Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Exercise increased cautionExercise a high degree of caution
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Victoria Falls and Livingstone Border Region
Exercise normal precautionsVictoria Falls town is a major tourist hub with security infrastructure and active tourism services on the Zimbabwean side.
Common scams: Overcharging foreign tourists, unlicensed tour guides, currency exchange manipulation (USD is widely used, Zimbabwe Dollar is volatile)
Source: UK FCDO, US State Department · Verified 2026-07-06
Hwange National Park and Northwestern Region
Exercise normal precautionsGame reserve and surrounding areas are professionally managed tourist destinations with security presence and established infrastructure.
Common scams: Unauthorized guides, unofficial lodge operators
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Harare and Major Urban Centers
Exercise increased cautionCapital city has petty crime including theft, pickpocketing, and occasional armed robbery. Certain neighborhoods are riskier at night. Political demonstrations occasionally occur with unpredictable outcomes.
Avoid: Certain suburbs (Glen View, Epworth) after dark; areas with known gang activity; avoid large crowds or political gatherings
Common scams: Pickpocketing on public transport, currency manipulation, unofficial currency dealers, overcharging foreigners
Source: UK FCDO, US State Department · Verified 2026-07-06
4 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, UK FCDO, US State Department. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Zimbabwe Republic Police, via the national emergency line
police
UK FCDO gives 112 from a mobile for ambulance, fire and police together, and the second number from a landline. NetOne subscribers dial 114 rather than 112. Which of these works depends on your network, so it is worth testing which connects before you need it.
SourceFire service, via the national emergency line
fire
Fire shares the national line with police and ambulance, per UK FCDO. NetOne subscribers dial 114.
SourceEmergency Medical Rescue and Ambulance Service (EMRAS)
ambulance · Harare
Named on Zimbabwe's government portal as the Harare ambulance service, with separate regional numbers listed there for Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo, Kwekwe, Bindura and Victoria Falls. Response is widely inconsistent in practice, the same page lists a second Harare service called MARS, and UK FCDO gives a simpler fallback of dialling 112 from a mobile and asking for an ambulance.
SourceCimas Rescue
ambulance · Harare
A private subscription-linked ambulance service widely used in Harare as an alternative to the inconsistent state lines. It is not free and will normally require membership or payment at the point of use.
SourceAvicenna Medical Centre
hospital · Harare
The only medical facility, as opposed to individual doctor, on the UK Foreign Office list for Zimbabwe. Parirenyatwa in Harare is the large public referral hospital and is where an ambulance would usually take you, but no government or embassy page gives a number for it that could be read directly, so none is published here. Ask your accommodation for the current Parirenyatwa casualty number on arrival.
Source