Private5 days
Bulawayo, Khami Ruins & Matobo Private Escape
Khami heritage and private reserve, then two nights in the Matobo Hills
From $1,880 per person
View this trip
Zimbabwe · Second City
Bulawayo
Zimbabwe’s second city — broad avenues, a rich modernist streetscape, major museums, and a practical base for Matobo and Khami.
Bulawayo was laid out in the 1890s with unusually broad streets and retains a notable collection of twentieth-century architecture.
The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe is the country’s largest museum; its mammal collection is described by National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe as the largest in Africa. The city is also a practical base for Matobo and Khami, with transfer times confirmed for current conditions.
“I grew up here. The city has rhythm and architecture and food the rest of the country forgot it had — it deserves a day, not a transit stop.”
Best Year-round 5 experiences Art Deco · Railway · Museum
Recommended trips
Start with these.
Bulawayo works best stitched into a Matabeleland route. These three do it properly — private, and adjustable before you commit.
Private6 days
Rovos Rail, Bulawayo, Matobo & Victoria Falls
Rovos Rail, with Matobo and Khami done properly first
From $4,300 per person
View this tripLooking for something different? View all 5 Bulawayo trips →
Guest review
What guests say about Bulawayo.
A named guest, a real trip and a travel date.
We had one night in Bulawayo and stayed three. The architecture, the food, and the conservation library at the Museum kept pulling us back.
Daniel & Jeyne
Toronto · 14-night Zimbabwe+Botswana, June 2025
Why ZimTravellers
One person plans your trip. He lives here.
ZimTravellers is not a call centre. Josh Elliott — fifth-generation Zimbabwean, owner of Matobo Hills Lodge — writes every itinerary himself, drives these roads, and answers every email within one working day. That changes what a trip here can be.
One local point of contact
You plan directly with Josh from first enquiry to the trip itself — one point of contact, whether the day is run by our own team or a hand-picked local operator.
Generations deep
Five generations in Zimbabwe. The guides, the border posts, the fuel stops — known first-hand, not from a supplier manual.
Direct WhatsApp line
WhatsApp Josh before, during and after the trip. Office hours Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 and Sat 09:00–13:00 CAT — replies within one working day.
Stories, not schedules
Routes built around what you want from the country — not a fixed departure sheet with your name added.
Tell Josh what you’d want from a few days in Bulawayo and he’ll write you a route. No template, no commission desk.
Make an enquirySignature experiences
What Bulawayo does best.
Bulawayo
Walking architecture tour
A guided route through broad avenues, civic buildings, original signage and the city’s varied twentieth-century architecture.
Bulawayo
National Museum of Natural History
Zimbabwe’s largest museum, with geology, archaeology and zoology collections; its mammal collection is described by NMMZ as the largest in Africa.
Bulawayo
Art galleries and studios
The National Gallery’s Bulawayo home plus a working studio circuit — buy from the artist, not the airport.
Bulawayo
Railway heritage
The Railway Museum’s steam collection — Bulawayo was the junction the country was built around.
Recommended accommodation
Where we stay in Bulawayo.
A short planning list, not a price promise. We confirm the right property, room and current rate for your dates before you commit.
The Bulawayo Club
Bulawayo stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
Ask Josh about this stay →Bulawayo
Nesbitt Castle
Bulawayo stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
Ask Josh about this stay →Bulawayo
Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel
Bulawayo stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
Ask Josh about this stay →
Speak to Josh
Plan your Bulawayo trip.
Tell me your dates, your party, and what you want from Bulawayo. I’ll reply with a route and honest advice on what to skip.
Make an enquiry
WhatsApp Josh
+263 77 587 6661 · Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat 09:00–13:00 CAT · Closed Sundays & public holidays
“I answer every email here personally — within one working day.”
Ways to travel
How do you want to do this?
Tailor-made
Your dates, your pace, your rooms. Josh writes the route from scratch around what you want from the country — most guests travel this way.
On the map
The south-west hub.
Bulawayo airport (BUQ) takes direct flights from Johannesburg and Harare. By road: five hours from Victoria Falls, five and a half from Harare.
- Combine with Matobo HillsExplore trips →
- Combine with Khami RuinsExplore trips →
- Combine with HwangeExplore trips →
Every marker is a link — tap a region to open its page. Hold Ctrl (⌘ on Mac) and scroll, or use the buttons, to zoom.
When to travel
Twelve months, one even-tempered city.
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● Peak◐ Shoulder○ Green season
Year-round. May–August brings mild, dry winter days and cold nights — pack a jumper. October–March is hot with afternoon storms; mornings are the time to walk.
All trips
Every Bulawayo experience.
6 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Rovos Rail, Bulawayo, Matobo & Victoria Falls
Rovos Rail, with Matobo and Khami done properly first
From $4,300 ppView trip →
5 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Bulawayo, Khami Ruins & Matobo Private Escape
Khami heritage and private reserve, then two nights in the Matobo Hills
From $1,880 ppView trip →
Half-Day Tours · Max 12 guests
Taste Bulawayo
Street food, markets and local flavour on foot
From $75 ppView trip →
Half-Day Tours · Max 12 guests
The Line That Built a Country
Steam engines, signal boxes and the tracks of old Rhodesia
From $95 ppView trip →
Half-Day Tours · Max 12 guests
The Soul of Zimbabwe’s Second City
Art deco, galleries and Bulawayo's story
From $69 ppView trip →
No trips match those filters here — tell Josh what you’re after and he’ll build it.
Frequently asked
Bulawayo, answered.
Yes — half-day at minimum. The architecture walk, the Museum and a meal make one of Zimbabwe’s most underrated afternoons.
Bulawayo is 35 minutes from the Matobo gates — many travellers base here and day-trip in.
Yes — safe by African urban standards. Standard travel sense applies.
25 minutes away. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Half-day round trip — combine with the city tour.
The Cattleman, Bulawayo Club, Indaba Book Café, Granny Liston’s Tea Garden. Variable but characterful.
Plan your trip
Give it the day it deserves.
Tell Josh your dates and your party. You’ll get a route, straight answers, and a reply within one working day.