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Guide to Harare, Zimbabwe
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Harare With a population of over 1.6 million people, modern high-rise buildings, bustling streets, and a beautiful landscape to boot, Harare is the cultural and commercial center of Zimbabwe. Youll find lush gardens (some of the best in Africa), and busy streets navigated by pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists with efficiency, resembling the busiest and most visited cities in the world. Harare is deeply set in African culture too. Youll notice the widely embraced music scene, and not to mention the fantastic art in galleries around the city. While holding onto its deeply held roots, Harare is still well equipped for the modern business man or woman, as you will notice in the numerous internet cafes. You get everything and more in Harare, so why not book a flight today?
When to go:
Winter (May to September) is the ideal time to visit Harare, with its days peaking out at warm temperatures, and the nights giving you cool, relaxing air, as well as beautiful clear skies. There is never any snowfall, and the most evidence youll see of the cold is some frost at dawn. Summers are nice if youd like warm-hot temperatures nearly all the time, though be on the lookout for electrical storms and their follow rains, as they frequently arrive overhead on summer afternoons.
Getting there:
Harare Airport is located 9mi from the city, so a trip to or from the airport will not take long, and you basically have two choices for transportation: airport shuttle, or taxi. The shuttles run every twenty minutes from 6am until the last arriving flight of the day. Taxis are always available, but are slightly more expensive. We would go with a taxi, considering the fact that you can go anywhere in Harare in a taxi and not pay a drastically high fare. To the downtown hotels, expect to pay a little more than you would for a shuttle bus ride.
Getting around Harare should be done one way, and one way only - if not by foot, then by taxi. Taxis are cheap, and are the best way of getting around quickly and safely. All taxis are metered, and are available day and night.
Attractions:
The Harare Gardens, more appropriately labeled the National Botanic Gardens, are kept over an expansive area of over 68ha, or about 170 acres. Youll find 900 species of trees, shrubs, flowers, and more, along with the beautiful airborne wildlife that keep the ecosystem here thriving. Dont be surprised if you end up staying an entire day here, you can get quite caught up in how beautifully laid out the landscape is.
Visit the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and youll be astounded at the amount of classic and contemporary African art on display. Everything from traditional masks to fantastic oil paints, the National Gallery holds notable pieces from famed Africans from the region, and from abroad. Most of the displays are permanent, however at some periods the Gallery hosts temporary exhibits that cause locals and visitors to rush and see the surprises there for just a short while.
In Harares Civic Center, youll find both the Queen Victoria Museum and the Queen Victoria National Library. It is evident that the British colonized Harare for some time, and both the Queen Victoria Museum and Library hold everything from that period, as it was quite an influential period in Zimbabwes history. The room designs are so well thought out that youll notice a seamless transition from African culture shown throughout much of the center, to the very English setting of the Museum and Library.
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