Zimbabwe Museums
(Zimbabwe, ZW, Southern Africa)
Whilst it might well be tempting to dash straight out of Zimbabwe's towns and cities to enjoy some of its spectacular wildlife and scenery, it is worth paying a visit to at least a few of its museums and cultural institutions.
Collections on display range from contemporary art and colonial history to Zimbabwean fauna and rock art. For those staying in the capital city of Harare, notable highlights include the Museum of Human Sciences at the Civic Centre and the National Archives of Zimbabwe at Gun Hill.
The city of Bulawayo offers up a number of additional cultural attractions, including the very prestigious and extremely important Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, where you can learn all about the country's numerous native African animals and plants. And a wander along the reconstructed streets of Old Bulawayo will provide you with a taster of the early days of African settlers and past communities.
Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
Address: Park Road, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe is widely regarded as one of the best natural history museums in Southern Africa. Over several floors, visitors get to browse a range of exhibits that include Zimbabwean fauna, geology, rock art, prehistoric remains and colonial life. Particularly worth a look is the walk-through gallery and several panoramic displays. Younger visitors will no doubt take home memories of such oddities as a real dodo egg and the largest ever mounted elephant.
Open hours: daily - 08:30 to 17:00
Admission: charge
Museum of Human Sciences
Address: Civic Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
This museum opened in 1903 and was originally known as the Queen Victoria Museum. Currently located in Harare, it is mainly interested in archaeology and ethnography, particularly from the Stone Age and Iron Age eras, as well as rock art.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge
National Archives of Zimbabwe
Address: Ruth Taylor Road, Gun Hill, Harare, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
Set up in the 1930s, Zimbabwe's national archive is home to a vast array of photos, artefacts and first-hand accounts of early settlers in Rhodesia, as well as colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 07:45 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:45
Admission: charge
Old Bulawayo
Address: Criterion Mine Road, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
Old Bulawayo was built in 1997 in response to a desire to reconstruct the 19th-century capital of King Lobengula's kingdom, which had been destroyed in the 1880s. This living history museum used to boast reconstructions of a traditional cattle kraal, several beehive huts and the king's palace. It was intended to give visitors a good idea of what a traditional Ndebele king's village might have looked like. Sadly, in 2010, a fire burnt down the majority of the buildings. Restoration has been slow, with the relatively small information centre being the only part of Old Bulawayo that survived the destructive blaze.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge
BaTonga Community Museum
Address: Binga, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
Situated in Binga, on the shores of Lake Kariba, this relatively new addition to Zimbabwe's museum scene offers a fascinating insight into the traditions and beliefs of the local Tonga people. The fact that Tonga culture is being preserved in this way is largely due to the mass displacement of this ethnic group following the building of the Kariba Dam. The museum's aim is to preserve their culture for posterity.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge
Nambya Community Museum
Address: Hwange, Zimbabwe, ZW, Africa
Situated in the town of Hwange, this small community museum focuses on local culture and the ethnic groups that live in the region. The attraction is a relatively new venture and is to be found housed within a former sports pavilion.
Open hours: daily
Admission: charge