Zimbabwe is, undeniably, a beautiful country and, despite its high-profile troubles, was in the list of Top 10 Most Visited African Countries in 2022.
This week, I decided to gloat about my country and its major attractions, mainly because I wanted to avoid writing about political and economic issues.
Being an election year and with major political parties deep in campaign mode, we are already being fed lies and empty promises by both parties as they try to impress and lure voters.
Political violence has already started even before the election date has been set and one wonders how bad the situation might get as time progresses.
Economically, there is also nothing worth writing home about.
Perhaps what could be of interest is that the local currency is slowly but surely dying a natural death as most shops no longer accept payment in the Zimbabwean dollar. In fact, in the informal sector, prices have long been set either in the US Dollar or South African Rand.
The current regime had promised to keep the economy and the Zim dollar afloat but, with the way things are going, we might not have a local currency to talk about by the time we go for polls either in July or August.
Anyway, enough of these negatives, let me get down to why Zimbabwe was among the top destinations on the continent last year. In any case, as Zimbos, we are required to be patriotic and to say good things about the country!
Despite its run-down economy and dilapidating infrastructure, Zimbabwe is endowed with many attractions that continue to fascinate people from around the world.
According to the African Exponent, Zimbabwe was on the 6th spot of the most visited nations in Africa, with at least 2 million visitors coming into the country.
Victoria Falls is a big attraction and, besides marveling at the waterfalls, visitors can also do a wide range of activities once they land in the tourist town.
Popular activities include sunset cruise, rafting, bungee jumping and game drives.
And just an hour’s drive from Victoria Falls is the magnificent Hwange National Park, which is one of Africa’s top parks. It has more than 100 different wild animals including the big five and many tourists have been lucky enough to spot all these animals during their visits.
The giant rocks, stacked one on top of the other at Matobo National Park, are also a sight to behold as they are just a stunning natural spectacle.
The Great Zimbabwe ruins also carry major appeal as visitors flock there to marvel at one of the man-made ancient stone cities in Africa.
There is, of course, also: Kariba Dam, Chinhoyi Caves, Mana Pools, Gonarezhou National Park and the Eastern Highlands with the picturesque landscape and long waterfalls to keep tourists further transfixed.
All these attractions and more are the reason so many global travellers decided to visit Zimbabwe last year – it’s right on your doorstep, dear reader, maybe we’ll see you as well this year!
