Set in the beautiful and peaceful natural surroundings of Monavale Hill NATURE ON THE HILL is the perfect place to come back to relax after a busy day or to spend the day working online outside on the deck overlooking the Monavale Vlei. It offers birders a unique opportunity to experience the abundant variety of birds that live on and migrate to the Monavale Vlei, walk around the beautiful wetland and relax amidst the peaceful and beautiful natural environment. Wake up to the sound of bird song and sunlight filtering through the msasa and acacia trees, open the door to your deck and sit outside with a cup of coffee or tea enjoying a 180 degree view over the Monavale Vlei and watch passing troupes of purple crested Turacos, babblers, wood hoopoes, coucals or guinea fowl whilst you plan your day. In the evening, take jog or a walk along the road or in the wetland or relax on the deck with a drink and watch the sun go down as the evening sounds of cicadas, frogs, owls and night jars emerge from the fading glow. If you are lucky you will see the bright eyed bush babies springing from tree to tree! NATURE ON THE HILL offers guests secure, fully equipped and comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation with self-catering facilities, separate entrance and wheelchair friendly access. It provides a large bedroom with a queen size bed, an outside deck area off the room with table and chairs, kitchenette, dining table, work desk, wifi, smart TV, fan, USB charging ports, en suite toilet and walk in shower. The facility has its own borehole water supply and can operate off grid if necessary through its robust solar energy system. The property is secured by a 2.4 m high quality clear view fencing and there is secure on-site parking next to the BnB with own gate remote for access. There is also a nightly security patrol along Fenella Drive. Laundry services are included and dinner can be provided at an additional cost.
I have done a lot of travelling myself as a development consultant and have brought the best of my experiences into the design and service delivery of Nature on the Hill. I enjoy meeting travellers and sharing my connections so that you can do what you want to do, whether that means 'out and about' in Zimbabwe, or simply relaxing. We look forward to welcoming you to our lovely property!
On weekends, there are regular birding outings organised by Bird Life Zimbabwe members (including monthly walks on Monavale Vlei), as well as day hikes around scenic areas around Harare. Less than an hour’s flight away is the world famous Victoria Falls, and safari adventures in the Zambezi Valley and the Lowveld as well as the Eastern Highlands mountains are within 4 hour drives of Harare.
Nature on the Hill is just 15-20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Harare, and within 2km-4km of several suburban shopping centres, e.g. the Avondale Shopping Centre has supermarkets, banks, craft markets, take aways, bottle stores, pharmacies, mobile phone operator offices and other shops. There are several good quality privately run clinics and hospitals in the area, open 24 hours a day.
Monavale Vlei is a wetland recognised under the United Nations Convention on Wetlands, the RAMSAR Convention, and has been identified as one of the 2,200 unique wetlands worldwide, ranking alongside the Victoria Falls and Mana Pools (in Zimbabwe) and the Okavango Delta (in Botswana). It has enormous biodiversity with 240 bird species, over 36 species of grass and 80 species of other plants. The best months for birding are December through to April. Special bird sightings on the Vlei have included:
• Madagascar Cuckoo - January 2021
• Buff spotted flufftail - December 2014.
Nature on the Hill is conveniently located to embassies, aid agency offices, NGOs and government offices.
• 4-5 km USAID, embassies of America, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Danish Church Aid, many NGOs
• 7km Government offices, city centre, African Development Bank
• 10km FCDO/ UK Aid, European Union Offices, World Bank and UN Offices, embassies of Britain, Netherlands, France
• 12km GIZ offices, Australian Embassy
Languages spoken: English,French