Zimbabwe means “house of stone” in the indigenous Shona language from the first ancient civilization that arose from what is now known as the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. Zimbabwe’s vastness encompasses diverse tourist attractions from Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba to the Eastern Highlands. Zimbabweans are known for being friendly and hardworking despite the many years of hardship under Robert Mugabe’s rule.

To see and do

When you are free from your volunteer work there are exciting attractions and activities for you to see and do. Here are a few examples:

Nature/National parks/Safari

Victoria Falls

Visit the magnificent Victoria falls that is on UNESCO:s world heritage list. For the adventure-loving it is possible to do white-water rafting and bungee jump with a fall for 111 meters.

Chinhoyi caves

The national park lies approximately 12 miles from Harare and here you can find an exciting cave system with an underground lake, also called the sleeping pool.

Safari

Zimbabwe has a rich animal and nature life and there are many opportunities to go on good safaris around the country. One of them is Hwange National park that is Zimbabwe´s oldest and largest.

Sun & sea

Zimbabwe has no coast which means few opportunities to bathe, however some of the volunteer projects has a pool that you can cool down in.

You have the possibility to experience the Victoria Falls by diving, but it is not a excellent destination for swimming if you are looking for that.

If you want more and better bathe opportunities we recommend you to do an excursion for a few days to the neighbor country Mozambique. In Mozambique it is cheap and there are fantastic beaches with diving in world class.

Culture

Great Zimbabwe National Monument

After the pyramids of Egypt this is Africa´s largest collection of ruins. What´s left descent from a blooming city during the late Iron Age.

Weather

Zimbabwe has a tropical climate that dominates by wet and dry seasons.

The dry period stretches from April – September were nights and mornings can be really cold with a temperature down to -2 degrees Celsius. On the afternoons it is hot with a temperature around 25 degrees Celsius.

Between October – March it is rain period and then days and nights can be very sticky. During this period it can come heavy cloudbursts, but during this time the animals on the Savannah come to life and the vegetation is blooming.

Prices

• Meal for 2 people, mid-range restaurant, three-course: 30.00 $
• Water (1.5 liter bottle): 1.51 $
• Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle): 0.63 $
• Taxi 1 km (Normal tariff): 1.00 $