--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Wimup" description: "The ten best things to do in Bulawayo: Matobo National Park, the Khami Ruins, the Natural History Museum and the railway sheds, ranked and mapped." url: https://wimup.com/city/bulawayo type: City guide updated: 2026-10-18 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Bulawayo Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Africa · By Wimup Editorial, 15 min read Bulawayo is Zimbabwe's second city and the capital of Matabeleland, laid out in 1894 on a grid wide enough to turn an ox wagon. The granite hills of Matobo start 35 km south, the Khami Ruins 22 km west, and the country's largest museum sits between them. ## Quick answer Bulawayo is the base for Matabeleland: the Matobo Hills, the Khami Ruins and the best museum collections in the country, all within an hour of the centre. Two days covers the Natural History Museum, the railway sheds and a walk through Makokoba. A third buys a full day in Matobo National Park, which is what most travellers come for. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Jul · Aug - **Ideal length:** 3 days - **Budget per day:** $40–95 - **Language:** isiNdebele and English, with Kalanga and Shona also spoken - **Getting around:** Walk the CBD grid, kombis and taxis for the suburbs, a hired car or a guide for Matobo and Khami - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://zimbabwetourism.net/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Bulawayo ### 1. Track rhino in Matobo National Park National park · Matopos Road, about 35 km south of the centre Granite whalebacks and balancing rocks, rhino tracked on foot, and the highest concentration of black eagles in the world. Cecil Rhodes is buried at the summit of Malindidzimu, the hill the Ndebele call the place of benevolent spirits. Give it a full day rather than a morning. - **Time:** A full day - **Cost:** US$15 per person and US$6 per vehicle for non-residents, World’s View charged separately - **Best at:** Early morning, when the rhino move - **Tip:** World's View is 13 km inside the gate, then a 300 metre walk up bare granite Links: [ZimParks](https://www.zimparks.org.zw/matobo-national-park/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Read the dry-stone terraces at Khami UNESCO site · Khami, about 22 km west of the centre The Torwa capital that replaced Great Zimbabwe, built from about 1450 and occupied into the seventeenth century. What survives is the terracing: decorated dry-stone walling stepped up the hillside above the Khami River, with a Portuguese cross on one platform. A small site museum sets it up. - **Time:** 2 to 3 hours - **Cost:** Entry charged at the gate, site museum included - **Best at:** Late afternoon, when the walls warm up - **Tip:** There is no shade on the platforms, so carry water Links: [UNESCO listing](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/365/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Spend a morning at the Natural History Museum Museum · Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park Nine galleries under one circular roof, opened in 1964 and still the largest collection in the country: geology, a mammal hall and the second largest mounted elephant in the world. Two hours covers it. This is the one indoor thing in Bulawayo worth planning a day around. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** US$10 for non-resident adults, US$5 for children - **Best at:** Daily, 9am to 5pm - **Tip:** Centenary Park is at the door, so pair it with an hour outside Links: [Museum site](https://naturalhistorymuseumzimbabwe.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. Climb into the stock at the Railway Museum Museum · Prospect Avenue, Raylton, behind Bulawayo station Zimbabwe's rail history parked on real track: locomotives, saloons and coaches you climb into rather than squint at through glass. Bulawayo was the junction that built the country, and the museum sits in the working railway yard. The footbridge from the station platform is the way in. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Small entry fee, paid at the gate - **Best at:** Daily, 8am to 4.30pm - **Tip:** Ask at the office before climbing on anything under restoration Links: [National Railways of Zimbabwe](https://nrz.co.zw/museum/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Walk Makokoba with a local guide Neighbourhood · Makokoba, north-west of the CBD Bulawayo's first African township, laid out in the 1890s and named from the isiNdebele for walking with a stick. The market is the draw, along with the musicians who came out of these streets. Go with a guide who lives there: this is a working neighbourhood, not a set. - **Time:** 2 to 3 hours - **Cost:** Free to walk, guided tours charged - **Best at:** Morning, while the market is full - **Tip:** Ask before photographing anyone ### 6. See contemporary work at the National Gallery Gallery · Douslin House, corner Main Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue Contemporary Zimbabwean painting, sculpture and photography in a building over a century old, which the gallery moved into in 1994. The courtyard cafe is the best coffee stop in the CBD and the shop sells work by the artists on the walls. Closed on Sundays. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Entry charged at the desk - **Best at:** Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm - **Tip:** The Hideout Cafe in the courtyard does light lunches Links: [Gallery site](https://nationalgallerybyo.co.zw/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 7. Meet the residents at Chipangali Wildlife · Bulawayo to Beitbridge road, about 25 km from the centre A rehabilitation centre rather than a zoo: lion, leopard, hyena and smaller cats that arrived orphaned or injured and mostly cannot be released. It has been family-run since 1973. Closed on Mondays, which catches people out. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** US$6 adults, US$5 under 13 - **Best at:** Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 5pm - **Tip:** The Lady Di centre at the entrance is free; you pay to go through to the wild animals Links: [Chipangali](https://chipangali.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 8. Walk among giraffe at Tshabalala Wildlife · Matopos Road, about 10 km south of the centre Giraffe, zebra, impala and kudu on open bush twenty minutes down the Matopos road. Nothing hunts here, so walking and cycling are allowed as well as driving, which makes it the rehearsal for Matobo rather than a substitute for it. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** US$10 for non-residents - **Best at:** Early morning or the last hour of light - **Tip:** The road to the gate is tarred the whole way ### 9. Watch the studios at Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre Crafts · Mzilikazi township, north of the CBD A working pottery and sculpture school since 1963, and the reason Bulawayo ceramics turn up in galleries abroad. You watch students throw, fire and carve, then buy from the shop at studio prices. Weekdays only, and it closes over lunch. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free to enter - **Best at:** Weekdays, 8.30am to 4pm - **Tip:** Bring small US dollar notes for the shop ### 10. Find the painted chapel at Cyrene Mission Heritage · Plumtree road, about 32 km south-west of the centre A thatched chapel painted inside and out by its own pupils from 1939 onwards, biblical scenes reset in Matabeleland. The murals survived a fire in 1962 and are still the most surprising thing within an hour of Bulawayo. It is a working school, so arrange the visit rather than turning up. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hours - **Cost:** Donation at the mission - **Best at:** Midday, for the light through the door - **Tip:** Most travellers pair it with Khami Ruins on the same run ## Best museums & galleries in Bulawayo Four rooms worth the walk across the CBD. 1. **Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe** (US$10 non-resident · Centenary Park): Nine galleries, a mammal hall and the second largest mounted elephant anywhere. 2. **Bulawayo Railway Museum** (8am to 4.30pm · Raylton): Locomotives and saloons on real track, in the yard behind the station. 3. **National Gallery in Bulawayo** (Monday to Saturday · Main Street): Contemporary Zimbabwean work in Douslin House, with a cafe in the courtyard. 4. **Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre** (Free · Mzilikazi): A pottery and sculpture school since 1963. Watch the studios, buy at the door. ## Best restaurants in Bulawayo Cattle country, and the tables locals book. 1. **Ginge's Kitchen** (Home cooking · River Estate): Family-run and cooked to order, out in River Estate on the edge of town. 2. **Kings Kraal** (Steak · Bulawayo): Tomahawk and sirloin, in a country that raises the beef it grills. 3. **Zarah Lounge** (Italian and grill · Near the CBD): Italian plates and steaks, a short drive out from the CBD grid. 4. **The Bulawayo Club** (Fort Street · City centre): The 1895 club's dining room, restored and open as a small hotel. ## Best bars & cafes in Bulawayo Three rooms that carry the city evenings. 1. **Cape to Cairo** (Live music · Robert Mugabe Way): Live African jazz and cold beer, walking distance from the CBD. 2. **Hideout Cafe** (Coffee · Douslin House): Coffee and light plates in the National Gallery courtyard. 3. **Indaba Book Cafe** (Books and coffee · City centre): Books, coffee and a small stage, on Josiah Tongogara Avenue. ## Best parks & wildlife in Bulawayo Where the city goes at the weekend. 1. **Centenary Park** (Free · Centenary Park): Gardens, playgrounds and a steam locomotive, right beside the museum. 2. **Central Park** (Free · City centre): The other half of the same green belt, all mature trees and open lawn. 3. **Hillside Dams Conservancy** (6am to 6pm · Hillside): Two dams, walking trails and over 150 bird species, ten minutes out. 4. **Tshabalala Game Sanctuary** (US$10 · Matopos Road): Giraffe and zebra on the Matopos road, walkable because nothing hunts there. ## Best heritage buildings in Bulawayo Three survivors from the city's first two decades. 1. **The Bulawayo Club** (1895 · Fort Street): Founded in 1895 and preserved almost intact, now a small hotel. 2. **Nesbitt Castle** (1910 · Hillside): A 1910 folly in Hillside, stone turrets and an antique collection. 3. **Douslin House** (Gallery since 1994 · Main Street): A century-old CBD landmark, home to the National Gallery since 1994. ## Best neighbourhoods in Bulawayo Four addresses, and what each one is for. 1. **Makokoba** (Township · North-west): The city's first African township. Market, music and guided walks. 2. **Hillside** (Suburb · South-east): Leafy and low-rise, with the dams and Nesbitt Castle inside it. 3. **Bradfield** (Suburb · South): Two golf courses on the boundary and the shops along Hillside Road. 4. **Khumalo** (Suburb · East): Wide plots and jacarandas, a few minutes east of the CBD grid. ## Best day trips in Bulawayo Everything worth the drive, all inside 40 km. 1. **Matobo National Park** (US$15 plus vehicle · 35 km south): Balancing granite, rhino on foot and Rhodes' grave, 35 km south. 2. **Khami Ruins** (UNESCO · 22 km west): The Torwa capital in dry stone, a UNESCO site since 1986. 3. **Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage** (US$6 · 25 km south-east): Orphaned and injured wildlife on the Beitbridge road. Closed Mondays. 4. **Cyrene Mission** (Donation · 32 km south-west): A thatched chapel painted by its pupils from 1939, on the Plumtree road. 5. **Old Bulawayo** (Museum site · South of the city): Lobengula's royal town of 1870, part rebuilt on its original site. ## Festivals & annual events in Bulawayo (2026) - **Independence Day** (18 April): Zimbabwe's national day. A public holiday, so museums and offices keep holiday hours. - **Zimbabwe International Trade Fair** (Late April): The country's flagship trade exhibition, held on the ZITF grounds. Hotel rooms go early. - **Africa Day** (25 May): A public holiday across the continent, marked here with concerts and community events. - **Bulawayo Day and the Arts Festival** (Early June): The council declared 2 June Bulawayo Day, and an arts week runs alongside it. - **Heroes' Day and Defence Forces Day** (August): Two consecutive public holidays in the second week. Most businesses close for both. - **Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo** (September): Theatre, dance, music and spoken word across CBD venues. Running since 2005. - **Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo** (October): Southern Africa's tourism trade show, hosted in Bulawayo and open to the public. - **Unity Day** (22 December): The anniversary of the 1987 Unity Accord, and a date that carries weight in Matabeleland. ## Must-try dishes in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - **Isitshwala**: The maize meal staple, eaten by hand with relish. Sadza under its isiNdebele name. - **Amacimbi**: Dried mopane caterpillars fried with onion and tomato. The Matabeleland delicacy. - **Grilled beef**: Bulawayo sits in cattle country, and the steakhouses take that seriously. - **Umfushwa**: Dried leafy greens rehydrated into a relish, served alongside isitshwala. - **Mazondo**: Cow trotters stewed slowly until they fall apart. A weekend dish. - **Kapenta**: Small dried Kariba fish fried with tomato, onion and groundnut powder. - **Maputi**: Popped maize sold by the bag on the street. The cheapest snack in the city. - **Umqombothi**: Traditional sorghum beer, thick and sour, brewed and drunk fresh. ## Bulawayo transport & airports - **Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport** (BUQ): The airport sits north of the city, twenty to thirty minutes by road. Air Zimbabwe flies the domestic connections; check what else is operating before you plan a trip around it. [Airports Company of Zimbabwe](https://www.acz.co.zw/airports/tour/joshua-mqabuko-nkomo-international-airport?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **The overnight train to Victoria Falls** (NRZ): The National Railways service leaves Bulawayo on Friday evening and reaches Victoria Falls on Saturday morning, returning Sunday night. Fares run to single figures and the carriages are basic. [National Railways of Zimbabwe](https://nrz.co.zw/passenger-services/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Intercity coaches** (Long distance): Extra City runs several services a day to Harare through Gweru and Kwekwe, with two carrying on to Victoria Falls. Cross-border coaches reach Johannesburg in about fifteen hours. [Extracity](https://www.extracity.co.zw/schedules/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Getting around town** (Kombis and taxis): Eighteen-seat kombis run the CBD to the suburbs for small change and taxis are cheap by the kilometre. The grid is walkable by day; take a car or a guide for Matobo and Khami. ## Bulawayo at a glance - **Country:** Zimbabwe - **Region:** Bulawayo Province, in Matabeleland, at 1,358 metres on the Zimbabwean highveld - **Population:** 665,940 at the 2022 census, though the city council puts the figure closer to 1.2 million - **Founded:** Lobengula's royal town from about 1870, with the colonial settlement moved onto the present grid in 1894 - **Nickname:** The City of Kings, and Zimbabwe's second city - **Language:** isiNdebele and English, with Kalanga and Shona also spoken - **Currency:** Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) since April 2024, with US dollars used for most tourism prices - **Time zone:** Central Africa Time, UTC+2, no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +263, with 29 as the Bulawayo area code - **Airports:** Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International (BUQ), north of the city - **Power:** 230V, 50Hz, type D and G plugs - **Emergency:** 999 for all emergencies, 993 fire, 994 ambulance, 995 police ## Interesting facts - The streets were laid out wide enough to turn a wagon pulled by a full span of sixteen oxen. - Khami was inscribed by UNESCO in 1986, the same year as Great Zimbabwe, the capital it replaced. - Matobo National Park holds the highest concentration of black eagles anywhere in the world. - The name means place of slaughter, after a battle Lobengula fought at the site before he was king. - The Natural History Museum holds the second largest mounted elephant in the world. ## Bulawayo travel FAQ ### Is Bulawayo worth visiting? Yes, for two things Harare does not have: the Matobo Hills 35 km south, and the largest museum collection in the country. Give it three days and treat the city as the base rather than the destination. ### How many days do you need in Bulawayo? Three. One for the Natural History Museum, the railway sheds and the CBD grid, one full day in Matobo National Park, and a third for the Khami Ruins and Chipangali on the way out of town. ### When is the best time to visit Bulawayo? May to August. The rain stops in April and the air stays dry and clear, with cold nights through June and July. October is the hottest month, and the rains run from November to March. ### How do you get from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo? By road in five to six hours, on a daily coach, or on the overnight train, which leaves Victoria Falls on Sunday evening and arrives on Monday morning. The train runs twice a week, the coaches every day. ### Is Bulawayo safe for visitors? It is quiet by the standards of southern African cities and the CBD grid is comfortable to walk by day. Take a taxi after dark, carry small US dollar notes rather than relying on cards, and agree fares before you get in. ## Nearby guides - [Victoria Falls](https://wimup.com/city/victoria-falls.md): Zimbabwe · 10 picks - [Lusaka](https://wimup.com/city/lusaka.md): Zambia · 10 picks - [Gaborone](https://wimup.com/city/gaborone.md): Botswana · 10 picks - [All of Africa →](https://wimup.com/africa): 69 cities Part of the [Zimbabwe guide](https://wimup.com/country/zimbabwe.md) · [Africa](https://wimup.com/africa.md) ## Sources - [Bulawayo tourism board](https://zimbabwetourism.net/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Track rhino in Matobo National Park: ZimParks](https://www.zimparks.org.zw/matobo-national-park/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Read the dry-stone terraces at Khami: UNESCO listing](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/365/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Spend a morning at the Natural History Museum: Museum site](https://naturalhistorymuseumzimbabwe.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Climb into the stock at the Railway Museum: National Railways of Zimbabwe](https://nrz.co.zw/museum/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See contemporary work at the National Gallery: Gallery site](https://nationalgallerybyo.co.zw/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Meet the residents at Chipangali: Chipangali](https://chipangali.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport: Airports Company of Zimbabwe](https://www.acz.co.zw/airports/tour/joshua-mqabuko-nkomo-international-airport?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [The overnight train to Victoria Falls: National Railways of Zimbabwe](https://nrz.co.zw/passenger-services/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Intercity coaches: Extracity](https://www.extracity.co.zw/schedules/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.