Driving Tips

SPECIAL NOTES ON DRIVING IN ZIMBABWE

• Zimbabwe Roads – Driving in Zimbabwe is on the left-hand side. National Highways are in good condition and generally uncongested making self drive holidays a pleasure in Zimbabwe.

  
  

• Our Vehicles are ALL supplied with 2 x Emergency Triangles 1 x Fire Extinguisher and all statutory licenses.

  
  

• Police Road blocks are frequent on our national highways. Police are friendly and polite, if stopped you are likely to be asked for your drivers license only. In any event always have your rental agreement at hand.

  
  

  
  

  • 10% Excess Cover – The 10% excess does not cover damage to tyres, windscreen chips, scratches, small dents and undercarriage damage.  This damage will be added to the renter’s account, to be paid upon termination.
  • Potholes – Mainly a problem only in the summer rainy season Oct - April. Please take special care on the roads as potholes can cause serious damage to tyres of the vehicle.  Cost of damage to the tyres will be charged to the renter (i.e. 10% excess).
  • Driving at Night – Avoid traveling outside of towns and cities at night.  There are vehicles with poor safety lights as well as stray livestock and wild animals along the roads.
  • Fuel in Zimbabwe – Fuel is available from fuel stations country wide at an average price $1.45. On termination of your rental your vehicle will be re-fueled  even with a fill gauge reading. Our Fuel is cost at a price available from our service counters. 
  • Out-of-Order Traffic Lights – Slow down when approaching all traffic lights as some may be out of order.  Should this be the case always give way to traffic filtering from the right, and then proceed cautiously.
  • Unsurfaced Roads – All vehicle groups except for 4x4’s (Group H) are strictly prohibited from leaving surfaced roads.
  • Vehicles – All Europcar Zimbabwe vehicles are right-hand drive.
  • Most importantly Enjoy your journey!

    

  Zimbabwe Essential Facts for the Traveller

  
  

  ZIMBABWE is a landlocked country in southern Africa lying well within the tropics.  It straddles an extensive high inland plateau that drops northwards to the Zambezi valley where the border with Zambia is and similarly drops southwards to the Limpopo valley and the border with South Africa.  The country has borders with Botswana (813 kilometers), Mozambique (1,231 km), South Africa (225 km), Zambia (797 km) and meets Namibia at its western-most point.

  
  

  POPULATION

   

  The total estimated population is approximately 13 million, according to the 2012 census.

  
  

  URBAN CENTRES

  
  

  Harare, in the north-eastern part of the country, is the capital city.  Other major cities include:  Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo.

  
  

  CLIMATE & SEASONS

  
  

  The climate is tropical, although markedly moderated by altitude. 

  
  

  Summer (October – April):  Days are hot and generally sunny in the morning with possible afternoon thunderstorms.  Daytime temperatures can rise to 30°C and night temperatures drop to around 14°C-16°C.  The temperatures given are those for the main centres but it is considerably warmer all year round in the low-lying areas such as Kariba, Victoria Falls, and the Zambezi Valley.  The rainy season runs from November to March, although the Eastern Highlands are damp for most of the year. 

  
  

  Winter (May – September):  Days are dry, sunny and cool to warm while evening temperatures drop sharply.  Daytime temperatures generally reach 20°C and can drop to as low as 5°C at night.  Exceptionally cold spells can occur (although this is the exception rather than the rule).

  
  

  TERRAIN

  
  

  Much of the country is high plateau with a higher central plateau (Highveld) forming a watershed between the Zambezi and Limpopo river systems.  The Limpopo and the lower Zambezi valleys are broad and relatively flat plains.  The eastern end of the watershed terminates in a north-south mountain spine, called the Eastern Highlands.

  
  

  AIRPORTS

  
  

  Domestic air services operate between the major airports:

  • Harare Airport
  • Bulawayo Airport
  • Kariba Airport
  • Victoria Falls Airport

  
  

  VISAS

  
  

  Nationals of the following countries do not need visas to enter Zimbabwe:

  Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cayman, Congo (DRC), Cyprus, Fiji, Grenada, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Leeward Island, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Samoa Western, Singpaore, Solomon Island, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadies, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Turk & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

  
  

  Nationals of the following countries can be granted visas at the port of entry upon payment of the visa fee (US$30 single entry, US$45 double entry and US$55 multi-entry):

  Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Brunei, Cook Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana (Gratis), Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau Island, Palestine (State of), Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, South Africa (Gratis), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Vatican and Virgin Islands.

  
  

  Nationals of the following countries are required to apply for and obtain visas prior to travelling: 

  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazzaville, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Columbia, Comoros Islands, Congo (Brazzaville), Costa Rica, Conakry, Cote d’Voire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti Republic, El Salvador, Equador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eyrom, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French West Indies, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Gibraltar, Great Britain (UK), Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea (DPRK), Krygystan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macau, Madagascar, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nie, Niger, Nigeria, Norfolk Islands, Northern Mariana Island, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Principe, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia Fed, Rwanda, Samoa (America), San Marino, Sao Tome, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen Republic and Yugoslavia.

  
  

  CUSTOMS

  
  

  Personal possessions which are intended for your own consumption in Zimbabwe are allowed entry duty-free.  In addition, other consumable goods (not merchandise imported for trade purposes) may be imported up to a value of US$250 per person.  Family members travelling together may aggregate their allowances.

  
  

  MOTOR VEHICLES

  
  

  Private motor vehicles, caravans and trailers may be brought temporarily into Zimbabwe, provided they are licensed in their home countries and bear appropriate registration plate and nationality plaque.  The International Certificate of Motor Vehicles is recognized in Zimbabwe.  Vehicles must be insured against third party risks arising in Zimbabwe, short-term policies are obtainable at border posts.  A road tax of US$100 per vehicle is applicable.

  
  

  DRIVING

  
  

  Driving is on the left side of the road and the general speed limit is 120 km/h on open roads and 60 km/h in urban areas, but watch out for the signs.  Motorists must use their headlights between 5:30pm and 5:30am.

  
  

  BORDER POST TIMES

  
  

  Zimbabwe bordering South Africa

  Beitbridge:  Open 24 hours a day to tourists

  
  

  Zimbabwe bordering Namibia and Botswana

  Plumtree:  06:00 – 20:00 hrs

  Kazungula:  06:00 – 18:00 hrs

  
  

  Zimbabwe bordering Mozambique

  Forbes border post (Mutare):  06:00 – 18:00 hrs

  
  

  Zimbabwe bordering Zambia

  Chirundu:  06:00 – 22:00 hrs

  Kariba:  06:00 – 18:00 hrs

  Victoria Falls:  06:00 – 22:00 hrs

  
  

  LANGUAGES

  
  

  The official language is English, which is used in government and business affairs.  Shona and Ndebele are the two main national languages, and are widely spoken.  Other ethnic groups speak their own languages.

  
  

  TIME

  
  

  GMT plus 2 hours.

  
  

  CURRENCY

  
  

  Zimbabwe adopted a multi-currency regime in February 2009, but the major currency of use is the United States Dollar.

  
  

  BANKS

  
  

  Zimbabwe has 16 registered commercial banks.

  
  

  PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

  
  

  1 January:  New Years Day

  18 April:  Independence Day

  March/April (variable):  Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday

  1 May:  Workers Day

  25 May:  Africa Day

  13 August:  Heroes Day

  14 August:  Defence Forces Day

  22 December:  National Unity Day

  25 December:  Christmas Day

  26 December:  Boxing Day

  
  

  EMBASSIES AND HIGH COMMISSIONS

  
  

  The following countries have diplomatic representation in Zimbabwe:  Algeria, Angola, Australia, Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Zambia.

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