You are planning a trip to ‘Sunshine City’: “Titambire shamwari yangu” (Welcome, my friend). You are coming to a well maintained, cosmopolitan city with a beautiful African climate to warm you to the depths of your soul.
The city has pretty parks, beautiful botanical gardens that will transport your mind to the wilderness while you picnic, an impressive art gallery and museum. There is also a lion and cheetah park if you want to get up close and personal with these majestic beasts.
We know that hotels, lodges and manicured parks in Harare are not the reason you are visiting Africa, but we invite you to explore them and see the pride of our culture.
Chinhoyi Caves National Park
This true gem is 130km north-west of Harare and is well worth the day trip or overnight trip. You will be captivated by the sparkling blue pools, encapsulated within impressive limestone and dolomite caves.
Enter these zones of absolute tranquillity, and you will be wrapped in calm, cool Zen-like silence. You can then slowly make your way down to the water. It is a truly majestic sight to see the sunlight bursting through the holes in the cave roof, like a Broadway spotlight, in the depths of the caves.
Balancing Rocks of the Zimbabwe Dollar
All Zimbabwean banknotes once carried a picture of these balance rocks. Did you know that the Zimbabwean currency went up to a 100 trillion-dollar note in 2008?
These igneous rock formations are a good example of this geological phenomenon found throughout our country, massive boulders, delicately balancing on top of each other. This particular example can be seen in Matopos National Park, 424 km2 wide and a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is near the township of Epworth, to the southeast of Harare.
These strange formations have earned Matopos a few nicknames like Giants Playground and Flintstones Suburb. You will find many breathtaking photo opportunities while driving past these “Flying Boats” (another nickname).
Khami City
This ancient ruin is found 22 kilometres west of Bulawayo. It holds fascinating stories of its history as the capital of the Kalanga Kingdom of Butwa during the time of the Tolwa dynasty. The Tolwa family were great traders and artefacts at Khami include many objects from Europe and China.
It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
These are just snippets of wonder that await you in our beautiful country.
We would be honoured to share more gems with you when you visit us as your lodge of choice in Harare. Our welcome is straight from the heart, and we aim to give you a home away from home experience. Instead of a hotel, choose a lodge in Harare and contact Willow Lodge, Colne Valley, today. You will be immersed in nature, surrounded by tranquillity with the best pampering and the best travel secrets.