Activities

What we did at RIFA.........the students views of their camps

...The first friendly smile you get is from a Rifa Camp hunter.
Unlike any other place you've been to, you are welcomed by a smiling hunter. Unlike any other person a hunter has driven to this hot, tsetse infected area for nothing but the love of animals and his wish to conserve nature. He understands that nature is a highly complex system which is being threatened by human beings and industrialisation. The Hurungwe Safari Area Rifa section is one area he strives to protect and conserve. One striking thing about the hunter is that he protects you with his gun on a purely voluntary basis. He even lets you shoot his gun as long as you don't shoot at Zambia lest they should declare war! You have come to Rifa with all its adventures and as tired as you are at the end of each day, you are still anxious to know what the next day has in store..."
E. Banda
Chinhoyi High School - 1995

THE DISSECTION

We had the unique opportunity of skinning a male impala which we used for our biological experiments. This was beneficial to biology students who were able to study the kidney under the microscope as well as feel the tricuspid and bicuspid valves of the heart. We also had the opportunity to locate the tracheal cartilage, and see the part of the trachea that lies against the oesophagus which does not possess any cartilage rings. We were able to see the different stomachs and compare the texture of food from one stomach to the next. We all enjoyed the meat as a pot roast which we cooked under the instruction of Conrad the hunter.
St. Johns High School
Emerald Hill 1997

The part I enjoyed most was when we went to the Bream Pools. There I saw hippos with my own eyes and that was really fascinating. We proceeded to enter a hollow baobab. At first I couldn't imagine being inside a tree! After that we descended to the hot springs, there I had a hot treat! I walked, danced, jumped up and down and I even had a mud bath in the hot mud! I have really gone "Wild at Rifa" that's for sure! Philemon Chiza 1996 Goromonzi High

MY IMPRESSIONS OF RIFA

Lying in the midst of the Zambezi Valley is both an educative and worthwile place called Rifa. This is one of the few remaining places where one can experience the total exquisite beauty of nature. You do not have to be a conservationist to appreciate this undisturbed rare nature.... Imagine how it feels to attend a lecture under a giant acacia tree while nearby is a group of darting impalas... all of a sudden being disturbed by the unmistakable laughter of a hippo having fun in the solemnly flowing waters of the majestic Zambezi River. Before you are even settled a pack of wild dogs are on the run behind their unfortunate prey. I will always carry memories of the zebra stripes, the sunset over the Zambezi, and the view over the valley from the escarpment.

By Abel Madzvitis.

VULTURE WATCH
The vulture watch took place after lunch. The impala carcass (left over from the dissection) was put out in advance by the hunters. With the use of binoculars, different types of vultures were observed flying above the carcass. None of the vultures landed for almost 20 minutes! No carnivores were seen in the area, but some baboons and monkeys walked proudly in front of the carcass but were ignored. The number of vultures totalled 56; there were 6 Hooded, 46 White Backed, 2 White Headed and 2 Lappet Faced. It took approximately one hour for the meat to be devoured. Afterward, the vultures took off on a light breeze.By P. Nerisa St. Ignatius College 1995.

The first evenings supper was a delicious cooked meal of pasta and tomato soup and the dessert was Mazoe and some bread. The food we ate at Rifa was a good menu. In the days which followed we had enough food to cook and eat. We were very lucky to eat an impala stew. It was the first time the pupils of our school to eat impala stew... The food we ate was balanced and some of the guys really put on some weight!
Nhowe Mission 1996