Zimbabwe2024-02-06T09:18:51+01:00

Zimbabwe

Travel tips for Zimbabwe

Top 5 Experiences

Although Zimbabwe is one of the best safari destinations in Africa, the country is still considered an insider tip. This changes immediately with the following highlights:

Victoria Falls

The flagship of Zimbabwe! Over a width of almost two kilometres, the Zambezi plunges 100 meters into the depths with a loud roar and amazes visitors. No surprise that the widest waterfall on earth is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hwange National Park

The largest national park in the country is home to over 25,000 elephants. Diversity is reflected in both flora and fauna. The landscape ranges from desert to grass savannah and sparse acacia forests. With a little luck, one will encounter buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, hippos, lions, leopards or wild dogs on safari.

Great Zimbabwe

The ruins of Great Zimbabwe is the largest archaeological site south of the Sahara and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the former centre of the kingdom of Mwene Mutapa from the 11th-15th centuries, only imposing stone ruins remain today.

Active Tours

Outdoor hearts beat faster at the selection of active adventures: from mountain hiking through the hill country in eastern Zimbabwe to white water rafting on the Zambezi River and the world’s highest bungee jump over the Victoria Falls.

Cultural Heritage

Zimbabwe, like most countries in Africa, is a multi-ethnic country. The most important ethnic groups are the Shona and the Ndebele. As a Bantu group, the Shona are clan-connected and spiritually inclined. The Ndebele are characterized by their warlike past.

Tourist infrastructure

The capital, Harare, is the starting and ending point of all transcontinental air connections. Victoria Falls Airport serves as another important international airport. By African standards, Zimbabwe has a relatively well-developed road network of over 97,000 km. However, only about 20% of it is paved, including the most important main roads. Outside the centres, one therefore mostly drives on unpaved roads, which are passable all year round.

The choice of accommodation is relatively extensive and ranges from inexpensive bed & breakfasts, renowned hotels and lodges to luxury hotels.

Climate and travel season

Zimbabwe has a tropical to subtropical climate and, like many African countries, is characterized by a dry and rainy season. Due to the high altitude, temperatures are comparatively mild and precipitation varies seasonally.

The official rainy season lasts from October to March, temperatures rise up to 30 °C and are often accompanied by high humidity. From April to September it is dry season and in the Zimbabwean winter (June/July) it cools down to 25°C during the day, at night it gets much cooler and night frost is possible.

The best time to travel are the months between April and October, but also in the rainiest months, December to February, the country can be travelled without problems.

Visa and entry

Citizens of Germany, Austria and Switzerland do not need a visa in advance to enter Zimbabwe, travellers receive the entry permit upon arrival. The passport must  be valid for at least 6 months upon departure.

Since the regulations can change at any time, all information are non-binding and without guarantee. Please observe the visa regulations and the current information of the Federal Foreign Office / Federal Ministry European and International Affairs / Federal Department of Foreign Affaires at all times.

Impressions from Zimbabwe

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Stories

Our partners for Zimbabwe

Visa, Entry, and Updates

Federal Foreign Office ➝

Federal Ministry European and International Affairs ➝

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs ➝

Information of the Tourism Board ➝

Country information

Current accessibility

  • Information on entry:

    Entry into Zimbabwe is possible for travelers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland via the international airports of Harare and Victoria Falls. Upon arrival, tourists must show a negative PCR test, which must not be older than 48 hours, and be symptom-free. If no negative PCR test is presented on arrival or if symptoms appear, a quarantine of 10 days is required at one‘s own expense. Entry for tourists by land is currently only possible for fully vaccinated persons at the border crossings Kazungula (to and from Botswana) and Victoria Falls Bridge (to and from Zambia). Otherwise, travelers are only allowed to enter Zimbabwe by land if they can prove from their flight ticket that they will leave the country by air on the same day of entry.

  • Information on return:

    Since March 30, 2021, all travellers, no matter from which country they are coming and which means of transportation they use, must present a negative PCR or PoC test, a proof of complete vaccination, for instance the digital Covid-Certificate from the EU (Green Pass), or a proof of recovery from a Covid-19 infection, which was completed at least 28 days ago and is maximum 6 months old, before entering the Federal Republic of Germany. The PCR test must be performed at the earliest 72 hours and the PoC-test 48 hours before the start of the return journey. In addition, travellers must register their entry at the entry portal www.einreiseanmeldung.de➝ before arriving in Germany and carry proof of the corresponding registration with them. For stays in high risk areas classified by the RKI➝ there is a 10-day quarantine obligation. The quarantine can solely be prevented when a proof of complete vaccination or a proof of recovery from a Covid-19 infection, which was completed at least 28 days ago and is maximum 6 months old, was submitted on the entry portal. After five days at the earliest, travellers who are not vaccinated or did not recover from a Covid-19 infection can undergo a Covid-19 test. With a subsequent negative result, the quarantine obligation can be ended early. For stays in virus mutation areas a negative PCR-test, which must be performed at the earliest 72 hours before entering, needs to be shown before return and a fourteen-day quarantine must to be entered without possibility to shorten it.

    All travellers older than 12 years, must present a negative PCR or PoC test, a proof of complete vaccination, for instance the digital Covid-Certificate from the EU (Green Pass), or a proof of recovery from a Covid-19 infection before entering Austria. The PCR-test must be performed at the earliest 72 hours and the PoC-test 48 hours before the start of the return journey. Since January 15, 2021, travellers must register their entry here ➝ („Pre-Travel-Clearance“) before arrival. With the above mentioned certifications a quarantine can be fully prevented when entering from a country classified as safe. The certifications can be handed in 24 hours later if no hotel stay is planned. For vaccinated people arriving from countries not classified as safe or from virus mutations areas the quarantine does not apply neither. Non-vaccinated people however need to present a negative Covid-test or a proof of recovery as well as enter a 10-day quarantine. After five days at the earliest, travellers can undergo a Covid-19 test. With a subsequent negative result, the quarantine obligation can be ended early.

    All air as well as transit passengers who are not fully vaccinated or did not surpass a Covid-19 infection within the past 6 months must register their entry on www.swissplf.admin.ch before or during arrival in Switzerland and need to carry the generated QR-code with them. Air passengers older than 16 years must present a negative PCR or PoC test, a proof of complete vaccination, for instance the digital Covid-Certificate from the EU (Green Pass), or a proof of recovery from a Covid-19 infection before entering. The PCR-test must be performed at the earliest 72 hours and the PoC-test 48 hours before the start of the return journey. Air as well as transit passengers who are not fully vaccinated or did not surpass a Covid-19 infection as well need to enter a 10-day quarantine and present a PCR-test. In addition, they need to inform their corresponding cantonal authority latest within two days after arrival. After seven days at the earliest, travellers can undergo a Covid-19 test. With a subsequent negative result, the quarantine obligation can be ended early. The obligation to test or enter quarantine does not apply to fully vaccinated people who can present a certificate such as the EU Digital Certificate or a Swiss Covid certificate.

Für Einreisende in die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, die sich in den letzten 10 Tagen vor Einreise in einem Risikogebiet aufgehalten haben, besteht seit dem 08. November 2020 die Pflicht, sich unverzüglich in eine zehntägige Quarantäne zu begeben. Darüber hinaus müssen Reisende vor ihrer Ankunft in Deutschland ihre Einreise unter https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de ➝ anmelden und den Nachweis über die entsprechende Anmeldung mit sich führen. Nach frühestens fünf Tagen können sich die Reiserückkehrer Covid-19 Test unterziehen. Mit einem anschließenden Negativergebnis kann die Quarantänepflicht frühzeitig beendet werden.

ACHTUNG: Wer sich in den letzten 10 Tagen vor Einreise in Deutschland in einem Hochinzidenz-Gebiet oder einem Virusvarianten-Gebiet aufgehalten hat, muss bereits bei Einreise einen ärztlichen Nachweis oder ein negatives Testergebnis bei sich tragen und diesen bei Aufforderung der zuständigen Behörden vorlegen können. Der Test darf nicht älter als 48 Stunden vor Einreise sein. Darüber hinaus ist das negative Testergebnis auch vor Antritt der Rückreise dem entsprechenden Beförderer vorzulegen. Sollte es den Einreisenden aus etwaigen Gründen in einem Hochinzidenzgebiet oder einem Virusvarianten-Gebiet nicht möglich sein, sich vor Abreise testen zu lassen, können die entsprechenden Beförderer vor Abreise einen Schnelltest durchführen und bei Negativergebnis die Beförderung vornehmen. Der Beförderer darf den Test maximal 12 Stunden vor Abreise durchführen. Dieser Test muss den Anforderungen des RKI entsprechen: https://www.rki.de/tests ➝

Covid-19

Corona precautionary measures

  • Restrictions in the country:

    A minimum distance of 1.5 m must be maintained across the country. In addition, Zimbabwe is in a lockdown, there is a night curfew from 6pm to 6am. Restaurants and bars are closed and may only offer take-away sales of food and drinks, shops are open to a limited extent. Tourist facilities are not affected by the lockdown if the hygiene measures are fulfilled. Interstate trips may only take place to the extent that is absolutely necessary, it is advisable to carry a proof of the reason for the trip. Some high incidence areas in the country can only be visited with special permission (Kariba, Kwekwe, Karoi).

  • Mouth and nose protection:

    Wearing a mouth and nose protection is mandatory in all public areas. When entering public facilities, the temperature is taken and hands are disinfected.

  • Hygiene measures in the country:

    The government of Zimbabwe has published a list of measures to contain the Covid-19 virus (PDF), which corresponds to universal hygiene measures.

Status: 06.10.2021

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