Cycling Zimbabwe

Our newest cycling expedition, Africa: Ocean to Ocean, takes riders through seven fascinating Southern African countries. In this post, we take a look at what cyclists can expect on their journey through country number 4, Zimbabwe.

Bulawayo

Bulawayo Coat of Arms

The second largest city in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo is known as the ‘City of Kings’. It features very wide streets lined with colourful jacaracanda and red flamboyant trees and some fine examples of colonial architecture. The riders will get a break from the African heat here as it is situated 1350 m above sea level, giving the evenings a nice cool touch. They should be sure not to miss both the fine Natural History Museum and the fascinating Railway Museum.

Khami Ruins

On their rest day in Bulawayo, the riders will have the opportunity to visit the 15th century Khami Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 22 kms from the city centre. Built soon after the better known Great Zimbabwe structures, the restored walls reveal intricate and varied patterns of decoration and were the base for terraces upon which huts and other structures were built. It was considered a very spiritual site and was hidden from while settlers until the late 19th century

>>Related Post: Cycling Angola

Matobo National Park

The riders will spin south out of Bulawayo and into Matobo National Park, home to one of Africa’s most distinctive landscapes. The sight of these balancing granite rock formations is truly something unique and a photographer’s wildest dream. In addition it is home to some incredible Stone Age cave art, being an area continuously inhabited by humans for over 40,000 years. Not enough? There are also significant populations of both black and white rhinos.

>>Related Post: Cycling Namibia

Cecil Rhodes Grave Site

Cecil Rhodes is, to say the least, a very controversial figure in the history of Africa being a vivid symbol of European colonialism. He had a vision of a Cape to Cairo Railway that, although never completed, inspired a trans-continental route that many travellers have largely followed, including our own Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. The cyclists will make a lunch stop at his grave site – ‘View of the World’ – giving them a unique chance to reflect on his impact on Africa.

>>Related Post: Cycling Botswana

Limpopo River

On the last night in Zimbabwe, the riders will camp on the shores of the Mighty Limpopo River. This legendary waterway was made famous in Rudyard Kipling’s tale, The Elephant’s Child, from his 1902 book, Just So Stories. The river contains many large Nile crocodiles (an important part of Kipling’s tale), hippos and the occasional Zambezi shark, a species that can tolerate fresh water and can travel far up the Limpopo.

Recommended Reading

Heidi Holland – Dinner With Mugabe
Doris Lessing – African Laughter: Four Visits To Zimbabwe
Wilson Katiyo – Son Of The Soil
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu – City Of Kings Trilogy
Terrance Ranger – Voices From The Rocks: Nature, Culture & History In The Matopos Hills Of Zimbabwe

Recommended Viewing

Mugabe and the White African (2009) – Award winning documentary about Robert Mugabe’s land policies being challenged in international courts.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (2025) – The final days of the Rhodesian War through the eyes of an eight year old girl.
Neria (1991) – Drama about a widow’s life after she loses her husband.

Recommended Listening

2 Broke Twimbos (2BT)
In Conversation With Trevor (YouTube)
The Whitewashing of Zimbabwe’s Ancient History (BBC)

RELATED
TOUR

Africa: Ocean to Ocean

The original way to cross Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean was the maritime Cape Route past the continent’s southern tip, a perilous...