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Ancient Ruins & Thundering Falls
Zimbabwe: History & Culture
Zimbabwe’s story begins with San hunter-gatherers and later Bantu-speaking farmers, whose Shona descendants built Great Zimbabwe, a stone city that thrived from the 11th to 15th centuries and gave the country its name. Cecil Rhodes’s British South Africa Company occupied the region from 1890, and Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing colony in 1923. Ian Smith’s white minority government declared unilateral independence in 1965 as Rhodesia, prompting a 15-year liberation war. Independence as Zimbabwe followed on 18 April 1980, with Robert Mugabe as prime minister. Mugabe led the country until a 2017 coup brought Emmerson Mnangagwa to power.
Photo by Itaisibanda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Victoria Falls, Matobo Hills, Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Eastern Highlands
Heritage & Landmarks
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986; largest ancient stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989, shared with Zambia; 108 m high, 1,708 m wide
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003; over 3,000 registered rock art sites and Cecil Rhodes's grave
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984; Zambezi Valley floodplain known for walking safaris
Explore Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands
Harare & Eastern Highlands
Great Zimbabwe and Wild Gonarezhou
Victoria Falls & Hwange
Falls, Wildlife and Wild Escarpment
Granite Hills and the Border South
Great Zimbabwe Ruins
Where to Stay
Hwange Safari Lodge, Dete Very Good 8.3/10 lodge near Hwange National Park. 100 rooms. From USD 221/night. Property Details Type: Lodge Guest Rating: 8.3/10 (Booking.com, 45 reviews) Price Range: from USD 221 per night Rooms: 100 Amenities Air-conditioning, en-suite bathroom, garden views, work desk, mosquito nets, in-room tea/coffee, mini-fridge, floor-to-ceiling windows, swimming pool, sun terrace,...
Troutbeck Resort, Nyanga Very Good 8.2/10 resort in Nyanga, Eastern Highlands. 70 rooms. From USD 168/night. Property Details Type: Resort hotel Guest Rating: 8.2/10 (Booking.com, 126 reviews) Price Range: from USD 168 per night Rooms: 70 Amenities Air-conditioning, balcony/terrace, coffeemaker, daily housekeeping, fireplace, mini-bar, cable/satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, 9-hole golf course, outdoor swimming pool, outdoor...
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