{"id":54,"date":"2019-01-23T07:15:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T07:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/?page_id=54"},"modified":"2021-07-19T15:43:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T15:43:36","slug":"bulawayo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/bulawayo\/","title":{"rendered":"BULAWAYO"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/i> Overview <\/a><\/h3>

Bulawayo is Zimbabwe's second largest city. Located in the South-west of the country, it is home to more than a million people. Bulawayo is the hub of the province of Matabeleland which comprises the whole western Zimbabwe from the South African border in the south to Victoria Falls in the north.<\/p>\n

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Bulawayo, the \"City of Kings\"<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

The city has wide tree lined streets and is surrounded by beautiful parks, a legacy of Cecil John Rhodes. Within the city are many examples of early Victorian buildings which are maintained by the Bulawayo City council and landlords as heritage sites.<\/p>\n

Bulawayo houses the, the Matopos National Park, the country's main museum, the natural history museum, a railway museum, the Bulawayo Art gallery, which is housed in a most attractive turn of the century building, theatres, the Mzilikazi Art and craft centre, good hotels and one of the finest caravan and camping parks in Zimbabwe. Bulawayo is also home to the Chipangali wildlife orphanage and the Kami Ruins.<\/p>\n

One of Zimbabwe's major tourist attractions is the Matopos National Park, less than an hour's drive from the city. As one leaves the city travelling south, many granite outcrops are seen. They increase in number and size as the distance from the city grows. By the time the Park is entered one is surrounded by a dramatic and enveloping scenery that is unique and extraordinary.<\/p>\n

Just twenty-two kilometers to the west of the Bulawayo is Khami Ruins, one of southern Africa's magnificent Late Iron Age ruins (now an Unesco World heritage Site.) The land adjoining the ruins has been made into a Nature Reserve by the City Council, called Mazwi Nature Reserve, where the visitor may walk, drive and picnic.<\/p>\n

Also worth a visit and situated on the main Gwanda Road, 23km from Bulawayo is the Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage and Research Centre, a home for orphaned, sick or abandoned wild animals. There are lion, leopard, cheetah, black rhino; many species of antelope and a large collection of birds.<\/p>\n

Mzilikazi Arts and Crafts Centre, situated just out of town off the Old Falls road, is definitely worth a visit where visitors can choose from a wide selection of skilfully crafted sculptures, basketry, pottery, beadwork and woodwork - all done by local people.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i> Matopos National Park<\/a><\/h3>

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Granite kopjes found in the Matopos National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Matobo National Park\u00a0forms the core of the\u00a0Matobo\u00a0or\u00a0Matopos Hills, an area of\u00a0granite\u00a0kopjes\u00a0and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometres (22\u00a0mi) south of\u00a0Bulawayo, southern\u00a0Zimbabwe. Matopo\/Matobo is a corruption of a shona\/Venda word, \"matombo\" which means stones in Tshivenda.<\/p>\n

The national park is the oldest in Zimbabwe, established in 1926<\/sup>\u00a0as\u00a0Rhodes Matopos National Park, a bequest from\u00a0Cecil Rhodes. The original park borders extended well to the south and east of the current park.<\/p>\n

The current name\u00a0Matobo<\/b>\u00a0reflects the correct vernacular pronunciation of the area.<\/p>\n

The Matobo Hills were designated as a\u00a0UNESCO<\/a>\u00a0World Heritage Site<\/a> in 2003. The area \"exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

Flora<\/h3>\n

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Part of the flora prevalent in the Matopos National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

The Matobo Hills is an area of high botanic diversity, with over 200 species of tree recorded in the national park, including the\u00a0mountain acacia,\u00a0wild pear\u00a0and the\u00a0paperbark acacia.<\/sup>\u00a0There are also many\u00a0aloes, wild herbs and over 100 grass species.<\/sup>\u00a0Many types of rare endemic plants have been recorded.<\/sup><\/p>\n

Fauna<\/h3>\n

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About 175 bird species in the Matopos National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Matobo National Park has a wide diversity of fauna: 175 bird, 88 mammal, 39 snake and 16 fish species.<\/sup>\u00a0Game include\u00a0white rhinos,\u00a0sable, antelopes,\u00a0impala\u00a0and\u00a0leopards. The park contains the world's densest population of the latter,<\/sup>\u00a0due to the abundance of\u00a0hyrax, which make up 50% of their diet. The game park in the west has been restocked with\u00a0white\u00a0and\u00a0black rhinos, the former from KwaZulu-Natal in the 1960s and the latter from the Zambezi Valley in the 1990s. It has been designated as an Intensive Protection Zone for the two species,<\/sup>\u00a0as well as\u00a0hyenas,\u00a0hippopotami,\u00a0giraffes,\u00a0zebras,\u00a0wildebeests\u00a0and\u00a0ostriches.<\/sup><\/p>\n

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Hippos are also found in the Matopos National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Matobo National Park contains the highest concentration of black eagles, and breeding pairs of these birds, worldwide.<\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n

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<\/i> khami Ruins<\/a><\/h3>

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Part of Khami Ruins<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Khami Ruins National Monument is located to the west of the Khami River, 22 km from the City of Bulawayo. The property, located on a 1300 m hilltop downstream from a dam built during 1928-1929, covers an area of about 108 ha, spread over a distance of about 2 km from the Passage Ruin to the North Ruin.<\/p>\n

The property was the capital of the Torwa dynasty, which arose from the collapse of the Great Zimbabwe Kingdom between 1450 -1650 and was abandoned during the Ndebele incursions of the 19th century.<\/p>\n

Socio-economic significance<\/h3>\n

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The architecture of the site and the archaeological artefacts provide evidence for an exceptional understanding of strong, united, early civilizations. They also offer information on the property\u2019s complex socio-economic, religious and spiritual significance for the local communities and for the overall chronological development of Zimbabwe tradition; initiated in Mapungubwe (South Africa), extending to Great Zimbabwe, and through the emergence of later states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Archaeological remains<\/h3>\n

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The archaeological remains are also a testament to long-distance historic trade links with the Portuguese, and the wider world, the diverse range of imported artefacts provide evidence of 15th and 17th century Spanish porcelain, Rhineland stoneware and Ming porcelain, many of which are on display in the Museum of Natural History in Bulawayo. There is also a monumental granite cross which illustrates the contact with missionaries at a traditionally revered and sacred spiritual site.<\/p>\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i> Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe<\/a><\/h3>
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The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

The Natural Museum of Zimbabwe located in the Centenary Park in Bulawayo, was built in 1962, and in 1982 all the natural science collections were moved here and it was renamed the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

With its stunning displays and valuable research collections is the best museum in Southern Africa and rank fourth in size among the museums of Africa.<\/p>\n

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It is an impressive circular building with nine public display galleries, a lecture hall with a seating capacity of 120 people, a cafeteria, and eight research departments with substantial study collections and ongoing research in the following disciplines:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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