Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare has a rich history. The legendary Bob Marley performed there in 1980 following the country’s independence.
I have compiled a list of what to do when visiting Harare.
Dancehall
Whether you are into dancehall or not, you just have to give it a shot. Zim dancehall is very popular. Luckily for me, there was a festival when I was in Zimbabwe. I appreciate and listen to all kinds of music so I didn’t need any convincing to go. The show was packed. There were over 20 artists performing and the crowd went crazy for each and every act.
Gardens
You have to visit the Harare Gardens. They’re in the city center. It’s a beautiful and tranquil place that’s great for picnics or some me time. Unsurprisingly, they are not in the best condition as it’s quite evident that they have seen better days. Despite this, the garden is still worth a visit.
Art
From the park, you can pass by the National Gallery. There’s a lot of beautiful art. At the time, they had a beautiful wildlife exhibition. As an foreigner you pay more, but the guard assumed I was a local and I didn’t correct her. So I paid less!
Market
The Mbira Market is a must see. It’s a huge market and you are guaranteed to find whatever you want there. It’s a very busy market so you must be alert. That’s the warning I received from locals but nothing happened to me. Being at the market was quite an experience. It just went on and on!
Church visit
There are numerous churches in Harare. I remember in DK, there was one street where I lost count of the number of churches. I guess when the situation is dire people require hope and churches serve that purpose while others see an opportunity to make money. Anyway, one Sunday I decided to go to church. Since I’m more comfortable in traditional churches, I chose the Methodist Church. I found amanxila engoma just like Amawisile from back home. They had several homemade music instruments which produced a vibrant sound. I really enjoyed the music. I didn’t understand the language, but the beauty of music is that it transcends language.
Food
The only thing I didn’t explore in Harare were the restaurants. I got discouraged after struggling to find places that had vegetarian dishes on their menu. I found a small rooftop restaurant downtown. They agreed to serve me sadza with spinach as that was the only vegetable they had.
I later found another little restaurant in DZ. Their food was very delicious and they had a variety of vegetables to choose from!
Frugal Travela 