伊米雷犀牛与野生动物保护区距离津巴布韦首都哈拉雷大约105公里,驱车前往需要一个半小时左右。这片占地4500公顷的私人领地不仅是濒危黑犀牛的避难所,更是哈拉雷周边体验驱车游猎最理想的去处之一。相比于赞比西河畔那些大型国家公园,这里的动物密度和观察距离会让你感到非常惊喜,尤其在旱季,找到犀牛的概率几乎是百分之百。
伊米雷的故事得从1948年说起。当时诺曼和吉莉·特拉弗斯在这片土地上建立了农场,直到1987年,这里正式转型为保护区并引进了第一批黑犀牛。这种对自然的执着在特拉弗斯家族传承了三代,至今保护区依然由家族成员亲自打理。他们不仅仅是把地围起来收门票,更多的是在进行极高难度的物种繁育工作。这里的黑犀牛在成年后,有些会被重新引入津巴布韦的其他国家公园,这种半开放式的保育模式在整个非洲都很有名气。
去伊米雷最稳妥的方式是自驾或者联系保护区安排接送。如果你选择自己开车,从哈拉雷市区沿着通往马隆德拉(Marondera)的A3公路向东行驶,过了马隆德拉镇之后再开二十多公里就要注意路边的指示牌了。虽然大部分路段是铺好的柏油路,但最后进入保护区的那几公里土路在雨季可能会变得泥泞。建议开一辆底盘稍高的越野车,哪怕不是四驱,通过性好一点也会让你的旅途少很多颠簸。出发前最好在哈拉雷加满油,保护区里可没有加油站。
很多人分不清黑犀牛和白犀牛,在伊米雷你可以近距离观察两者的区别。黑犀牛的嘴唇是尖的,适合勾住树枝啃食灌木,而白犀牛则是宽平嘴,像割草机一样对付地面的青草。因为这里有专业的护林员持枪全天候巡逻,你会发现犀牛对巡逻车辆的警惕性相对较低。运气好的时候,向导会带你下车在安全距离内徒步观察。那种几吨重的巨兽就在你面前几十米处安静吃草的压迫感,是坐在吉普车里永远感受不到的。这里的黑犀牛繁育项目至今已经成功放归了数十头犀牛进入野外。
除了标志性的犀牛,伊米雷还有一位家喻户晓的明星——大象努比(Numbi)。这头大象是由人工抚养成长的,它非常习惯与人类互动。在这里你可以体验与大象一起散步,甚至近距离观察向导与它的默契。除了这些巨兽,4500公顷的灌木丛里还生活着长颈鹿、斑马、角马以及多种羚羊。如果你对鸟类感兴趣,这里记录在册的鸟类超过300种。虽然这里没有狮子在荒野中自由游荡,但保护区内设有专门的狮子救助围场,你可以看到被救治的狮子在相对自然的条件下生活。
虽然保护区全年开放,但5月到10月的旱季绝对是最佳游玩时间。这时候灌木丛枯萎变稀疏,动物们为了喝水会频繁出现在水源地附近,搜寻难度大大降低。不过别忘了,这段时间也是津巴布韦的冬季,清晨六点半出发时冷到需要抱着热水杯,直到上午十点太阳升起后才会变暖。到了11月雨季开始,大地虽然变绿了,但茂密的草丛会成为犀牛最好的保护色,想找它们就得全凭向导的火眼金睛和一点运气了。
如果你的时间紧凑,从哈拉雷出发的一日游最受欢迎。通常早上八点半左右到达,包含两次驱车游猎和一顿在巨大的无花果树下享用的三道菜午餐,人均费用大概在110美金左右。如果你想体验那种荒野里的静谧,建议在萨布尔小屋(Sable Lodge)或者城堡 Lodge(Castle Lodge)住一晚。城堡酒店是一座石砌的古朴建筑,充满了老派的非洲风情。住在保护区里最大的好处是可以在落日余晖中喝着金汤力看动物,这种体验是当天往返无法比拟的。
伊米雷为了保证游客体验和动物不被打扰,每天接待的游客数量有严格限制。建议至少提前一周通过官网邮件或者电话进行预约,如果是周末或当地节假日,建议提前两周锁定位置,因为这里在哈拉雷当地中产和外籍人士圈子里非常火爆。
保护区内有非常专业的武装护林员队伍,他们24小时保护犀牛安全。游客在进行驱车游猎或徒步观察时,必须全程听从向导指挥。这里的向导经验极其丰富,能准确判断动物的情绪,只要你不出声惊扰或做出突然动作,近距离观察是非常安全的。
伊米雷提供为期一周到四周不等的志愿者项目。申请者年龄通常需要满18岁,或者在监护人陪同下参加。志愿者工作内容包括协助围栏维护、收集动物数据和参与当地社区教育。费用大约在每两周2000美金上下,包含食宿和保护区内的所有活动支出。
在伊米雷你可以看到犀牛、大象和水牛。至于豹子和狮子,由于它们是顶级捕食者,在4500公顷的开放区域内会给犀牛幼崽带来极大威胁,因此狮子是被圈养在特定大型围场内的,而野生豹子则偶尔会从外围潜入,能不能见到全看缘分。如果你追求纯野生的猎杀场面,这里可能不适合,但论及观察犀牛的质量,这里绝对是顶级的。建议出发前查看官网最新信息。
Zoe Cawthorn An incredible experience in a beautiful location with wonderful people. Imire has found the perfect balance between offering unique, close encounters with the animals and giving the animals the freedom they need in their natural habitat. ❤️
Cindy Young 2 weeks volunteering was life changing for me. I loved it. Love the people and Wedze nearby. Castle Kopji. So many animals.
Melanie Carlson Truly a "once in a lifetime" trip. The week flew by and yet felt like a month's worth of experiences. Maddie, Bright and the entire Imire staff are absolutely amazing hosts/ guides. I can't believe the close experiences I had with animals here. I also really loved the community projects we worked on. Such an unforgettable week. If you're considering a volunteer trip, this should be it!! Such an incredible value!!
priya domadia My husband and I did a one week volunteer program at Imire and the first thing that comes to mind is that it was absolutely life-changing. As an animal enthusiast, I’ve always wanted to be up close and personal to the animals. At Imire, not only did we get to learn about the animals and their drives but we got to meet these amazing people that take care of these wild animals as if their own. The workers are so passionate about what they do and take great pride in it. They work six days a week, and being at the conservancy, if there are any issues they will come on their day off to help out if needed. Regardless of the number of hours they were at or how tired they were they always had a smile on their face and it was just extremely welcoming. One week was not enough time at Imire. We’ve been back for two months now and we constantly think about our experience there and cannot wait till one day go back. Thank you Imire. We are forever grateful.
Michi Niederberger Imire was absolutley mindblowing. The house is amazing, the food, the staff and of course the volunteer work are all outstanding. Best thing to do, especially now during this covid situation. The best volunteer experience I had so far.