Great Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe · Masvingo · 1100 m
Description
Great Zimbabwe is the largest stone structure built in Africa south of the Sahara and the country takes its name from it. It was the capital of a Shona kingdom that traded gold and ivory to the Swahili coast and China between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, and it was abandoned before the Portuguese ever saw it. The Great Enclosure has a curved outer wall eleven metres high built of dressed granite blocks laid without mortar, and it still stands. Colonial administrations spent decades insisting Africans could not have built it, which is part of the site’s story.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Great Enclosure
- Conical Tower
- Hill Complex
- Great Zimbabwe Site Museum & the soapstone birds
- Valley Ruins
- Chisikana spring & the ceremonial approach
- Lake Mutirikwi(Day trip)
- Shona village reconstruction
- Kyle Recreational Park game drive(Day trip)
- Masvingo town & the Great Zimbabwe Hotel(Day trip)
- Viewpoint walk above the ruins