Every iGonte perfume is named for a place in Zimbabwe. Here's what makes each one special, from the red woodland around Gokwe to the thunder of the Zambezi, and how we put it in a bottle.
Gokwe South · Midlands
Gokwe, where the woodland turns red
iGonte is named for the igonte tree, the isiNdebele name for the tree many people know as msasa. Around Gokwe it covers the land in open woodland, and each spring, before the rains, its new leaves come out wine-red, copper and gold.
What Gokwe South is famous for
Igonte (msasa) woodland that blushes red from August to October
Cotton: Gokwe is one of Zimbabwe's best-known cotton-growing districts
Gokwe Centre, a busy market town and the home of iGonte
In the bottle · iGonte Dusk
Our signature scent bottles that red-leaf evening: plum and smoked amber for the warm dusk, cedar for the woodland.
South of Bulawayo, granite has weathered over billions of years into domes, castle kopjes and boulders that seem to balance on nothing. The amaNdebele called the hills amaTobo, the bald heads, and they remain a deeply sacred place.
What Matobo Hills is famous for
Balancing granite kopjes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003
Thousands of ancient San rock paintings in caves and shelters
King Mzilikazi's grave at Entumbane, and the Njelele rain shrine
Matobo National Park, with rhino and one of the world's densest populations of black eagles
In the bottle · Matopos Granite
Matopos Granite smells like sun-warmed rock in the late afternoon: dry vetiver, dark oud and a crack of black pepper.
In the Eastern Highlands the air turns cool and the mornings come wrapped in mist. Pine forests, mountain streams and green valleys make Nyanga feel a world away from the lowveld heat.
What Nyanga is famous for
Mount Nyangani, Zimbabwe's highest peak at 2,592 m
Mutarazi Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Africa
Trout streams, pine forests and Nyanga National Park
Ancient stone terraces and pit structures built centuries ago
Tea estates in the nearby Honde Valley
In the bottle · Nyanga Mist
Nyanga Mist is a fresh morning walk: highland tea, wet fern and pine, softened with white musk.
Bulawayo, KoBulawayo, grew from King Lobengula's royal capital to become Zimbabwe's second-largest city and the heart of Ndebele culture. Every October its jacaranda trees burst into bloom and the streets turn purple.
What Bulawayo is famous for
Jacaranda-lined streets that flower purple in October
Wide streets, famously laid out so a full span of oxen could turn
The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe and the Railway Museum
The gateway to the Matobo Hills and Khami Ruins
In the bottle · Bulawayo Jacaranda
Bulawayo Jacaranda is a powdery purple bloom: jacaranda blossom, violet and iris, resting on creamy sandalwood.
Just above Gokwe Centre rises the Mapfungautsi plateau, home to a protected state forest of miombo woodland. When the first rains arrive the whole forest wakes up, green and dripping.
What Mapfungautsi is famous for
Mapfungautsi State Forest, a protected forest on the plateau beside Gokwe Centre
Miombo woodland of igonte and other indigenous trees
Neighbouring villages that have long gathered thatch grass, honey and wild fruit there
The smell of the first rain, usually in November
In the bottle · Mapfungautsi Forest
Mapfungautsi Forest is the first rain on the woodland: wet earth, green leaves and moss, grounded with cedar.
Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe's largest, about 14,600 km² of Kalahari sand, teak forest and open grassland. At dawn the light turns gold over the plains and the herds come in to drink.
What Hwange is famous for
Zimbabwe's largest national park, on the road to Victoria Falls
One of Africa's largest elephant populations, numbering in the tens of thousands
Lions, painted dogs, buffalo and herds at the waterholes
Hwange town, known for its coal mining
In the bottle · Hwange Sunrise
Hwange Sunrise is the first warm light on dry grass: acacia honey and saffron over soft leather.