Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Harare
Harare is Zimbabwe’s capital city. Harare has a laid-back charm – although you can see the highlights in one very full day, add another if you want to slow the pace and do some shopping. Begin bright and early at the Mbane Musika market, next to the main bus station. The market has sections offering produce, clothing (some handmade), herbs, medicines and crafts (the crafts are sold at bargain prices, compared with prices in hotel and downtown tourist shops). Be sure to ask the vendors to describe what they’re selling if it isn’t obvious – we were told that one gelatinous substance was to be burned at night to ward off bad dreams. Smaller markets selling leather and other specialized products are nearby. If you’re visiting Harare between the end of April and the end of September, try to see one of the daily tobacco auctions: Zimbabwe produces a lot of tobacco, and the auctions are always lively.
The Queen Victoria Museum (near the Sheraton Hotel) requires an hour to see its natural-history displays, and another hour could be spent at the National Gallery (many original items by Zimbabwean artists are for sale there). After you walk around the downtown area, stroll through the Harare Gardens. In African Unity Park, flower vendors sell a fantastic array of tropical blooms for very reasonable prices. The city has excellent golf courses and active nightlife (the name Harare means “the one who does not sleep”). We especially enjoyed the distinctive local music. Several short excursions can be made from the capital. Bird-watchers may want to visit the Larvon Bird Gardens, 11 mi/17 km outside of Harare. More than 400 species are found there around a natural lake, and a tea garden operates on weekends. The Kopoje, site of the Eternal Flame of Independence, is on a hill outside of town and offers great vistas. Ewanrigg National Park, about a 30-minute drive outside of town, has impressive gardens filled with aloes and cycads – things are really blooming in July and August. In the suburbs is Chapungu Kraal, a reproduction of a 19th-century Shona village – complete with a traditional healer and soothsayer and performances by traditional dance troupes on weekends. Chapungu Kraal also has an art gallery and sculpture gardens. If time permits, spend a day at the Lion Park and Lake McIlwaine Game Park to see lions, giraffes, rhinos and other animals (there’s a snake farm there, too). It’s really more like driving through a zoo than visiting a real reserve, and it’s really only for people who aren’t planning on going to larger game parks.
Related Travel Information
Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Chinhoyi
The main draw of Chinhoyi is just outside the town. Called the Chinhoyi Caves, the attraction was formed aeons ago when an immense sinkhole appeared at the base of the ridge. A sloping cave leads to an underground lake of sparkling blue water, 165 ft/50 m beneath the Earth's surface. When sunlight pours in from a gap in the top, the view is sublime. 75 mi/120 km northwest of Harare.
Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Kwe Kwe (Que Que)
A small town in central Zimbabwe, Kwe Kwe is best known for its nearby privately owned wildlife reserves and proximity to other sights (see also Gweru Midlands). Cabergeigh Estates, the best of the bunch, includes of a picturesque game lodge set amid 20,000 acres/8,100 hectares of mopane trees and water holes. Open-top all-terrain vehicles make it easy to spot large herds of elephants, wildebeests and impala, while sable, giraffes, eland, nyala, waterbucks, zebras and crocodiles are also common. Licensed hunting is possible in the park. 110 mi/180 km southwest of Harare.
Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Binga
Binga is a small and pleasant town on the shore of Lake Kariba. This place is favored by the locals as a low-key vacation resort: This place is excellent for fishing lovers. Isolated house boats decorate the water, a sign of growing tourism in the region. Although reasonably developed, it retains its bush character: A notice in the local police station keeps track of the number of deaths in the area attributed to wild animals. 200 mi/320 km west of Harare.
Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Gweru (Gwelo)
This town is situated in the middle of the county. The town of Gweru is mostly used as a base for visiting nearby national parks and ruins. While Great Zimbabwe has the most extensive ruins in the country, they are not the only ones: There are more than 200 such sites, and a few are near Gweru. The Dhlo ruins (small ruins with chevron and herringbone designs) are 45 mi/70 km away, and the Nalatale stone ruins, another small but interesting site, are 40 mi/65 km away. Sebakwe National Park (noted for fishing, birding and beautiful
Zimbabwe Travel Destination: Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second-largest city in Zimbabwe. The country was originally known as "Rhodesia", named after Cecil John Rhodes who made a lasting impact on the country's history. One of Rhodes' favourite places was the Matobo Hills south of Bulawayo. He was so moved by the fascinating rock formations and the wild spirit of this area that he chose to be buried at the highest point of the hills which he named "World's View". His burial site is visited by thousands of tourists to Zimbabwe.
Set in cattle and mining country, Although it has more than
