Bulawayo is a relaxed, elegant industrial city with wide tree-lined boulevards, in western Zimbabwe. Several World Heritage sites, including historic monuments from the precolonial era and national parks, are within an hour's drive from Bulawayo, making it a great tourist destination.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Bulawayo was founded by Lobengula, the last Ndebele king, who settled in what is now Zimbabwe around the 1840s along with a large number of fellow Ndebele who had trekked there all the way from Zululand. In 1893, the British South Africa Company invaded the area in a conflict known as the First Matabele War. The British troops destroyed the city and forced the king to flee. They then built modern Bulawayo over the ruins of the former royal Ndebele city. Although by latitude, Bulawayo is in the tropics, by virtue of its fairly high elevation, its climate is subtropical.
The city is fairly walkable. Local transport is mainly by 18 seater minibuses called "kombis". The cost from the CBD to the suburbs is usually 50 cents. inDrive is popular in Harare and probably the best app to book a taxi. Taxis do not have a particular colour but are clearly marked. A taxi trip within the CBD costs US$2 and outside the city center limits it costs US$1 per km.
1 Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, Corner of Park Road & Leopold Takawira Avenue, ☏ +263 92 50045, natmuse@netconnect.co.zw. Daily 09:00-17:00. Surprisingly impressive museum with a large selection of stuffed and pinned animals and an array of live constrictors and venomous snakes. It also has sections on the history of Zimbabwe, history of the Earth, and geology. Photography not permitted. US$0.06/10 (residents/non-residents). (updated Apr 2023) 2 National Art Gallery, Corner of J.M. Nkomo Street & Leopold Takawira Avenue, ☏ +263 9 707 21. Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00; closed public holidays. Many works are for sale. There are artists studios on-site; the artists are happy to chat about their work.
Cricket: 1 Queens Sports Club, First Ave & Queens St, ☏ +263 77 289 6338 (mobile). Established in 1890, the ground mainly has grass banking surrounded by picturesque trees providing shade to the spectators. With a capacity of 13,000, QSC held its first Test match in 1994, and hosts Matabeleland Tuskers in the domestic league. So far the most popular cricket stadium in Zimbabwe. QSC hosts mostly international matches or tri-series matches or also a practice match. (updated Aug 2025) 2 Swimming pool, Samuel Parnenyatwa Street & 9th Avenue. The city's outdoor swimming pool is like something out of a 1920s movie, with its ranks of brightly painted changing booths.
New Orleans Restaurant, Banff Road, Hillside. Classy, for Bulawayo. Excellent staff and reasonable prices. Haefelli's Bakery, On Fife Street in Town: ask anyone for directions. el's (pronounced hay-flees) offers a strange mix of food services. It is a bakery (offering various breads and pastries), it is a pizza shop (Pizza Inn), it offers ice cream (Dairy Inn), and sandwiches, mostly pre-made. A popular hang-out with the younger crowd and is open until 22:00 There are security guards at all hours. Alcoholic beverages are not served. Cubana Bulawayo, 105 Robert Mugabe Way, ☏ +263 77 554 5925 (mobile). Here they do cocktails and Portuguese chicken.
1 Tin Cup Pub And Grill (First St, east of town, next to Lions Golf Driving Range), ☏ +263 77 615 6054 (mobile). Charcuterie boards and drinks. (updated Mar 2022) Roosters Pub & Grill (in Zonkizizwe Shopping Center), ☏ +263 9 880 663. Quaint garden-like setting with outdoor seating. (updated Mar 2022) Cafe Baku, In the Bulawayo Centre. Once a pleasant place for lunch and a drink, it is now mainly a late night disco with a noisy crowd in a fairly small space. Walkers Pub. Nice pub where you can relax and have a drink or two with friends. Situated on the first floor on Bulawayo Centre shopping mall, the pub boasts of a conducive environment for relaxation.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Bulawayo typically sees ~21°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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