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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

WHAT started as an ordinary homestead deep in the woods of Monde’s Dako Village outside Victoria Falls has become a well-sought-after destination for tourists in the tourism capital.

Built in 2020 by Canada-based Barbara Nyathi, Khayalami Homestead, tucked in a mopani woodland and surrounded by four other homesteads, exudes the beauty of Victoria Falls hospitality.

With three rondavel grass-thatched chalets, each accommodating two people, and a four-bedroom family house that can host a family of eight, this rural Airbnb can accommodate 14 clients at any given time. These seven rooms significantly add to the room complement in Victoria Falls, which has a shortage of about 2 000 rooms.

Located 13km outside Victoria Falls city and named Khayalami Homestead to differentiate it from another lodge with a similar name in the city, this rural Airbnb has been tried and tested. It opened for clients last year and has been full to capacity several times. A fortnight ago, the place recorded 100 percent capacity for some days during the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon.

With a rondavel grass-thatched kitchen and a self-contained kitchen in the family house, the place offers self-catering services supported by a booming vegetable garden, roadrunner and layers chicken, and a goat project on-site from where clients can also buy food provisions. What was once an ordinary private homestead, Nyathi decided to elevate it to an elegant Airbnb.

There is a gazebo with a braai place and outdoor shower, as well as a swimming pool located at the centre of the square-shaped enclosure. On one end, facing the gazebo, is Nyathi’s private house. Despite the outside rural environment, the place is a perfect lodge with its fully furnished rooms, Wi-Fi services, and reliable water and electricity, all powered by solar.

Khayalami Homestead is ideal for those seeking a quiet environment and private life away from the “city’s madness,” while some visit for day braai and drinks. No beverages are sold on-site, and clients bring their own, said the manager Memory Mhandu during a visit to the place on Thursday.

“Sometimes we get full capacity. Our target clients is generally everyone, those that are tired of town life and want fresh rural and quiet environment watching livestock and rural people,” she said.

She mentioned that while the rooms are fully furnished, they are intentionally kept free of TV sets and Wi-Fi, which are confined to the living room, to preserve the authentic rural experience. Meals are available upon request and are all traditional, though most clients prefer the self-catering option.

Mhandu highlighted that the homestead’s uniqueness lies in its tranquil rural setting, offering privacy in a natural environment.

“Our advantage is lack of competition and privacy. However, our challenge is the access road which is bad and clients sometimes lose their way. We sometimes lose network and when the weather is bad solar is affected but we have a reliable generator for back up hence we are always lit up,” said Mhandu.

The facility has created six jobs in management, housekeeping, maintenance, and grounds work, thereby contributing to the country’s goal of achieving an upper-middle-income society by 2030. Security is robust, with dogs and a perimeter fence, and there are plans to erect a pre-cast wall around the property.

Khayalami Homestead is also equipped to host small groups for workshops, and there are plans to add more chalets in the future. Nyathi, the owner, was born and raised in Bulawayo and has been working in Canada for the past 23 years. She occasionally visits home and was in Victoria Falls last April. In an interview, she mentioned that she saw an opportunity after visiting Victoria Falls with her family.

“I grew up in Bulawayo and one day I visited Victoria Falls with my family and fell in love with the city. I like its culture, cleanliness, tourism and I was just blown away by just the way Victoria Falls is. I saw an opportunity and decided to take it up.

“In 2019 I acquired a small piece of land and began to build my rural home. As we were building I became inspired to make it better than just a rural home and thought of a rural Airbnb where people can come and stay with us while enjoying the Victoria Falls.

“I have been in Canada for 23 years and I am beginning to feel like my spirit is calling me back home. So this is a place I would love to retire to and enjoy an almost lavish life in the rural areas. That was my inspiration and I want to share that experience, that Africa is beautiful,” she said.

The facility not only promotes rural tourism but also contributes to the rural industrialization agenda by creating business units and jobs in deep rural areas, helping to reverse rural-urban migration. Airbnb has proven to be a lucrative business in Victoria Falls, where residents often convert their private homes into lodges during busy conference seasons. -—@ncubeleon