There’s so much to see in Zimbabwe that you’ll probably want to visit a number of National Parks and cities to get the most out of your trip. This brings up the question of how to get around. Package holidays usually include transport within Zimbabwe: great if you’re a first-timer. I often prefer to have the freedom to self-drive or book my own internal flights/buses.

Travelling around Zimbabwe? Road, air and rail are your main options, and I’ve given details on each of these further down the page, including hyperlinks to longer articles onthem.  You can book directly with the companies that I’ve mentioned, or via your accommodation or travel agent.

Need airport shuttle services or short transfers?

• Here’s an article about Coach, bus and shuttle services in Zimbabwe
• If you just want transport around the sights in a single city, you could do a guided tour or simply ask your accommodation to book transport for you. See the individual city guides for Harare, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo – at the end of each article there is a section on guided tours.

Let’s look in detail at the different options for long-distance transport between cities & tourist hubs …

1 – Road travel in Zimbabwe

1-a) Bus, coach and shuttle services in Zimbabwe

Read more details in my post Coach and bus travel in Zimbabwe.

1-b) Self-drive transport in Zimbabwe

Driving yourself around means you have more independence and it’s a more authentic experience. It’s also one of the best ways to explore the national parks, although a 4×4 is advised. You can hire a car, or bring your own into the country if you’re coming from one of the neighbouring nations. Guided driving tours are available if you’d like to travel in convoy with other cars.

See the full-blown post on Driving in Zimbabwe for a detailed information on this, including a list of car hire companies, road rules, links to guided driving tours and advice on bringing a car over the border.

2 – Air travel in Zimbabwe

There are a number of flights connecting Harare, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo, Hwange and other Zimbabwean locations. There are some budget options as well as more upmarket airlines, so air travel doesn’t have to break the bank.

See this post dedicated to information about Internal flights in Zimbabwe, which gives more details of routes and airlines. Also see my tips on Flying to Africa with a baby.

3 – Rail travel in Zimbabwe

Rail travel in Zimbabwe has a mixed reputation. In 2003, my husband (then boyfriend) took the train from Harare to Bulawayo, and the journey was severely delayed, taking over 24 hours. However, the overnight train from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls has had some good reports recently. I haven’t done a train trip myself so I will defer to The Man in Seat 61 to give advice about rail travel in Zimbabwe. If you travel in First Class (which is still as cheap as chips), you will have much more space than a bus or plane, and the doors can be locked. Tickets can be purchased at the rail station. Advance booking isn’t really necessary as the trains aren’t usually fully occupied.

Additional transport options in Zimbabwe

Ferry services

Note that the route between Kariba and Victoria Falls have an additional transport option: A ferry service. This is a reliable service and the ferry can transport vehicles as well as regular passengers. Read about my trip on the Kariba Ferry from Kariba town to Mlibizi, which I thoroughly enjoyed (also featured in The Grand Tour: One for the Road).

Ask your hotel about affiliate transport companies

Find a hotel/guest house/safari camp that you like, and ask them about transport when you make your first enquiry. Many hotels offer shuttle services to airports and other areas in Zimbabwe, and at the very least they will have specialist knowledge of how to get to their specific locations.

Get a packaged holiday

Many holiday packages will include all transport as part of the trip. Here are some tour companies within Zimbabwe who can help with travel services between lodges and cities:

• Africa Albida
• African Bush Camps
• AfriZim
• Bushlife Safaris
• Lucky Bean Travel
• Off2Africa Travel
• Wild Horizons
• Go2Africa (aff)

You might also like the following articles

• Getting from Harare to other areas of Zimbabwe

• Driving in Zimbabwe

• Internal flights in Zimbabwe

• Flights to Zimbabwe

• Coach and bus travel in Zimbabwe

Check out my Zimbabwe travel quick reference guide for more articles.

Great Zimbabwe Guide gives travel tips, information and inspiration about Zimbabwe, Africa. We share stories of Zimbabwe’s talented people, world-class wilderness & wildlife safari experiences, all wrapped up in an unmatched climate. 

Do you have a question about visiting Zimbabwe? Start with the Quick-reference list of travel advice. 

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Are you planning a Zimbabwe holiday? I can recommend Go2Africa, Africa’s Leading Safari Company (and one of our affiliates). Go2Africa has been tailor-making safari holidays for thousands of clients from across the globe since 1998. You can research African destinations, accommodation, and more. Even better, you can directly contact their safari specialists who can help you get the African experience that’s perfect for you. 

Check out the Go2Africa website, or see their Zimbabwe tours here.

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