The history of Great Zimbabwe, the largest archaeological site in sub-Saharan Africa, is shrouded in colonialist lucubrations, legends and miseries. Great Zimbabwe is a city of mystery. It is known to have endured European sieges, but that is not enough to know why they disappeared. There are no clues in the citadel as to why the city's inhabitants decided to abandon it. The country adopted the name Zimbabwe in honour of a pre-colonial culture that gave it a hitherto denied past and identity.

Starting from the entrance, the people who mann the place are not friendly at all. They all lack good customer care, maybe they should be trained but their service leaves a lot to be desired. They were reluctant to serve us. No explanations or guidance given to new tourists. It was appalling. The climb to that hill is so taxing but worth it. For climbing the modern way is better and the ancient way is good for descent. The Great Enclosure is such a spectacular and gigantic place. Those people were far ahead of the modern day architects. It's a beautiful place to visit.

I am in absolute awe at the beauty of this place. I've never been more prouder to be a Zimbabwean and have this majestic structure as part of our history and culture. A lot of effort has been made to preserve this monument and it shows. The tour guide shared amazing details of the site and made the entire experience so much more memorable. I'll definitely visit again.

I have been there four times but always feels like it's the first time. The stunning stonework makes you reimagine African history. Hundreds of years later this timeless work of art continues to epitomizes the greatness of this land and her people. I enjoy every moment and will cherish every trip to GZ all the days of my life.

The Great Zimbabwe monument is located about 30km outside the city of Masvingo, just behind the Great Zimbabwe Hotel. One can access it through the hotel entrance or drive further down from the hotel turnoff and turn right where there's the Great Zimbabwe Monument sign. Ticket purchase is swift and affordable. There are designated eating areas just before entering the monument, however, keep an eye out for monkeys and baboons. Also keep car windows closed. There is so much rich history to learn about Great Zimbabwe and it's origins, culture, and religion of the inhabitants. For a rich learning experience, I suggest booking a guide, however, the place is well-labelled so one can easily find their way around. It is a great hike up to the viewing point on the hill but there is a less-intense route to take when going down labelled as the "modern path". To get full appreciation and cover everything, dedicate 3-4 hours to tour the entire site and appreciate it. The museum has some timelines and explanation on the building process of the monuments. The great enclosure is a beautiful structure to see and take pictures. I highly recommend going to the village homestead to learn more about the traditional homestead setup structure and its significance. There are a lot of curios there as well as just outside the hotel. Be sure to have plenty of water and snacks when visiting especially in the warmer months.

Interesting, you get to learn a lot

The monuments are amazing! Huge, thick and tall. No cement either. The bathrooms and museum weren't good though. The museum was missing lots of lights so some of the displays were very hard to see and the bathrooms were digusting. No card machines either so bring cash, just in case. So if your here only for the stone monuments, this is the place for you!

You haven't been to Zimbabwe if you haven't seen the Great Zimbabwe, its the Ultimate of Zimbabwe pre colonial history, the Greatest of all historical sights I have seen, The Shrine, the way the structures have stood up for more than half a century, the Tour Guides are excellent and eloquent, you need to go there and see for yourself

One of our ancient architectural wonders. The place is quiet and marvelous to see.

Huge complex of fascinating ruins. Had a great guide who was an archaeology student at the local university. If you can deal with the hard slog to get here it's well worth it

15th of October 2022, A great place to be . Visit Great Zimbabwe ♥️♥️♥️. We paid $5 per person to enter, you can spend the whole day if you like. It’s safe, I recommend morning visits before it gets busy.

The Ancient city {Great Zimbabwe} is a Monument,(Residue of a time passed, a life once lived, a moment in past time captured and left for the rest of the world to see) a structure that is evidence of an intelligent society. It's construction (stone upon stone upon stone) and the reality that it still stands regardless of all potential dangers is testimony of the ingenuity of this Once Great Community, thriving, trading etc. {It is rumoured that King Solomon [From the Bible] once visited this place for Gold and Mineral trades} It was built to stand throughout time though it is not exactly as it was we are still able to see it's magnificence! The science behind the architecture should have been beyond their time but who am l to say otherwise because they did it and today l am able to say "I've seen and felt what the archaeologist see/feel when they visit/uncover/unravel/unearth such ancient sites (around the world)" .

Great efforts

Scenic views, one needs to have ample time to navigate all round. It was a memorable experience 😉. The grass needs trimming regularly, overall good terrain and loved the monkeys as well.

There is always something amazing you notice each time you visit this wonderful spectacle.

This Archeological site is simply impressive. So fascinating and mysterious the way this acient fort is realised. The view from the top of the hill is stunning. Let me add anyway, for being the biggest Archeological site in southern Africa, the way this site is run is scandalous: poor indications, poor care of the paths, poor cleanliness, plus we paid for a guided tour never provided. The museum is quite poor, not even provided with a proper illumination and staff quite unmotivated. Hoping for a substantial improvement.

Breathtaking views!!!

You can't say you visited Masvingo without seeing this place. Masvingo is about great ruins

Im a grown citizen of Zimbabwe and it was my first time to go to Great Zimbabwe.I have to admit that the Shona people were inteligent because when you see the walls, you never believe whats in front of you is hundreds of years old.

Massive stonework laid on a hilltop will leave you wondering how did they do it.

Simply amazing engineering, way too advanced for its time.

A beautiful place indeed.

Directions from Google maps are superb.. enjoyed my drive and experience at the iconic national monument

we did the whole touristy tour including hiring a a guide. this was awesome. the history, education and peace and quite. our tour guide, Miriam was amazing. I am still in ah of her knowledge and passion for great zimbabwe. I vacationed in zimbabwe for 3 weeks and this was 2nd best place I enjoyed. Thank-you Miriam.

Had a fabulous experience there- an unbelievable piece of work which really bears testimony to the hard work and ingenuity of the builders.The structures are over 500 years old and counting