Health & safety
Staying Well in Zimbabwe, From the Cities to the Bush Camps
Preparing for Zimbabwe starts with the traveller's own government's current travel advice and a visit to a travel clinic well before the trip. On the ground, most of what matters comes from the bush and the low country: malaria in the Zambezi valley and the west, the rules of unfenced camps, and distances that put the parks far from a hospital.
Updated 2026-10-08
Before the trip
A travel clinic advises on the vaccinations for Zimbabwe, routinely hepatitis A and typhoid alongside the standard ones, on yellow fever, and on malaria tablets. Travel insurance with medical evacuation is essential for a safari: Mana Pools, Hwange and the shores of Kariba lie hours from a hospital, and serious cases are flown out.
Malaria and mosquitoes
Malaria is present in the low country, above all the Zambezi valley, Victoria Falls, Hwange and Kariba, and it is most intense in the rains; the high plateau of Harare and the Eastern Highlands carry less risk. Alongside the tablets a clinic recommends, repellent, long sleeves and trousers in the evening and a net at night keep bites down, and a fever during or after the trip is seen by a doctor at once.
Water, food and the heat
Safari camps and hotels provide safe drinking water, and elsewhere bottled or filtered water is the rule. Food that is freshly cooked and hot is the safest choice. In the Zambezi valley, October and November are very hot, and plenty of water, a hat and a slow middle of the day keep the heat in check.
Rules of the bush
Safari camps have no fences, and animals walk through them; after dark guests are escorted to and from their rooms, and on drives, walks and canoe trips the guide's instructions are followed. Zimbabwe's rivers and lakes hold crocodiles and hippos, and some carry bilharzia, so no one swims in them, the Zambezi and Kariba included, except in a camp's pool.
Towns and roads
In Harare, Bulawayo and at the busy border posts, the precautions are the ordinary ones: belongings kept close in markets and crowds, a taxi at night rather than a walk, valuables left in the hotel. On the road, journeys are made by daylight, with animals and people on the roads, and police checkpoints are passed with patience and the vehicle's papers to hand. Police, military sites and government buildings are not photographed.
Medical care
Harare and Bulawayo have private clinics and hospitals used to treating visitors, and Victoria Falls has clinics; elsewhere, medical care is basic and far apart. Visitors bring a small first-aid kit and enough of any regular medicine for the whole trip, since particular brands can be hard to find outside the cities.