Lets plan a trip to Harare
New Year is just on its way and you are still thinking about which is the best place to head for vacations in this coming Year. Too much thinking always leads to confusion. So instead why not take a peek at some of what Harare offers. Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe known as Salisbury once is a city comprising modern buildings, numerous parks, garden and wide thoroughfares. So yes-the people are fun, food is good and the climate serves as invigorating and wonderful. This busy African city is also at the same time attractive. Trees, flowers, shrubs are in abundance here and with the blooming of the Jacaranda trees during September and October the city becomes full of purple blooms. There is always appreciation regarding the city’s historical and cultural heritage with various numbers of older buildings which have been preserved. Harare has lots to do. Various tourist attraction places are here to explore. You can check out the places below to wander around Harare: 1) National Heroes Acre:
Just 7km of Harare lies the grand pillar of Heroes Acre. It was designed with the help of North Korea serving as a somber memorial to the forces who lost their lives during the Second Chimurenga. A giant statue of unknown three soldiers is being built here bounded by bronze friezes which depict stirring war victories. This interesting museum in Harare is dedicated to the resistance museum. 2) National Botanic Garden:
With an area of 58 hectare this National Botanic Garden contains scenery of greenery and diverse climate which blooms in Harare’s diverse climate. Specimens from Southern Africa and many Zimbabwean species are represented here. It is a great place for outing. 3) Wild is Life:
Numerous injured, orphaned or rescued animals are found in this wildlife sanctuary marking as a difference in compared to other sanctuaries. With a sip on afternoon tea and champagne, you can experience this wonderful place. It is located near the airport and children under 12 are not allowed to enter here. 4) Tobacco floor:
Once tobacco used to be Zimbabwe’s major foreign exchange earners and the country produces the best leaf in the world. Here you can find actions on floors where farmers are seen on one side selling bales of tobacco to brokers on the other. Here auctions take place only around February to August. 5) National Gallery of Zimbabwe:
This famous museum is located in the Southeast corner of Harare Garden. Here the monthly exhibition of the gallery is being displayed which holds a mixture of African art and contempory local art. You will find various photography, paintings, mask, stone sculptures and carvings here. A shop is attached with the gallery which is an excellent place to look for books and crafts on Zimbabwean arts. To enjoy a sip of coffee and delicious cake you can also head towards the café present here. 6) Harare Garden:
It is one of the city’s largest parks. This beautiful garden is the main garden of the city and it is suitable to spent leisure especially for the one working in the city centre. A little pond is situated in the north side of the garden and at the same time the flowers and lawns are all well maintained. To enjoy food while enjoying the green surrounding, a restaurant is also present here. Harare Garden is also a wedding venue with a stunning surrounding to take wedding photos. Apart from this, the garden also has stage performances like dramatics and musical for the Harare International Festival of arts which is held every year. 7) Mukuvisi Woodlands Environmental Centre:
With an area of 265 hectares the place holds msasa parklands where zebra and giraffes roam free. It is located 7km away from the city. Numerous birds can be viewed from the platform using binoculars or on foot and by bicycle or horse safaris. Some enclosures of depressing animals can be found here. 8) National Archive of Zimbabwe:
This building off Borrowdale Rd founded in 1935 is a repository for the history of modern Zimbabwe and Rhodesia. Various photos, artefacts and accounts of early settlers as well as explorers and display of Chimurenga Second is present here. Apart from these places mentioned above, some other institutions like Queen Victoria museum and Queen Victoria National library located at civic centre are worth visiting. Shopping: How can you miss shopping while being in a holiday destination? Definitely Harare allows you to experience shopping the way much traditional market offers you to do. All you need is to wander along around at the open flea market at Mbare. Here tourist from all over the world can capture their eyes on a vibrant colourful array of food, basket, clothing and some other products. Food and drink: Dining out in Harare can be of fun. The staple food of Zimbabwe is Sadza: it’s a kind of thick white porridge which is made from corn meal .This food is eaten at every meal which is accompanied by meat or vegetables. Even Many westernized restaurants are there in Harare which serves American or European style food. But the outdoor cafes always turn out to be more exciting: • Cafe espresso located at Cork Road, Avondale, Harare poses a beautifully landscaped garden which serves excellent coffees with wifi facility. • The 40 Cork Road located at Avondale, Harare is an outdoor cafe, sculpture garden and art gallery. The place is very much to be seen. • 167 Enterprise Road located at Chisipite, Harare, is an old house which is being converted into restaurant along with a huge garden with an art shop, gallery and a pool. Apart from these, various numbers of restaurants and cafes have increased in Harare like the Amanzi restaurant and Coimbra restaurant. You can also enjoy a popular local beer of Harare known as Chibuku. This bear is opaque beige and lumpy but at the same time good and cheap. Another popular beer called Shake-shake is also famous which is very filling and thick and available in milk cartons. Some locally brewed drinks like Castle, Zambesi, lion and Bohlingers are definitely worth trying. So if you want to feel the crisp and clear air of this beautiful city, book your tickets for Harare soon. Cheap flights to Harare: To enjoy the city’s fine dining, museums, craft market and hip bars one can take any cheap flights to Harare among the available ones. Harare’s airport serves as the major gateway for flights in the country. Before ceasing operations Air Zimbabwe operated a small network of domestic flights. Various foreign airlines are flying to Harare these days. These include the South African Airways serving direct flights from Johannesburg, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, Taag Angura Airlines from Luanda, Kenya Airways from Nairobi and Egypt Air from Cairo via Dar es Salaam. Thus you can say that with comfortable collection of guesthouses, hotels and some excellent cafes and restaurants a night in Harare is indeed an enjoyable experience. However walking around the city after dusk is avoidable. If you want to visit restaurant’s leaving behind your hotel, it is preferable to take a taxi.
