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Zimbabwe has a generous sampling of the Africa that many people hope to see: exotic scenery, interesting cultures and a good variety of game parks. It also has a few things you might not expect to see, including Great Zimbabwe, the most extensive ruins in sub-Saharan Africa.

Without a doubt, the highlight of Zimbabwe is the dramatic Victoria Falls, which the country shares with neighboring Zambia. There, the mighty Zambezi River crashes into the Batoka Gorge and is deservedly one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

Zimbabwe has plenty of attractions of its own, but its location in southern Africa also means that travel there can easily be combined with visits to neighboring Botswana, Namibia and Zambia—these countries are just over the border from the town of Victoria Falls. They also offer equally compelling and impressive game parks, such as Botswana's Chobe National Park or Okavango Delta, Namibia's Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip) or Zambia's colonial town of Livingstone and lodges along the lower Zambezi.

History

Zimbabwe has been populated since the Stone Age, and the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, dating back to the ancient African kingdom of Munhumatapa, testify to the advanced level of civilization that existed before European contact.

Long home to Shona speakers, the area was invaded by the Ndebele in the early 19th century. Hard on their heels came the British South Africa Company, headed by Cecil Rhodes. A man of ruthless ambition (or, as Evelyn Waugh put it, "a visionary, and almost all he saw was a hallucination"), Rhodes dreamed of linking Cape Town to Cairo. Although his great railroad failed, the region he colonized for Great Britain became known as Rhodesia. (The prestigious Rhodes Scholarship also carries his name.)

The country's road to independence was long and rocky: It became Southern Rhodesia in 1923. In 1953, it joined with Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The federation dissolved after Zambia achieved independence in 1964, with Zimbabwe (at this time known simply as Rhodesia) retaining strong ties to Great Britain.

However, relations with Britain soured over the white minority government's treatment of black citizens. Rhodesia's leaders, under increasing pressure to change their ways, declared independence from Britain in 1965. U.N. sanctions against Rhodesia followed in 1968, and by 1972 sporadic turmoil and bloodshed became full-fledged civil war. The war lasted for eight years, until blacks were allowed a voice in government. When that occurred, the nation attained universally recognized independence.

President Robert Mugabe came to power during the 1980 independence elections and was the leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party. Zimbabwe initially made significant economic and social progress, but by the mid-1990s there were problems. Widespread industrial unrest weakened the economy, and in 1997 a national strike all but paralyzed the country. In attempt to retain power and control, Mugabe restricted human and political rights, weakened the Bill of Rights, placed checks on the judiciary, and tampered with voters' rolls and opposition party financing.

Sensing an erosion of political support, in 2000 the government unveiled a land reform program to redistribute land to black rural residents. This resulted in black war veterans seizing many of the country's 4,000 white-owned farms.

In reality, very few people benefited from the land reform—many of the farms ended up in the hands of government ministers and their families, or with people who had no experience with commercial farming. As such, they were not managed to their full potential, which led to crop failure and a shortage of fresh produce—a country once so rich in agricultural produce became one that struggled to feed its own population.

From 2001 until 2009, Zimbabwe was in economic crisis—fuel and food shortages were common; there was an increase in unemployment and crime; most Western donors including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund cut lending to Zimbabwe because of Mugabe's land reform program; and because of the (sometimes violent) farm invasions, unease among whites grew and so began the "white flight" from the country.

Additionally, a crackdown on any criticism of the government resulted in the imprisonment of opposition leaders, newspaper shutdowns, elections riddled with accusations of intimidation and vote rigging, and a weakening economy.

The economy was further affected by an infrastructure that was crumbling because of lack of maintenance and investment, and an insane inflation rate—at its peak, the inflation rate was 11.2 million percent.

Economic reform was instigated when the country abandoned its own spiraling currency (the Zimbabwe dollar) in favor of the U.S. dollar in 2009. This led to food, fuel and other basic products being imported again, along with growth in the employment market and a renewed interest in investment in the country. It also made Zimbabwe attractive for those spending foreign currency, which in turn provides local jobs, especially in the tourism sector.

President Mugabe was ousted from office in 2017 after a military coup led by his former protege and current President Emmerson Mnangagwa. While the coup was initially celebrated as a new day for Zimbabwe, free from violence and the squashing of dissenters, Mnangagwa's rule quickly came to resemble Mugabe's—if not worse, even—and severe economic crises continue to hurt the people.

Snapshot

Zimbabwe's main attractions are Victoria Falls, excellent game reserves, the Great Zimbabwe ruins, Lake Kariba, the Eastern Highlands, indigenous culture and shopping for handicrafts.

The country will appeal to adventurous travelers interested in viewing game (and/or Victoria Falls). Bear in mind that, outside of Harare and the primary tourist areas, Zimbabwe is very much a developing country, and in many areas you'll find that inconveniences and delays are the rule rather than the exception.

Potpourri

The Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone was the first European to view the Victoria Falls in 1855. In his journal he wrote, "Scenes so lovely must be gazed upon by angels in their flight."

Mopani worms are black, fat, slimy and usually found coiled up. In Zimbabwe, they are boiled and eaten as a free, protein-rich source of food. Though mopani worms are not for the squeamish, tourists can sample one at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. If you dare try to eat one, you get a certificate for your efforts.

Zimbabwe's 1980 independence ceremony was attended by Britain's Prince Charles and the singer Bob Marley, who wrote and performed a special song titled "Zimbabwe."

The Zambezi River god is a fish-headed, serpent-tailed creature called Nyaminyami, whose image, like the Zimbabwe bird, is a popular motif in local curios and jewelry.

The famous Victoria Falls Bridge that spans the gorge between Zimbabwe and Zambia was built in 1905 as part of Cecil John Rhodes' ambitious, but never realized, Cape to Cairo railway.

If you visit in spring (especially in October), you'll see many flowering trees ablaze with blooms—most noticeable are the purple jacarandas lining the streets of Harare and Bulawayo.