Countrywise
Flag of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe's stone ruins and vast elephant herds.

01Free

The 30-second card

LanguageKhoisan, Xhosa, Barwe, Ndau, Tonga, English, Shona, Northern Ndebele, Sesotho, Chewa, Tswana, Kalanga, Zimbabwe Sign Language, Tsonga, Nambya, VendaSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
CurrencyZimbabwean Gold · ZWG; US Dollar · $ · USDSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
DrivingOn the leftSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United Kingdom passport
Visa on arrival · up to 30 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
Visa on arrivalSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗
TippingTips of 10 to 15 percent are customary.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
Buy an EcoNet SIM at an EcoNet branch or a small phone shop; bring your ID.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Apps locals use
Vaya: ride-hailing taxis; it requires a local phone number.EcoCash: mobile money for paying in most shops, topped up at a bank.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 2 of 5: Most payments are in cash; cards are accepted only in some places.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Money in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean Gold · ZWG
Carry small US dollar bills: US$1 notes are scarce yet used most, and big notes are often refused.
Cash machines tend to give out US$100 bills, so break them into smaller notes at large stores when possible.
Keep cash for the customary 10% restaurant tip, even when paying the bill by card.
Bring cash when filling up, as petrol stations rarely take cards.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ Collect Zimbabwean Gold in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Tue, 22 Dec 2026 · Unity Day
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Boxing Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Sun, 21 Feb 2027 · Robert Mugabe National Youth Day
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday
Sat, 27 Mar 2027 · Holy Saturday Easter Saturday
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sun, 18 Apr 2027 · Independence Day
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Worker's Day
Tue, 25 May 2027 · Africa Day
Mon, 9 Aug 2027 · Heroes' Day
Tue, 10 Aug 2027 · Defence Forces Day
Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Zimbabwe say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 26 Jun 2023 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 15 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Scams to know

Damaged notes given as change

Check your change and refuse ripped or worn notes, since other shops will not take them.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

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Health

Routine vaccines plus hepatitis A and B; consider typhoid, cholera and rabies by trip. Malaria is present.
Vaccinations

Be current on routine vaccines; hepatitis A and B are recommended, with typhoid, cholera and rabies shots worth considering depending on the trip.

Malaria
Risk
Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Must-see · 1Victoria Falls

Among the 7 natural wonders; its mist feeds a rainforest.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Strange & surprising · #1

When the old Zimbabwe dollar was scrapped, 100 trillion of them could not buy a loaf of bread.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
National anthem: National Anthem of Zimbabwe. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
5 World Heritage sites in Zimbabwe, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
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Deep facts

Population
Population17 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age21.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy67.2 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
ReligionsApostolic Sect 40.3%, Pentecostal 17%, Protestant 13.8%, other Christian 7.8%, Roman Catholic 6.4%, African traditionalist 5%, other 1.5% (includes Muslim, Jewish, Hindu), none 8.3% (2022 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2022 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Geography
Area390,757 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climatetropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrainmostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in eastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).

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