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Travel and Tourism in Zimbabwe
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Zimbabwe.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)
- Climate
- The climate on the central plateau is moderate in all seasons with warm days and cool nights. Homes do not have central heating or air-conditioning, although room heaters and fireplaces are used on winter nights (May-August). Annual rainfall averages about 28 inches on the highveld (Harare), more in the Eastern Highlands, and much less in the lowveld of the southeast and the Zambezi Valley. The sun shines nearly every day, even at the height of the warm rainy season (November-April). In Harare, the average low temperature in winter is 45°F at night, though frost occasionally occurs. The average daily temperature in summer is 75°F, with temperatures seldom surpassing 90°F.
- Language(s) Spoken
- English is the official language of the republic and is spoken by most educated people. In rural areas English is less commonly spoken. Ndebele and Shona and are commonly spoken. People often speak more than one language and many mix parts of several languages in daily speech.
- Ethnic Groups
- African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%
- National Holiday
- Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 20 00 S, 30 00 E
- Location
- Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
- Airports
- 404
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park is the jewel of Zimbabwe's protected areas system and one of the great wildlife reserves of Africa. With an area of 14,651 square kilometers, it is Zimbabwe's largest national park, roughly the size of Connecticut or Northern Ireland, and it holds within its boundaries one of the most significant concentrations of large mammals anywhere on the planet. To visit Hwange is to encounter Africa's great wildlife spectacle in one of its most intact and impressive expressions — a place where the sheer biomass of animals grazing, drinking, hunting, and going about their prehistoric business can leave visitors speechless with awe.
The park's most famous attribute, and the one that defines its ecological character above all others, is its elephant population. Hwange is home to one of the largest elephant populations in the world, with estimates ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 or more individuals depending on the season.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
The public medical infrastructure is subpar and medical facilities are limited. Most serious illnesses or accidents require medical evacuation to South Africa. All travelers are strongly urged to obtain medical evacuation insurance coverage prior to arriving in Zimbabwe. Doctors, hospitals and air ambulance medical evacuation services often expect immediate, upfront cash payment for health services.
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