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Harare & Eastern Highlands
Mashonaland: History & Culture
Mashonaland was defined in 1890, when Cecil Rhodes’s Pioneer Column occupied the territory of the Shona, or Mashona, people under British South Africa Company administration, while Matabeleland to the west remained under Lobengula’s rule until 1893. It became one of Southern Rhodesia’s five provinces in 1923, split into northern and southern halves in 1970, and was divided again in 1983 into Mashonaland Central, East and West, with Harare receiving separate provincial status. The three provinces now ring the capital, from Lake Kariba and the Kariba Dam in the west to the Zambezi Escarpment wilderness of Mashonaland Central.
Photo by JonGT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Lake Kariba, Kariba Dam, Chinhoyi Caves, Mavuradonha Wilderness Area
Heritage & Landmarks
World's largest reservoir by volume, formed by the Kariba Dam (built 1956-1959) on the Zambezi
128 m-high concrete arch dam; created Lake Kariba and still supplies hydroelectric power to Zambia and Zimbabwe
The Sleeping Pool (Chirorodziva) descends 80-91 m below a constant 22°C surface; a Ramsar wetland since 2013
Zambezi Escarpment highlands in Mashonaland Central, protected since 1987 and a national monument since 2017
Explore Mashonaland
Where to Stay
Kariba Safari Lodge, Lake Kariba Exceptional 4.9/5 lodge overlooking Lake Kariba. 17 rooms. Property Details Type: Lodge Guest Rating: 4.9/5 (TripAdvisor, 260 reviews) Rooms: 17 (9 open-fronted en-suite rooms, 8 suites) Amenities Free breakfast, terrace, coffee shop/cafe, free Wi-Fi in public areas, garden, bar, outdoor pool, lake swimming cage (15 m diameter, safe from crocodiles...
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