Three international airports on three different clocks, no Uber anywhere, Bolt in Harare only, and one published airport fare in the whole country.
The three airports keep different hours
| Airport | Distance to town | Operating hours |
|---|---|---|
| Harare, Robert Gabriel Mugabe (HRE) | 15 km south of Harare | 24 hours |
| Victoria Falls (VFA) | 21 km south-east of the town | 06:00 to 18:00 |
| Bulawayo, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo (BUQ) | 25 km north of the city | 14 hours; ZIMRA and Immigration 06:00 to 19:00 |
- Victoria Falls operates twelve hours a day. The operator's own page says hours may be extended on request, subject to approval, which is a charter arrangement rather than something a scheduled passenger can rely on.
- At Bulawayo the border agencies have hours of their own. ACZ says ZIMRA and Immigration are available outside 06:00 to 19:00 only by prior arrangement. An arrival outside those hours is not a queue, it is a phone call somebody has to have made.
- Harare is the one that behaves like a hub. 24/7 operations, 60 retail and service outlets, banks and bureaux de change, medical services and pharmacies, free wi-fi.
- Victoria Falls gives you 30 minutes of free wi-fi and, unusually, ten passenger showers.
Do not look for Uber, and do not assume Bolt
- Uber lists no city in Zimbabwe at all. Its own global directory covers Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa in Africa, and stops there.
- Bolt's own city list gives one city in Zimbabwe: Harare. So the app that works when you land at Harare does nothing when you land at Victoria Falls or Bulawayo.
The one published airport fare in the country
- Victoria Falls airport to town is 40 US dollars per trip, for up to four passengers. The Victoria Falls airport taxi association publishes that, runs a fleet of 17 vehicles, is based at the airport and is listed by ACZ as an airport operator.
- Its own hours are 08:00 to 17:00 every day, which is narrower than the airport's. Book ahead for anything landing late in the operating day.
- Nobody publishes a fare for the Harare run. ACZ names taxis, car hire and shuttle buses at Harare but gives no tariff and no timetable, and no city bus route to the airport is published. Agree the price before you get in, and the FCDO's advice is to use a taxi recommended by your hotel, which will usually run its own.
The road into Harare is a named risk, not a general one
- The FCDO names the main intersections along the route to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport as a place smash-and-grab robberies from vehicles happen, along with Liberation Legacy Way (Borrowdale Road) and Churchill Road in Harare, and the Masvingo to Beitbridge road.
- Keep the doors locked and the windows closed, be careful at night and at petrol stations, and do not leave a vehicle parked in an unguarded spot in town even briefly.
Hiring a car, and the things that are not there
- Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Impala and several local firms are at Harare. Avis, Europcar, Impala and Afrotrails are at Victoria Falls.
- A UK driving licence is valid for up to 12 months. Carry copies of the passport photo page and the visa in the car, keep the originals somewhere safe, and stop at roadblocks and toll gates.
- A foreign-registered car needs a police vehicle clearance certificate, which is the temporary import permit.
- Fuel is sometimes unavailable and there may be queues. Top up whenever you can, and carry cash in case the card is refused.
What you cannot use to get around
- Passenger rail services are currently suspended. The FCDO says to check with National Railways of Zimbabwe for updates, but do not plan a journey on it.
- Commuter buses, the combis, are overcrowded, inadequately maintained, uninsured and recklessly driven. The FCDO says to avoid them if possible, and notes serious accidents involving long-distance buses travelling at night.
The flag carrier is banned and still flies to London
- Air Zimbabwe pvt is named on the UK Air Safety List, banned from operating commercial air services to, from and within the United Kingdom.
- The direct London to Harare service exists anyway. It is operated on Air Zimbabwe's behalf by the Spanish carrier Plus Ultra Lineas Aereas, which holds the necessary approvals, so that specific route is eligible. The ban attaches to the operating carrier, not to the ticket.
- British government employees have been advised to use carriers that are not on the UK ASL when travelling to and within Zimbabwe, which is a reasonable default for anyone else.
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