There is something about being in the African bush that I find completely expansive.
The moment I arrive, I feel myself take a deep breath. Not just physically, but mentally too.
The noise of everyday life fades into the background. The endless to-do lists, work deadlines, household logistics and constant demands on my attention seem to lose their grip. Out in the bush, I have space. Space to think. Space to dream. Space to gather my thoughts and imagine what might come next.
For me, Zimbabwe is where I slow down.
It's where I feel inspired.
It's where I can simply be.
I love being in the bush. It pulls me into the present moment. There are no distractions, just the rhythm of the landscape unfolding around you. The dry, dusty tracks, the endless horizon, and the intoxicating scent of eucalyptus drifting through the warm air create a sense of freedom that is hard to describe.
Suddenly, you're not rushing through life thinking about the next thing on your list. You're fully present in the moment.
The Place That Keeps Calling Me Back
I first travelled to Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy in October 2025 as a participant on the Maverick Mums Women's Rewilding Adventure.
At the time, I thought I was signing up for adventure.
And to be fair, there was plenty of that.
Rhinos. Elephants. Camping in the bush. New experiences. A place unlike anywhere I had ever been.
What I didn't realise was that I'd return home with something far more valuable.
A sense of connection.
To nature.
To myself.
And to an incredible community of women.
One of the things I treasure most is that the retreat didn't end when we left Zimbabwe. The women I met there have become part of my life. We still come together for wild swims, paddle boarding, waterfall walks and glasses of wine! What started as a group of strangers sharing an adventure in Africa has grown into genuine friendships and a supportive community that continues to enrich my life today. It reminds me that the magic of this trip isn't just what happens during the week itself, but what can grow from it long afterwards.
This October, I returned to Zimbabwe, but this time in a different role, helping Rhi to facilitate the retreat and hold space for another group of adventurous women.
It felt both familiar and new at the same time.
Falling in Love with Curiosity
One of my favourite things about travelling somewhere so different from home is that it demands your attention.
You can't run on autopilot.
Everything feels new.
The birds sound different.
The animals are different.
The plants are unfamiliar.
The landscape stretches endlessly beneath huge African skies.
I particularly love the birds.
My love of birds came from my mother-in-law, who had an incredible knowledge of them and was always generous in sharing it. Zimbabwe has given me a whole new collection of birds to discover, identify and fall in love with.
A flash of brilliant colour catches your eye.
A call you've never heard before echoes through the trees around camp.
And suddenly you're reaching for your binoculars and a bird guide, determined to discover what you've just seen.
I love trying to identify them, learning their names and then spotting them again later in the week, sharing my new knowledge with others. My species list steadily grows and every sighting feels like a little victory.
Every day feels like a treasure hunt. The more you slow down and pay attention, the more nature seems willing to share with you.
A Connection I Wasn't Expecting
This trip carried an extra layer of meaning for me this year.
Over the past year, I have devastatingly lost both of my in-laws unexpectedly. They were passionate about Africa and spent three months of every year in South Africa, where they had a home. They loved wildlife, loved being out in nature and loved the thrill of spotting animals on safari.
My mother-in-law played a huge part in nurturing my love of birds. She taught me how to notice them, how to recognise some of their calls and markings, and helped me realise just how much joy can come from paying attention to the natural world.
As I wandered around Imire with my binoculars, listening to unfamiliar calls and adding species to my bird list, I found myself thinking about her often. Many of the birds I recognised were ones she had helped me learn over the years.
I know she would have loved seeing my species list. After my first trip in 2025, I sent her a record of everything I'd spotted, and she took great delight in reading through it. We laughed over my inability to decide whether I'd seen a civet or a serval, though we agreed that either would have been an exciting sighting. She always loved seeing African Fish Eagles, and whenever one appeared this year, I found myself smiling and thinking of her. It was a reminder of how much joy she found in wildlife and how grateful I am that she passed some of that curiosity and wonder on to me.
There were moments standing quietly in the bush when I felt both sadness and gratitude. Sadness that I couldn't share these experiences with them, but gratitude for the passions they passed on to me and the way they continue to shape how I experience the world.
In many ways, returning to Africa felt like carrying a small part of them with me.
A Feast for the Senses
Being somewhere so different encourages you to be fully present.
You notice everything.
The smell of eucalyptus trees.
The dust beneath your boots.
The sound of birds calling before dawn, what I like to call the ‘bush chorus’.
The sight of giraffes moving gracefully down to the watering hole.
The wind in your hair as the safari truck bounces along dusty tracks.
And then there are the moments that simply can't be explained properly until you've experienced them yourself.
Like standing close enough to an elephant to touch its trunk.
Nothing prepares you for that.
The texture is unlike anything I have ever felt. Rough and wrinkled yet somehow soft, powerful and surprisingly gentle all at once.
It is one of those moments that stays with you forever.
Adventure Is Just the Beginning
When people hear about a trip to Zimbabwe, wildlife is usually the first thing they ask about.
And rightly so.
The rhino encounters are extraordinary.
The elephants are unforgettable.
The birdlife is incredible.
But for me, the wildlife is only part of the story.
What keeps drawing me back is the people.
The women.
The community.
The conversations.
The laughter.
And the incredible team at Imire. Their warmth, knowledge, storytelling and sense of fun are woven into every part of the experience. Whether sharing stories around the fire, tracking wildlife, teaching us about conservation or simply making us laugh, they have a remarkable way of making you feel welcome. They don't just show you Zimbabwe; they help you connect with it. By the end of the week, it feels like you've made friends on the other side of the world.
The Community I Didn't Know I Needed
The Maverick Mums community came into my life at a time when I was craving adventure and deeper connection.
Like so many women, particularly in those early years of motherhood and in the years following Covid, I thought what I needed was adventure and excitement.
Something different.
Something just for me.
What I discovered was that I was also longing for community.
There is something truly powerful about bringing women together in a space where they can share stories, wisdom, challenges, laughter and encouragement while being fully themselves.
This year, alongside incredible wildlife encounters, we explored sensory sound baths, wild walks, gentle lymphatic movement, self-discovery journaling and mindful observation of Zimbabwe's remarkable wildlife and birdlife.
We stepped beyond our comfort zones, embraced adventure and created space to slow down, reflect and reconnect.
And something magical happens when women are given the time and permission to truly listen to one another.
No judgement.
No competition.
No pressure to be anything other than themselves.
Over the course of the week, walls come down.
Stories are shared.
Wisdom is exchanged.
Confidence grows.
Women cheer each other on through moments of uncertainty and celebrate each other's successes.
The honesty, courage, support and authenticity that emerge never fail to inspire me.
From Participant to Facilitator
One of the greatest privileges of returning this year was coming back in a different role.
In 2025, I arrived as a participant, not fully knowing what to expect.
In 2026, I had the honour of helping Rhi hold the space.
Watching women arrive as strangers and leave as friends was every bit as moving the second time around.
Perhaps even more so.
I saw women challenge themselves, embrace new experiences, support each other through difficult conversations and find moments of joy where they least expected them.
I was reminded once again that adventure is about so much more than what we do.
It's about who we become along the way.
More Than a Holiday
When I boarded the plane in 2025, I thought I was going on an adventure.
I was.
But I came home with so much more.
I returned with new friendships.
New perspectives.
New confidence.
A renewed sense of curiosity.
A deeper connection to nature.
And a reminder of how good it feels to slow down and reconnect with what really matters.
Returning in 2026 only deepened that feeling.
My heart is incredibly full.
🌍 Grateful for the adventure.
🤝 Grateful for the community.
💛 Grateful for the women who brought their stories, courage and authenticity to the journey.
Could This Be Your Adventure?
If you've been looking at the Maverick Mums Women's Rewilding Adventure or the new Women’s Wild Homecoming and wondering whether it's for you, perhaps this is your sign.
Come for the rhinos.
Come for the elephants.
Come for the birds.
Come for the African sunsets and the endless skies.
Come for the adventure.
But don't be surprised if you come home with much more than that.
You might find the headspace you've been craving.
You might rediscover a sense of wonder.
You might form friendships that continue long after the trip is over.
You might remember who you are when you step away from the noise and pressures of everyday life.
And you might discover, as I did, that rewilding isn't really about travelling to Zimbabwe at all.
It's about coming home to yourself.
Warning: Side effects of this trip may include an increased sense of wonder, a growing fascination with birds, unexpected friendships and an inexplicable desire to return to Zimbabwe as soon as possible.