A guest post
Getting There: One can fly to Zimbabwe
from Nairobi with South African Airways (via Jo'burg), Ethiopian Airlines (via
Addis Ababa), Emirates (via Dubai) or Kenya Airways (KQ) for approximately
$850. KQ flies direct to Harare and sometimes via Lusaka and returns via
Lilongwe, Gaborone or Lusaka. Kenyans do not require visas and there was no
Yellow Fever certificate requirement. If one plans on extending
their stay in Zimbabwe, it’s best to
write more days (than required) on the immigration form rather than the exact
number in one's current itinerary.
On arrival, you find that,
what used to be Harare International Airport in the 1990’s is now the
Domestic Terminal, while the new Chinese-built airport, is modern, airy and
clean. Zimbabwe has four (4) airports around the country, but no domestic
flights at the moment, besides charters.
The Immigration and Visa
desks at Harare International are labeled in both English and Chinese.
Visa prices vary depending on nationality and tourists needing visas can pay up
to US$55 for one.
The baggage claim area at
the airport is spacious and luggage carts are free. At one end of baggage
claim, there are several glass cubicles where Customs officials search people’s
suitcases for items bough abroad and sometimes make one pay duty fees.
Getting Around: The taxi/cab minimum fare
is US$4 for a distance of about 3KM or transport within the city. Transport
outside the city varies, and one must negotiate before entering the cab. They
speak English very well and Shona is widely spoken.
Harare is clean and
organized with orderly driving. The streets are Western style and
organized into blocks. If one has a driving
license one can hire and drive any car so long as they have been in the country
for less than 6 months and carry their passport at all times.
Harare is a nice city to
drive around in. The area around Samora Machel Avenue and First Avenue has a
mix of indigenous banks and international banks which have now been localized.
Across from these banks is the Federal Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Business and Economy: Zimbabwe is a
multi-currency state. The economy was dollarized in 2009 and US Dollars, South
African Rand and Euros are the most common legal tender, while Botswana Pula is
also accepted. Cash is king as many places do not accept cards.
The US$ is the most preferable
currency, and while you’ll find the rare $2 bills here, US coins are not in circulation. Obtaining
change is a large problem countrywide in shops/supermarkets and with vendors,
so cashiers will give out candy, matches, pegs, sugar packets, bottle
openers or a pens as change.
Also US dollar notes are
washed in washing machines by individuals & shopkeepers to keep them clean
(delicate cycle), then hang out on clothes lines to dry. Its the easiest way to
have "crisp" notes in the absence of fresh new US dollar notes fresh from a mint.
Power blackouts are common
and most Hotels and Lodges have generators. Also, while all the city roads had, street lighting, they were
never on at night.
Where to Stay:
- Rainbow Tourism Group
Hotel (Formerly Sheraton Hotel) costs US$110 per night. It is a huge hotel that
is gold in color, has free Wi-Fi and is located close to the city center from where one can walk
to fast food places such as Steers, Nandos, in 20 Minutes. Food at the hotel is
good and ranges between $16 - 25 for the
buffet dinner and the breakfast is also good in quantity and quality.
- House of Garrison is a
lodge in the upmarket suburbs where one can get multiple supermarkets and
restaurants. It costs $100, and is a bit of a ride from the city center, but
the lodge has a custom breakfast and free Wi-Fi.
- Meikles Hotel; a very
nice hotel right next to Eastgate Mall, Zimbabwe Parliament and a beautiful
public city park, which costs $275 per night for bed & breakfast. The service is great and the staff attention
to detail is very impressive. The walls all over the large hotel have
lovely photographs from Zimbabwe's history. The internet here is reliable, with Wi-Fi is US$1 for one hour.
Keeping in Touch: The airport has a
"Rent A Phone” shop in the Arrivals area. For mobile communication,
its better to use the local carrier services, as roaming is costly. A local SIM
card is US$4 and one is required to register it with their passport, and it can
take up to 48 hours to activate your number. Phone airtime/credit is sold in
units of US$1, 5, and 10. Hotels in Harare have reliable Wi-Fi which is
sometimes free, while lodges outside Harare can charge up to US$5 for 30 minutes
of internet.
Shopping &
Sight-Seeing: To view animals, one can
visit Chengata, Pamuzinda and Shumba Lodges which are about 1 ½ hours from
Harare and all very close to each other. Pamuzinda has a resident giraffe named
Geoffrey, while at Chengata, one can get to pet and feed a small elephant
family
Taking photos in or around
the airport area or any “government” area is not allowed. Cars that are parked
at the drop off area get their car wheels clamped immediately the driver leaves
the vehicle, even if it's for a few minutes.
Food & Bars: Various familiar South
African franchise restaurants are found in Harare such as Spur, Nandos, Steers,
with meals going for less than US$8. The Steers, Chicken Inn, Debonairs
Pizza outlets in town all had the loose change dilemma, and at Chicken Inn, they offered fried eggs, chili sauce tubs or
cheese slices equivalent to one’s change!
Food in top Harare
restaurants is excellent especially the steaks. We visited an Irish pub, O’Hagan’s,
and a restaurant Millers Cafe, both in Harare's The Village.
A beer was US$4 at O’Hagan’s and a ½ kilo steak meal was about US$15 at Millers
Cafe. However a majority of the restaurants are closed on Sundays.
Odd Points:
- You may dislike President
Mugabe but refrain from political discussions in public, it can get you in
trouble.
- Police use some Mercedes Benz as police cars, and it is claimed they often ask citizens who call for
assistance, for fuel money before they to rush the crime scene.
- When driving out of
Harare, one gets to see the once "White Farms", which now have large
tracts of long wild grass, with small patches of maize/corn growing.
- A can of Coca Cola soda at the Harare
International Airport goes for US$10, but at other shops, a 300ml
bottle can cost US$ 0.50.
