Zimbabwe is complicated.
Most people hear the name and instantly think of trillion-dollar bank notes or hyperinflation that made news headlines back in 2008. Or maybe they think of Victoria Falls, tick it off a bucket list, and never look back. But honestly, if you're looking at the country through the lens of a decade-old BBC report, you’re missing the actual reality on the ground in 2026.
It’s a place of massive contradictions.
You have the manic energy of Harare, where entrepreneurs are hustling in a dollarized economy that refuses to quit, contrasted against the hauntingly quiet ruins of Great Zimbabwe. The "Zim" people know from the news isn't always the Zim you experience when you're actually there, eating sadza with your hands in a roadside joint or watching a leopard track a baboon in Mana Pools.
The Victoria Falls "Trap" (And Why You Should Fall For It Anyway)
Let’s get the obvious thing out of the way. Victoria Falls—or Mosi-oa-Tunya—is the heavy hitter. It’s the reason 90% of international visitors show up.
It’s loud. It’s misty. It’s spectacular.
But here is what people get wrong: they treat it like a theme park. They fly into the VFA airport, stay at a resort for two nights, take a helicopter "Flight of Angels," and leave. That’s a mistake. You’ve basically gone to the lobby of a mansion and decided you’ve seen the whole house.
The falls are technically a curtain of water over 1,700 meters wide. During high water (usually April or May), the spray can be seen from miles away. It’s a literal rain forest in the middle of a dry savanna because the mist creates its own microclimate. If you go, don't just stand at the viewpoints. Talk to the local guides who grew up in the Victoria Falls town; they’ll tell you how the wildlife corridors actually work, with elephants literally walking through the backyards of residential homes to get to the Zambezi River. It’s wild.
The Economy is Weird—Expect the Unexpected
Money is the first thing every traveler or business person asks about. Honestly, it’s a bit of a headache, but it’s manageable if you know the deal.
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The country has oscillated between the US Dollar, the RTGS, the ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold), and various bond notes. Currently, the US Dollar is king for anything related to tourism or high-end trade. You’ll see prices listed in USD, but change is often the sticking point. You might pay for a $2 coffee with a $5 bill and get your $3 back in a mix of local currency or even "credit" at a grocery store.
Don't expect your credit card to work everywhere.
Sure, the big hotels in Bulawayo or Harare will take Visa or Mastercard, but the moment you step into a local craft market or a small-town fuel station, cash is the only language spoken. It’s a cash-heavy society. This creates a strange vibe where people are carrying stacks of bills, yet the digital banking system (like EcoCash) is actually years ahead of what some Western countries use. Zimbabweans basically bypassed traditional banking and went straight to mobile money out of necessity.
Why Mana Pools is the Real "Best Kept Secret"
If Victoria Falls is the superstar, Mana Pools National Park is the indie artist that only the true fans know about.
It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, but it feels like the end of the world. Because of the way the Zambezi River floods, the park has these four large permanent pools (hence the name "Mana," which means four in Shona).
This is one of the few places in Africa where you are allowed—and encouraged—to do walking safaris.
No vehicle. No glass window between you and a bull elephant.
It is terrifying and exhilarating. You’re walking through an open woodland of mahogany and acacia trees that looks more like a manicured English park than a rugged African bush. Then you see a "tusker" like the famous Boswell—an elephant known for standing on his hind legs to reach the high branches. It’s a behavior you won’t see anywhere else in the world.
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The lack of fences is a big deal here. You’re part of the food chain. You have to respect the space. Expert guides like Stretch Ferreira (who has been operating in the valley for decades) have built reputations on understanding the psychology of these animals. It’s not about "conquering" nature; it’s about navigating it.
The Great Zimbabwe Ruins: Africa’s Medieval Mystery
People forget that Zimbabwe is named after a city.
"Zimbabwe" comes from the Shona phrase dzimba-dza-mabwe, meaning "houses of stone." Most travelers skip the Masvingo province, which is a tragedy because the Great Zimbabwe ruins are the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara.
We’re talking about walls five meters high, built entirely without mortar.
When Europeans first "discovered" the ruins in the 19th century, they literally couldn't believe Africans built them. They tried to claim it was the work of Phoenicians or the Queen of Sheba because of their own biases. But no—archaeological evidence (carbon dating, pottery, glass beads from Indian Ocean trade) proves it was the capital of a Shona Kingdom between the 11th and 15th centuries.
Walking through the Hill Complex at sunset is heavy. You can feel the history. You can see how the King would have looked down on the Great Enclosure below. It was a hub of a massive trade network that stretched all the way to China and Persia.
The Nuance of Politics and Daily Life
You can't talk about Zimbabwe without acknowledging the "elephant in the room"—the political landscape.
Since the end of the Mugabe era in 2017, there was a lot of hope for "The Second Republic." Has it been a smooth transition? Not really. Infrastructure in cities like Harare can be spotty. Power cuts (load shedding) are a daily reality for many locals.
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Yet, the people are some of the most highly educated on the continent.
The literacy rate has historically been one of the highest in Africa. You’ll meet a taxi driver who has a Master’s degree in Economics or a street vendor who can debate global geopolitics with more nuance than a cable news pundit. There’s a resilience there that is hard to describe. It’s a "make it work" attitude.
The arts scene is also exploding. If you’re in Harare, you have to check out the Shona stone carvings. This isn't just "souvenir" stuff; it’s world-class contemporary sculpture. Artists like Dominic Benhura have their work displayed in galleries in London and New York. The themes often deal with family, spirits, and the natural world, carved out of hard serpentine or springstone.
Logistics: How to Actually Do This
Getting around isn't as hard as the internet makes it seem, but it requires planning.
- Flights: Most people fly into Johannesburg and then hop over to Harare or Victoria Falls. Fastjet is the main domestic/regional player and they are surprisingly reliable.
- The Roads: Driving from Bulawayo to Harare is fine, but watch out for potholes and livestock. Seriously. Don't drive at night. A donkey in the middle of a highway is a real thing.
- Safety: Zimbabwe is generally much safer for tourists than South Africa. Violent crime against travelers is rare. The biggest danger you’ll face is likely a cheeky baboon trying to steal your lunch at a picnic site or the sun. The sun is brutal.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Zimbabwe is "dangerous" or "broken."
Economically? It's struggling, sure. But the tourism infrastructure is world-class. The lodges in Hwange National Park (the biggest park in the country) are often better than what you’ll find in more "stable" neighbors.
Hwange is roughly the size of Belgium. Think about that. You can go hours without seeing another safari vehicle, watching herds of 300+ elephants congregate around a waterhole. It’s raw. It’s not the over-sanitized, "conga line of Jeeps" experience you get in parts of East Africa.
Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you’re actually planning to engage with Zimbabwe—whether for travel, business, or just to understand the region—stop reading generic news aggregates.
- Check the exchange rate, but carry USD. Small denominations ($1, $5, $10) are more valuable than $100 bills because no one ever has change.
- Look beyond the Falls. Spend at least three nights in Hwange or Mana Pools. Use a local safari operator; the money stays in the community and supports anti-poaching units like the Akashinga (the all-female anti-poaching team that has been a game-changer for the region).
- Eat the local food. Try Mopane worms if you’re brave (they’re high in protein and actually taste like charred wood or salty nuts when fried), but definitely eat sadza and greens (leafy vegetables cooked with peanut butter).
- Download offline maps. Google Maps works, but data can be expensive and signal can drop the moment you leave the main "A" roads.
- Talk to people. Ask about their lives. Zimbabweans are incredibly open and proud of their heritage, and you’ll learn more in a ten-minute conversation with a shopkeeper than in a year of reading headlines.
The country is in a state of constant flux. It’s a place that demands patience, but the rewards—the sunsets over the Zambezi, the silence of the Matobo Hills, and the sheer warmth of the people—are worth the logistical hurdles. It's not a place you visit to relax in the traditional sense; it’s a place you visit to feel something.