Getting around
Getting Around Zimbabwe, by Road and by Air
Zimbabwe's sights are spread across a large country, and most trips mix the road and the air: Victoria Falls, Hwange, Bulawayo and the south are joined by good roads, while the Zambezi valley, Mana Pools and the far shore of Kariba are reached most easily by small aircraft. Many travellers arrive at Victoria Falls rather than Harare.
Updated 2026-10-08
Arriving
Harare's international airport is the country's main gateway, and Victoria Falls has an airport of its own with regional flights, the most convenient arrival for a safari trip; Bulawayo's airport serves the south-west. Overland, the bridge at Victoria Falls leads from Zambia, the Kazungula border from Botswana, and Beitbridge, on the Limpopo, from South Africa.
Light aircraft to the parks
Small aircraft link Victoria Falls, Hwange, Kariba, Mana Pools and Harare, flying to the airstrips of the camps, and they are the usual way into Mana Pools and to the lodges of the Matusadona shore. Luggage is limited to soft bags of a set weight, and camps arrange the flights with their stays.
By road
The main roads between Victoria Falls, Hwange, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Harare and Mutare are paved, and the drives are long but straightforward. Zimbabwe drives on the left. Roads in the parks and to remote areas are often gravel or sand and need a four-wheel drive, animals and people walk on the roads, and police checkpoints are common, passed with patience and the vehicle's papers to hand, so journeys are made by daylight.
Self-drive and transfers
Cars and four-wheel drives can be rented in Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, and self-drive suits the southern circuit of the Matobo Hills, Great Zimbabwe and the Eastern Highlands. For the parks, most visitors use the transfers of their camps or a driver, who also know the gates and the tracks.
Coaches between the towns
Long-distance coaches run between Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Masvingo and Mutare, and they are the way to travel between the cities without a car. They stop in the towns, though, and the parks and the sights beyond them are reached with a transfer or a driver.
In the towns
Victoria Falls is small and walkable, with taxis for the airport and the river. In Harare and Bulawayo, taxis arranged by the hotel or ordered by phone are the easy way to move, especially after dark.