Top Tourist Attractions Of Zimbabwe

Under-the-radar Zimbabwe is rich with UNESCO World Heritage sites, offering several fascinating tourist attractions. Best known for breathtaking Victoria Falls and nearby adventures, there’s also intriguing history and ruins of an ancient kingdom to explore at the little-known Great Zimbabwe, prolific rock art over 200 centuries old, beautiful National Parks to search for the Big 5 via safari, rich cultural history, and very friendly people.

Although Zimbabwe has had a turbulent past, including corruption, poverty, and racial tensions so strong most of the white population fled the country at one point, the people here are very engaging and welcoming to tourists.

I spent a week here as part of an amazing 49 day camping trip with Intrepid from Cape Town to Nairobi, Kenya. Admittedly, as national news at the time was highlighting violent protests, I was a little nervous. What I found, however, surprised me. Locals waved to our bus as we drove by, came up to talk to us as we walked on the street, and perfect strangers approached us in local stores to help us find what we needed. For me, this was one of those countries that was the exact opposite of what I expected.

Top Tourist Attractions Of Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls National Park

Of course the most popular tourist attractions in Zimbabwe, and the reason most tourists visit, is Victoria Falls. In addition to being mesmerizing, and an UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s also one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World with the world’s largest falling sheet of water.

Considered to be the world’s largest waterfall, it’s not the highest or the widest, but the combination of the two makes it one of the most impressive. It’s twice the height of Niagara and more than twice its width.

During peak season, the water reaches a crescendo, thundering over its mile long stretch. The resulting mist can reach as high as 1,300’ (400 m) and be seen from up to 30 miles (48 km) away. This is how it gets its name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, or ‘The Mist That Thunders’. This heavy mist also creates rainbows just about everywhere.

You can enter the park and walk on your own easily without a guide. There is paved walkway, that makes it easy to navigate, with several breathtaking panoramic viewpoints and spots for photos.

I visited in early September, which is just before the dry season. Although the falls were not at their peak, visibility was good. I splurged on a helicopter ride, which was amazing, but honestly, I think this would be a better option during its peak water flow.

Is It Better To Visit Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Zambia?

Although the falls can be visited from either Zimbabwe or Zambia (in fact Victoria Falls acts as a border between the two), and most adventure activities are available on both sides, like helicopter rides, microlite flights, water rafting on the Zambezi, as well as river cruises, the Victoria Falls side offers more adventure with bungee jumping off Victoria Falls bridge 364’ (110 m), zip lining, and a gorge swing. An ideal spot for adrenaline junkies!

In addition, Zimbabwe contains 75% of the falls and is known to have more, and better, viewpoints. The nearby town, Victoria Falls, is a little smaller, so easier to navigate. In addition Zimbabwe is know to be a little less expensive. Historically, the downside was instability on the Zimbabwean side, but the political situation has been calmer in recent years, plus, it’s in their best interest to attract tourists, so it’s reasonably safe. It is, however, always best to check the political situation before booking your trip though, as these types of these can change quickly.

Zambia contains 25% of the falls and offers Devils Pools (Livingstone Island), the ultimate infinity pool 330’ (100 m) over the falls, as well as the view from Knife Edge Bridge, a view close to the edge, the ability yo walk down to Boiling Pot, near the bottom of the falls, as well as provides access to Livingstone. This former British colonial city, named after the famous missionary, David Livingstone, is the tourist area in Zambia.

Or, opt to see them both and decide which you prefer, as it is relatively easy to cross the border between the two!

Best Time To Visit Victoria Falls

Although every year varies due to rainfall and conditions, there are some general guidelines on the best tome to visit.

Peak Flow: March to June. Mist is also at its peak, often hindering visibility (think goggles and ponchos). A good time for helicopter viewing.

Transition Flow: June through August/September and January to February. Decent water flow and good visibility.

Lowest Flow: September to December. Not a good time to visit. This, however, is the best time to visit Devil’s Pool (actually it’s only open when water levels are low).

White Water Rafting: White water rafting is best when water levels are low.

Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve at 5,655 square miles (15,000 square km). It’s located in northeast Zimbabwe, about two hours south of Victoria Falls.

Although corruption and poverty in Zimbabwe have led to depletion of it’s animal resources in some areas, Hwange is known for its numerous game. Noted for large amounts of elephant and wild dog, you can also see the Big Five (although leopard and rhino are rare), as well as giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and more.

You can self drive in Hwange, but a safari guide and tracker will improve game viewing. Especially for the more elusive animals like leopards, lions, cheetah, and wild dog.

Best Time To Visit Hwange

Game-viewing is best from June through October, when the area is dry and animals congregate around ‘pumped’ water holes. October, however, can be quite hot.

Mana Pools National Park

Another park renowned for game viewing is Mana Pools National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage site. After the rainy season, the Zambezi River floods into the plains creating lakes, or pools, attracting animals from miles around.

It’s common to see herds of elephant and buffalo along the edges of these lush pools. You can also spot hippo, lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog there. Zebra, kudu, impala, and others are also there, but more likely seen on the plains.

A unique offering in this park are it’s waking safaris, which provide deeper engagement with nature and more wow factor. Self-guided walking tours are an option, but a trained (and armed) guide is highly recommended.

Game drives and canoe trips along the Zambezi are also options.

Best Time To Visit Mana Pools

Game-viewing will be at its peak in the dry season, generally June to October. Ideal game viewing is late September and early October, although it’s extremely hot and humid.

The park is mostly off limits to vehicles from November to April, due to rains.

Getting To Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools is a bit far from other key destinations in Zimbabwe, making the park difficult to access. In addition, for safety reasons and because do poor road conditions, It’s not recommended to self drive in Zimbabwe. However, if you are adventurous, or you have deep pockets, there are options.

• Charter a flight (expensive).
• Arranged transportation (also expensive).
• Overland Tour (prices vary).
• Drive the 500 miles (800 km) from Victoria Falls (not recommended).
• Drive Victoria Falls to Mlibizi, catch the Kariba ferry to Kariba town, then drive to Mana Pools. The ferry takes 22 hours and does accept vehicles (doable, but complicated).
• Drive the 241 miles (388 km) from Harare to Mana Pools (6 hours).

Note that a 4 x 4 with spares and a satellite phone are required for self driving to Mana Pools.

The Great Zimbabwe

Maybe it’s because I didn’t know these ruins even existed before visiting, but I found them fascinating. Yet another UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s another one of the top tourist attractions in Zimbabwe, located about 30 minutes from Mosvingo.

The Great Zimbabwe is the ruins of an ancient palace of the prosperous Kindom of Zimbabwe, built by the ancestors of the Shona people in the 11th century. It’s outer walls are a marvel of engineering, composed of over a million granite bricks with no mortar.

Most important stone ruins south of the Sahara. As high as 36′ (11 m), the walls extend about 820′ (520 m). A circular tower near the wall rose to 72’ (22 m). Its bricks were created by heating granite with fire, then dousing it with cold water. This resulted in layers of granite separating from the rock. These layers were then refined into bricks.

The 10,000 and 20,000 inhabitants living here at its peak, thrived and prospered by trading gold, from nearby mines, and ivory. Artifacts found here show trade was conducted as far away as China, Persia, and India.

Similar ruins exist in Zimbabwe, but the Great Zimbabwe is the biggest and most well preserved. An alternative UNESCO World Heritage ruin is Khami, near Bulawayo.

Unfortunately, this park is about an 8 hour drive from Victoria Falls, located about 30-minutes from Mosvingo, however, it’s only a 3 hour drive from Harare, which can easily be reached via short flight. You can also look into tours and personal transfers, although these can be pricey.

Matobo (Matopo) Hills National Park

This park is also full of hundreds of thousands of rock art some said to date back up to 20,000 years, as well as its rhinos, as a portion of the park is set aside for safaris.

This park is located about a 35 minute drive south of Bulawayo, which can be access from Victoria Falls by overnight train, or by flying.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe and although it’s not one of the tourist attractions you’ll find on many lists, I personally found it really interesting from a cultural perspective.

It’s definitely worth a few hours at the very least. If you’re here for a day some things to see include:

The National Gallery

Exhibits and artwork at the National Gallery focus on the presentation and conservation of Zimbabwe’s contemporary art and visual heritage.

Harare Botanical Gardens

For plant lovers, the botanical garden is a good place to visit. The national herbarium is also here. Walking Harare Just walking along the street is a highlight in Harare.

I found several entrepreneurial people selling small items on the sidewalk that wanted to engage in conversation. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into the heart of the people here. Please keep safety in mind, however, as issues can occur. I recommend staying closer to the city center. Always be vigilant, don’t carry or wear valuables, or try to stand out too much.

The city center looks like a typical modern city, however, not far away in the outskirts, you can see its poverty and the situation locals have to deal with daily.

Want To See More Of Africa?

If you have more time and went to see more of Africa, Zimbabwe is perfect to pair with nearby countries like Zambia, especially to see more of the falls and visit Livingstone, Botswana, for a safari on the Okavango Delta, or Namibia, which has a huge variety of tourist attractions.