow.
A better route for this is to take the Nkayi road that goes from Lupane through Nkayi to Kwekwe. I use that route regularly. It is rough in places, but the average speed is probably around 70 kmh. And it cuts nearly 200 kms from the distance covered.
Tha😀nks for the compilation, I was planning on travelling from Victoria fall and then cut across through Binga to Karoi with a small sedan, but it looks like that is not even something i should contemplate. Wonderful jobs, I really appreciate
Thanks Gus , that was a spectacular drive . Reminds me of the famous Binya road .
Another road I will definitely feature in a future episode!
@@AfricanPlantHunter yes, please!
Hi Gus, great movie, first travelled on this road in 1972, also many times over the years, last time 2015, my wife and I in my Landy were heading from Hwange to Kariba.
You should try the road down to Tashinga!!!!
Thanks for sharing. I met someone who had just driven the Tashinga road. He said it was long and slow and exceptionally scenic, which seemed like a good description!
Awesome thanks for sharing Gus!
Glad you enjoyed!
heading on that road in August, coming across from pandamatenga and heading to mana, would be great to hear your thoughts from Karoi onwards to Mana.
hey Gus, hope you're a mechanic as well, doing trips like that in a landie😂
I grew up fixing Land Rovers, so it's second nature to me. I usually have to clean the Land Rover oil from under my fingernails before I shoot my videos.......
i too have owned both cruisers and landies they both are special and iconic 👍🏻
Ohhh we wish we were with you on the trip!
Aah, wish you were too!
Loved this! Thanks!
Thank you!
Thank for the beautiful vidio
The road from hell. We travelled it with my dad early 90s. We left Gokwe around 8pm and went via Karoi then to Harare. Not for the faint hearted
Definitely not for the faint hearted. But worth it for the bold!
@@AfricanPlantHunter Hey Gus..another great video as always. Are there any fuel fascilities on the route now?
hey man! im about to drive from vic falls to mana pools through this road, any tips or suggestions?? :)
Take it slowly and enjoy the ride. If you have time to stop in at Chizarira, even just for 1 night, you won't regret the incredible views from the campsites!
@@AfricanPlantHunter thanks man 🤙🏻 I’ll definitely go check it out!
Mmmm would love to do that again drove to tiger bay some years back was surprised at the traffic on the road so if there is still much traffic it's great the road has kept up function
Do you have other exploration drives
Having travelled into the bush areas a lot, I decided to do experiments on growing bush trees for aesthetic purposes. Hence I wrote a book, Plants & Wild Species, Lulu Press Ltd.
Hi Gus. Thanks for the video. What happend to your old faithful Toyota ?
Good question! She reached 525,000 kms and was getting to the point where the costs of keeping her on the road were just a little too high. So, with great sadness, I had to park her.
Hi Gus, There has been some debate on this road on a forum I belong to, some say it has deteriorated considerably since you did the video? We intend doing the road in September (Matusadona National Park to Binga, including Chizarira). Can you recall when you did this trip? Thanks John
how did your trip go John?
Sikanyana road by the Tonga(Zambezi) locals ( Ivor Cocroaft road)
Hi Gus, great video & good insight into this infamous road!
Hubby and I are doing Hwange & Mana in Sept and wanting to travel from Hwange Main Camp through to Makuti in a day as we only have one night between the 2 Zimparks bookings.
Much debate going on as to whether we do this road or go main roads via Bulawayo, Gweru, Chegutu, Chinhoyi etc. We have a Disco 5 & pulling a small off road 4x4 van, travelling solo. The road looks manageable to us, sure we have done worse in our travels but not with a van in tow!
In your opinion is this road is doable from Hwange Main Camp to Makuti in one day?
Hi Dee, thanks for this. Yes, in my opinion this is very doable. It will be a long day (12 hours), but the route is stunning and you will enjoy it. I don't think it would be any quicker if you took the tar through Byo either! Please do let me know how it goes. Hope you have a wonderful time in Zimbabwe (you will!).
So jealous
I thought the road is tarred
For the first 74 kms it is, but then the dirt begins!
Let me help you film next time your are in Zim!
Gus is a Zimbo living in Zim
@@GrumpyTinashe ari kupi?
@@fortytofit6738 I don't know where exactly lol but he is Zim based
@@GrumpyTinashe muudze andibate!
@@fortytofit6738 unoita nezve chii
If you can not imagine. Don't watch this!
no elephants over this road.
And sadly. Prime Minister Ian Smith's government was the last to do the road maintenance.
Blame that on apartheid as well.
Stupid comment