Since seeing the steam train in Victoria Falls, we wanted to take a train across the country. It hadn’t worked with our plans up to then so we made sure we would use it on our way out. The train departs from Harare 3 days a week, but we had arranged our activities to make it happen.
Our first impression wasn’t the best. It was parked in the station when we arrived, but there were no lights on. We found the correct car and using the light from my phone, we located our seats. On the way, we passed people who had already claimed their space on the ground as their bed. Someone was sitting in one of our seats so we grabbed the row behind him and settled in. Tico sat on one side and I took the other with our packs in the seats next to us as our pillows.
I took my headlamp out and decided to see what the bathroom looked like. The toilet dropped straight to the tracks and there was a condom stopping up the sink. It smelled strongly of urine, but all-in-all it served its purpose. Back in our seats, we were already in sleeping position by the time the train left the station. Most people we’d spoke with didn’t think we’d leave anywhere near the scheduled time, but the horn blew at 9:30 pm and it immediately pulled out.
Over the next 8.5 hours we stopped in small towns picking up and dropping off people. The lights would occasionally turn on and then immediately off and the ticket collector and 2 guards continually walked up and down the aisle. At times it felt like the engine really had to work to get going again, but it never hesitated.
A little before 5 am, a large group of women and children boarded while making quite a bit of noise. They slowly approached from the car behind and ended up sitting in the seats directly to our backs. The sun started to brighten the sky not long after and we could see the outlines of the Eastern Highland mountains through the morning fog. A few minutes ahead of schedule, we pulled into the station in Mutare.
Maria getting ready to leave the train
Getting off the train with loaded packs
We strapped our bags to us and made our way into town. A few blocks away from the station, we spotted the Downtown Eatery and stopped in for breakfast. While we waited, we finally pulled out the cards and played rummy. It was the last attempt to make use of them before Tico was ready to give them away. We took our time as it was still early and things wouldn’t open until 8. Then, we went out to get a souvenir before crossing the border.
Finding a craft shop was harder than we had expected and wandering around with our heavy bags was not what we wanted to do. So Tico stayed with the bags while I went searching. I found a shop, but there was nothing that caught my eye. We decided to get a taxi to the museum and see what they had. Thankfully, we found something not far from there and waited for a ride to the border. Someone we met in Harare at Jan’s party had given us a number of a friend that wouldn’t mind driving us to the Zimbabwe immigration post.
He dropped us at the border control and we got in line. Our passports were stamped without complication and we were given our exit slip. At the gate, the guard told us we needed a stamp from customs so we went back in. He asked if we were driving and when we answered no, he quickly stamped our slips. From there, we entered the 300 meters of no man’s land before entering Mozambique. People were changing money and selling phone cards, but we repeatedly declined all the offers.
Crossing the border by foot
Once at the Mozambique border, we filled out the entry paperwork and handed over our passports with the visas already inside. We each had to get our index fingers scanned and then we were free to leave. Sloan, a friend of Jan’s, was waiting for us just down the road to take us into town.
We dropped off our bags at his place and went to see where he was mining for gold. The road led out of town and into the green-covered hills. They were testing a new cut of land so we watched as the excavator pulled bucket after bucket of dirt up. After going several meters down, they found the gravel and bedrock. We got to ride on the top of the excavator as it worked, which gave us a great viewing angle. They panned a sample of the dirt to see if it was worthwhile to continue digging in the area. Once they were satisfied, the workers filled the hole back up to stop the water from filling it up.
Maria riding the excavator while it makes the test hole
Workers collecting gravel to test for gold
A gold miner
Looking for gold in the test gravel
We got a tour of their operation and then compared it to the nearby illegal operations. There were 30 locals that had dug, using only shovels, 12 meters (36 feet) into the ground. They made gaps in the wall that were used as the ladder to get in/out of the hole. There were long posts and rope at ground level to bring up the buckets of dirt. It was a place you wouldn’t want to fall into or get stuck if the walls collapsed. Then, Tico got the opportunity to dig a hole with the excavator, which made him beyond happy. Sloan gave him a few pointers and then he was scooping up dirt and dumping it to the side before filling it in.
Illegal miners digging a hole by hand
Illegal miner smiling at the camera
A miner going down the dangerous hole
Tico digging a hole
That evening, we headed to a local bar for drinks and dinner. They had dropped off shrimp and beef earlier in the day to be cooked by the chef. We spoke Spanish with the locals and managed to understand bits of their Portuguese. They told us of some places to visit as well as the best way to get around.
Talking with the locals in Portuguese
This was the first time we walked across a border, but it all went smoothly. It is hard to leave one country to come to another, but the adventure must go on. We met a great group of people in Zimbabwe that helped us in so many ways. But now we’re looking forward to gorgeous beaches and trying out another country’s public transportation.
Helpful tips:
- If planning on taking the train, try to book before the day the train leaves if you want a sleeper cabin.
- There are taxis and motorbikes that will take you to/from both sides of the border if you are unable to get a ride.
- Most nationalities can get a visa at the border, but we opted to get our visa in Harare as we’d heard stories of paying extra at the border.