Health and Safety

Malaria

Malaria risk is high from November to June, in areas below 1200m including the Zambezi Valley and Victoria Falls. There is low to no risk at all in Harare , Bulawayo, Midlands and the district of Matabeleland South.
Malaria precautions are essential. Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net.

What to Pack

If you are going on a safari, neutral colors such as khaki or stone are advisable. Avoid blue or black clothing – the tsetse flies are drawn to these colors. Include a warm jacket or fleece in your suitcase for evening game drives as well as a pair of comfortable walking shoes. A wide-brimmed safari hat is really useful at any time of year, as even sometimes in winter the sun can be hot. Don’t forget to bring your sunscreen and sunglasses especially in summer as well as your insect/mosquito repellent.

Buy Travel Insurance

It is highly advisable to have travel insurance that covers medical emergencies. Carry copies of your medical insurance in your car and handbag. If anything happens that requires you to go to hospital in Harare or to be airlifted to Johannesburg, your medical insurance certificate will be required.

Airlifting and Ambulance Service Providers in Zimbabwe

MARS Harare: +263 4 771221/ 706034

MARS Victoria Falls: +263 13 44646 /+263 712 404 950

Yellow Fever

Zimbabwe is not a yellow fever zone! This means you do not need a yellow fever vaccination to visit Zimbabwe.A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is only required for travellers 9 months of age and older coming from - or who are in airport transit for more than 12 hours within - a country with risk of Yellow Fever transmission. However, if you are travelling into Zimbabwe from a country that does have yellow fever, you will need to display a vaccination certificate when you enter Zimbabwe the country for the convenience of tourists that prefer flying to their tourist attraction places other than travelling by road.

Validity of certificate

A Yellow Fever certificate is valid 10 days after vaccination.