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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
New this weekPicks from our Local GurusCommunity picksrefreshed every Monday
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Water and electricity supplies in Harare are frequently disrupted, and the city's taps run dry or erratic even as bills rise, so a cheap room without backup can turn into a bucket wash and a dark evening. Before booking, ask whether the place has a borehole or storage tank and a generator or solar backup, and read…
Meikles Hotel has stood on Africa Unity Square since 1915 and remains the city's classic grand-hotel address, in the middle of the CBD. Central Harare is walkable by day because many locals are on the streets, so you can step out to the National Gallery and other sights on foot, then take a taxi or ride-hailing car…
Each late August Harare hosts the International Images Film Festival for Women, run by the ICAPA Trust with screenings, masterclasses and a closing ceremony. In recent editions the venues included the Alliance Française, the National Gallery and community halls such as Dzivarasekwa. Check the organiser's page for the…
Shoko Festival bills itself as Zimbabwe's longest-running festival of urban culture and fills Harare each September with comedy, hip hop and a big Mash Up Night at Harare Gardens. The 2025 edition closed with a free open-air show in Chitungwiza, which is the pick if you want a local crowd. Tickets for the main nights…
September is Mbira Month in Zimbabwe, and Bira ReMbira, a festival of mbira players in Harare, is its high point. It returns each year, so a late September visit is the best time to hear the instrument played live in front of a crowd that knows it well. Venue and date are announced shortly before, so check local press…
Behind Newlands Shopping Centre, along Enterprise Road, a roadside craft market sells carved stone, wood and wire pieces such as hippos, elephants and warthogs. Sellers do not pressure visitors, and haggling is fine as long as you still pay a fair price for the craftsmanship. Walk the whole line before buying, because…
The Old Stables Market at Borrowdale Racecourse is an outdoor bazaar where regional artists sell hand-painted pottery, wire and bead animals, jewellery and clothing, with food vendors and a gin bar on site. One local guide lists it as a Saturday market, so plan for late morning and stay for lunch. Check the market's…
Many locals book rides on the inDrive app, and travel guides name it as the best way to get a taxi in Harare, so set it up before you arrive and use it for evenings out. If you flag a taxi on the street, agree the fare before you get in because many drivers do not use meters. Kombis are cheaper but have no route maps…
Shops, taxis and vendors in Harare mostly deal in US dollars, though the ZiG is also in use, and change is the usual problem. Cash machines tend to give large notes that sellers cannot break, and change under a dollar may come back in ZiG. Carry plenty of small US notes, refuse torn or damaged ones, and change money…
Africa Unity Square is the green heart of central Harare, with the Meikles Hotel overlooking it, and it is the easiest spot for city photos on foot. Around it stand courts and other official buildings, and taking photos of government offices, police and soldiers is not allowed. A police officer has asked visitors to…
The Wild Is Life sanctuary near Harare airport, home to the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery, only receives visitors on pre-booked guided tours, so turning up on the day will not get you in. Tours run on set days in the morning and afternoon, and the afternoon visit includes tea and a walk among the animals. Reserve well…
Ngomakurira, roughly 27 km north of Harare, is a national monument and a stiffer alternative to Domboshava, with San rock art and a demanding climb through miombo woodland on a marked trail. Go early before the heat, wear shoes with grip and carry water. An entrance fee is charged on arrival. Look at the paintings…
Cleveland Dam on Harare's east side has a popular braai area, but the City of Harare's own page calls it dusty and littered and says weekends get noisy and crowded. Go on a weekday and head into the Haka Game Park next to it, where you can hire a canoe or picnic under msasa trees with giraffe and zebra nearby. The…
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe stands on Julius Nyerere Way beside Harare Gardens and is the easiest place to see Shona stone carving alongside travelling exhibitions. It opens daily except public holidays and has a café inside. Kombis from the CBD, Mbare, Avondale and Borrowdale pass nearby, so tell the conductor…
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