TV STARS QINISO VAN DAMME & GARETH EHRET EXPLORE THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF ZIMBABWE
Discover the rich heritage and natural beauty of Zimbabwe and Shearwater Explorers Village with Qiniso Van Damme and Gareth Ehret.
It wasn’t a natural flow of events which brought Qiniso van Damme and Gareth Ehret together, but that is just a technicality. A match made by reality TV, they’ve become partners in every respect, especially travel.
This is exactly what brought them to Shearwater Explorers Village in Zimbabwe, said to be the perfect haven from which to visit Victoria Falls and take part in numerous scenic, adventure and wildlife experiences offered in the area.
The mighty Victoria Falls is part of the mighty Zambezi River, which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, so no surprise that a sunset cruise to drink in the incredible scenery was how the love birds chose to kick off activities.
Qiniso met Gareth on Season 1 of The Bachelorette SA and since handing the red rose to Gareth, television has so to say become their life, with Gareth becoming a full time actor and Qiniso looking to grow her career as a presenter.
Before showbiz, both these lovebirds earned bursaries, post grad degrees, worked overseas as teachers and now they’re grateful for the freedom that modelling and acting offers them – like getting to showcase South and Southern Africa, attracting tourism and investment in local economies and conservation.
Getting up close to the multitude of wildlife in the country is an absolute must for any tourist, and that’s exactly what they did when visiting Zambezi National Park. Overlooking the Zambezi River, it’s popular for both landscape and wildlife photography and to-die-for sunrises and sunsets of course.
While the diversity of animals is not as wide as the other big parks, the park makes up for this through the concentration of animals and the ability to get up close to game wandering in and out of the Zambezi channels.
As an anthropologist currently completing her Masters degree, Ms. Van Damme enjoys studying people and how they socialise. But today’s lecture was more on animal behaviour as Paul Ngiromo, Professional Guide at Shearwater Lodge, took the duo on a guided walk through the park.
The excitement of being so close to nature and seeing wild animals like giraffes on foot was an experience of its own.
Having been two fish in a bowl during their reality TV courtship, the couple were only too happy for the local wildlife to steal the limelight.
Along with Chef Salim Mpande’s renowned cooking.
The dinner setting and view back at Shearwater Lodge was nothing short of amazing but the meal was an absolute winner – coming from self confessed foodie Qiniso, that’s a rave review.
