Zimbabwe

English is the language of government, business, and most signage, so getting around as an English speaker is easy. Shona and Ndebele are the most widely spoken languages among the population, alongside several smaller regional languages. A few words in Shona are appreciated outside tourist areas.

Mobile coverage is solid in Harare, Bulawayo, and along the main tourist routes, including Victoria Falls, but drops off quickly inside national parks and remote safari areas. Buying a local SIM card requires your passport for registration, so keep it with you when you visit a phone shop. eSIMs are an easier option if your phone supports one.

Tap water is not reliably safe to drink, even in Harare and Bulawayo, where supply is inconsistent. Stick to bottled or filtered water. Malaria is a risk in the lower-lying areas most visitors travel through, including Victoria Falls, the Zambezi Valley, Kariba, Hwange, and Mana Pools. Talk to a travel clinic about antimalarial medication before you go. Harare, Bulawayo, and the Eastern Highlands sit at higher altitude and carry a lower risk. Pharmacies are well stocked in the main cities but scarce in rural areas and safari camps, so bring any medication you need with you.

Citizens of many countries can get a Zimbabwe visa on arrival, valid for 30 days and extendable to 90 for tourism. An e-Visa can also be arranged online before you travel, usually processed within a couple of working days. The KAZA UniVisa covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia on one visa, valid for up to 30 days, and also allows a day trip into Botswana through Kazungula.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

A greeting comes before any request or transaction, even a quick one at a shop counter; skipping it can come across as rude. Dress modestly at churches and in rural communities. Avoid photographing government buildings, military sites, and police or soldiers — this can lead to serious trouble with authorities. Ask permission before photographing people, especially outside cities.

Public holidays can close banks, government offices, and some shops for the day, and long-distance transport gets busier around Independence Day, Easter, and Christmas. Many shops keep shorter hours or close entirely on Sundays outside the main cities.

• By air: Domestic flights connect Harare, Bulawayo, and Victoria Falls, and are worth booking for long distances — road trips between them take most of a day.
• By road: Intercity coaches link the main towns and are a reasonably comfortable way to travel without a car. Shared minibuses ("kombis") are the cheapest option but are often crowded and driven fast; most visitors skip them.
• By car: Self-drive or a hired driver gives the most flexibility for reaching national parks and the Eastern Highlands, where public transport is limited or absent.

Zimbabwe drives on the left.

The Zimbabwean staple is sadza, a thick maize porridge, eaten with a relish of meat stew, beans, or leafy greens like rape or covo. Grilled meat, cooked over an open fire in a style close to South African braai, is a weekend and social-occasion favorite. Breakfast is often a thinner maize porridge called bota, sometimes flavored with peanut butter.

Snacks include roasted or boiled maize sold by street vendors, biltong (dried, salted meat), and mopane worms, a protein-rich caterpillar that is a genuine regional delicacy rather than a novelty item. Tea, a habit from the colonial era, is common throughout the day. Chibuku, a traditional opaque beer made from sorghum or maize, is widely drunk alongside conventional lagers.

Harare, the capital, is the country's business and cultural hub, with jacaranda-lined streets, art galleries, and live music venues. Bulawayo, the second city, has a slower pace and some of the country's best-preserved colonial-era architecture; it is also the usual gateway to Matobo, known for its balancing granite boulders and rock art.

Victoria Falls sits right at the falls and is built almost entirely around tourism, from white-water rafting to sunset cruises on the Zambezi. Kariba is the base for houseboat trips and fishing on Lake Kariba, and a gateway to Mana Pools, a UNESCO-listed park known for walking safaris among elephant and hippo.

Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest national park and one of the best places in the region for big-game safaris, including large elephant herds. In the south, Masvingo is the usual base for visiting the Great Zimbabwe ruins. The cooler, mountainous Nyanga area, near Mutare in the Eastern Highlands, is known for hiking, waterfalls, and tea plantations.