eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
If you are the adventure, adrenalin junkie type or you just want to give your confidence a kick in the back-side then Chimanimani is the place to visit, specifically Outward Bound Zimbabwe.
Outward Bound Zimbabwe, located in the Chimanimani Mountains, is an organisation that offers a range of adventure courses and expeditions designed as professional development and leadership programmes.
Among the courses are: Raft-building, rock-climbing, traversing white-water rivers, zip-line, python path, abseiling, mountain expedition (including overnight camping), orienteering, navigation, hiking and gorge walk among several others.
When we arrived at Outward Bound in there was a team of 120 youths from Red Cross Zimbabwe that was undergoing a range of these activities.
The Red Cross team was divided into groups with each group undertaking a specific activity at a time, and then shifting activity until everyone had done everything.
Perhaps it was the exuberance of the youth as they went about their business, or the freshness of the Chimanimani air, but being here certainly gave me a boost, a sort of renewal of spirit.
And it wasn’t just me. It was telling on every face I looked at.
“It’s brilliant!” said one of the youthful participants. “The sheer excitement and variety of challenges as well as the team dynamics that have shone through us has made it a special time-out. I will definitely be coming back to Chimanimani.”
According to Outward Bound’s chief tour guide Sam Mangezi, the courses offered by the organisation ranging from a mix of the above are meant to challenge the physique and the mind.
“Our courses are designed to challenge the individual. But they are also specially designed to develop the individual’s confidence and to inspire perseverance.
“Be it mountain expedition or traversing white-water rivers our course activities take you on a journey of self-discovery — physically and mentally.”
Outward Bound offers these courses for individuals, schools, corporations, and other organisations. Currently the organisation has 12 full-time instructors.
“But does this stuff really work?” I just had to ask.
“Most certainly. One of the key ways in which we assess the participants is through the reviewing process.
“Following every activity, regardless of outcome, the participants are encouraged to reflect on their own performance and to identify ways to future success. As our motto goes: A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions,” said Sam.
Outward Bound is strategically located for these adventure courses and some of the very nearby natural features include Tessas’ Falls and Pool, the Peza, Binga and Nyangoma mountains, the Wind Tunnels and Paradise Pools among others.
In terms of the activities on offer, our minds could have been stretched beyond bounds had I scaled the 2 440 metre high Mount Binga, however, choosing a more modest trail to the boarder at Skeleton Pass that is a little more north of Mount Binga was good enough for us.
On a clear day, our tour guide said, we would be able to see the Indian Ocean from this point. But you don’t get too many clear days during the rainy season in Chimanimani.
According to Outward Bound Zimbabwe director David Meikle, the idea of the organisation is to harness nature as an educational tool.
“What we basically do here is to turn the mountains and surroundings into desk and chairs. The natural environment provides an outdoor classroom that offers a learning experience that is unique and memorable,” he said.
David says his organisation is independent of Outward Bound International, but remains in association with it for maintenance of globally accepted standards.
