Major facelift after cyclone
FOLLOWING a US$10 000 facelift, Chimanimani’s Heaven Lodge has finally opened its doors to the public.
The lodge was severely damaged during Cyclone Idai last year.
Fortunately, no casualties were recorded at the facility during the cyclone.
Situated very close to the heart of Chimanimani’s tourism attractions that include The Eland Sanctuary, Bridal Veil Falls, Chimanimani Mountain National Park, Corner Park and Tessa’s Pool, the lodge offers hiking, birding and mountain climbing activities.
More activities offered in the area include golf, horse-riding, cultural tours, traditional mbira and djembe drumming, visits to the Matsetso traditional village, as well as viewing of San paintings.
Tourists can also visit a soccer clinic and join the games and training sessions.
Speaking to The Weekender, one of Heaven Lodge’s shareholders, James Keegans, said: “We are delighted with the final product.”
“After a day of intense rainfall, the sides of Green Mount gave in. A wave of water, boulders and trees came down, thereby sweeping everything along the way. The floods were following the natural contours of the mountain.
“One boundary of the Heaven Lodge property was a gentle stream that only flowed during the rainy season, the floods followed that path. The floods completely altered our landscape,” he said.
Mr Keegans revealed that following Cyclone Idai, it took them a month to clear the debris and boulders.
“From there, our major focus was scooping out water and removing mud from the structures. We then moved on to rehabilitate the entire facility,” said Keegans.