The Zimbabwe Travel Authority has initiated a tour of media writers from Britain to visit Zimbabwe…and we travel from Harare to Mutare to meet them after they have stayed at Inn on the Ruparara. After spending a night with dear friend Bronwen, whose garden is adorned with flame lilies at this time of the year, we descend the road towards sea level and the Gonarezhou National Park.

Brilliant Bauhinia galpinii adorn the road sides….

Tumbled granite kopijies are etched against the Payne’s Grey skies….

Gorgeous baobab fibre mats glow at the roadside….

We travel through patches of sunlight and then plunge beneath great steel grey clouds and drifting sheets of rain and rainbows.

Room 8 at Chilo Gorge is tucked into fabulous forest canopy, overhanging a tumbling waterfall that feeds the Save River. Here, monkeys’ antics in the canopy accompany early morning coffee…

The view through the balcony railing of Room 7 is tropical, sparkling with the scarlet flowers of Erythrina livingstonii…..I sketch the scene on my IPad…

Firelight in the evening is conducive to stories and tales around the fire…

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About wineandwilddogs
Lin Barrie
The Save Valley Conservancy stretches along the upper reaches of the great Save River in the south east of Zimbabwe. The Gonarezhou National Park laps against the southern banks of the Save River and between these two nestles the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve. These three celebrated wildlife areas form part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, (GLTFCA)- a unique wilderness jewel which is home to the “Big Five” (endangered Black and White rhinos, elephants, buffalo, lion, leopard) and the ”Little Six” (Klipspringer, Suni, Duiker, Steenbok, Sharpe's Grysbok and Oribi). Endangered African wild dogs, Cheetah, Brown hyena, Bat-eared foxes and a host of special birds and plants contribute to the immense variety of this ecosystem. Communities around the GLTFCA contribute to innovative partnerships with National Parks and the private sector, forming a sound base on which to manage social, economic and environmental issues.
This is home to artist and writer Lin Barrie and her life partner, conservationist Clive Stockil.
Expressing her hopes, fears and love for this special ecosystem with oil paints on canvas, Lin Barrie believes that the essence of a landscape, person or animal, can only truly be captured by direct observation.
Lin Barrie states: “Through my art, and my writing, I feel an intimate connection with the natural world, and from my extensive field sketches of wild animals, people and landscapes, I create larger works on canvas.
Lin's work is in various public and private collections in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Australia, England, Canada, Sweden and the United States of America. She is represented by galleries in South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, Kenya and Florida, USA.